To understand metaclasses, you first need to grasp Python's object model hierarchy. In Python, everything is an object—including classes themselves. At the base, you have objects, which are instances of classes. But classes are also objects, and they are created by something else: a metaclass. The most fundamental metaclass in Python is called type. The type metaclass is responsible for creating all new-style classes (all classes in Python 3 are new-style). When you define a class using the class keyword, Python internally uses type to construct that class object. This means that while objects are instances of classes, classes themselves are instances of metaclasses—by default, type.

So, why do metaclasses exist? Metaclasses give you a way to customize class creation. Just as classes define how objects behave, metaclasses define how classes themselves behave. By controlling the creation and initialization of classes, metaclasses let you inject logic, modify class attributes, or enforce patterns whenever a class is defined. This power is essential when you want to create frameworks or APIs that need to manage or validate class definitions automatically. In Python's data model, metaclasses are the final authority on how classes are built—they sit at the top of the object hierarchy, shaping the very structure of Python programs.