Kinetic damage is one of the four main damage types encountered in space combat, and usually shown with Black icons and missile tips.
Both Shields and Armor have reasonable resistances to Kinetic damage, but sheilds generally do slightly better than armor against it. ~40% Shield, ~20% Armor. These resistances may be increased with the appropriate active or passive Hardener modules.
No Laser weapons are capable of Kinetic damage. Some types of Projectile ammunition can do Kinetic damage. All Hybrid weapons can do some degree of Kinetic damage.
Missiles and Drones can be chosen that do exclusivley Kinetic damage, such as the Hornet drone, or Scourge missile.
Guristas and Serpentis Corporation NPC Pirates commonly use Hybrid weapons, and so can be expected to deal Kinetic damage.
Tactically, Kinetic weapons make for good all-purpose weapons, especially vs NPC, although fare slightly less well in this role than Thermal weapons. However, since the utility of Thermal damage is so widely known by pilots, choosing Kinetic instead may be just what they aren't expecting...