Nu-Metal Revival

Lore & Background

By the mid-2000s, the oversaturation of bands, combined with the underperformance of several high-profile releases, signaled the subgenre's decline. Many nu metal bands disbanded or changed their sound in favor of other genres. Genres such as metalcore and emo overtook nu metal in popularity. However, the 2010s brought a nu metal revival. Bands such as Of Mice & Men, Emmure, Issues, My Ticket Home, Bring Me the Horizon, and Motionless in White combined nu metal with metalcore or deathcore. This new wave of artists re-energized the sound, proving its adaptability.

In Their Own Story

The 2010s brought a nu metal revival. Bands such as Of Mice & Men, Emmure, Issues, My Ticket Home, Bring Me the Horizon, and Motionless in White combined nu metal with metalcore or deathcore. Artists like Grimes, Poppy, and Rina Sawayama integrated nu metal sounds into electronic pop music in the late 2010s and early 2020s, and interest in nu metal rose in the early 2020s.

Reader's Guide

The revival of nu metal in the 2010s was driven by bands that fused its core elements with other heavy genres. Groups like Of Mice & Men, Emmure, Issues, My Ticket Home, Bring Me the Horizon, and Motionless in White combined nu metal with metalcore or deathcore. This fusion brought nu metal's rhythmic intensity and vocal styles to a new generation of heavy music fans. Simultaneously, the genre crossed over into electronic pop, with artists like Grimes, Poppy, and Rina Sawayama integrating nu metal sounds into their music in the late 2010s and early 2020s. This cross-pollination sparked a renewed interest in the style, proving its lasting influence beyond traditional rock and metal circles.

Did You Know?

• Nu metal rarely features guitar solos, contrasting with other heavy metal genres.
• Nu metal guitarists often use seven-string guitars that are down-tuned to produce a heavier sound.
• The popularity of nu metal peaked in 2001 with Linkin Park's diamond-selling debut album, Hybrid Theory.
• Bands like Of Mice & Men and Bring Me the Horizon combined nu metal with metalcore or deathcore during the 2010s revival.
• Artists Grimes, Poppy, and Rina Sawayama integrated nu metal sounds into electronic pop music in the late 2010s and early 2020s.

Musical Architecture and Instrumentation

Nu metal is a subgenre of alternative metal that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip-hop, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu metal rarely features guitar solos or other displays of musical technique and emphasizes rhythm with instrumentation that is heavily syncopated. Nu metal guitarists often use seven-string guitars that are down-tuned to produce a heavier sound. DJs are occasionally featured to provide instrumentation such as sampling, turntable scratching and electronic background music. Nu metal is one of the key genres of the new wave of American heavy metal.

Vocal Diversity and Hip-Hop Integration

Vocal styles in nu metal are often rhythmic and influenced by hip-hop, and include singing, rapping, screaming and sometimes growling. Nu metal bands occasionally feature hip-hop musicians as guests in their songs; Korn's song "Children of the Korn" features the rapper Ice Cube. Limp Bizkit has recorded with multiple hip-hop musicians including Method Man, Lil Wayne, Xzibit, Redman, DMX and Snoop Dogg. Linkin Park collaborated with hip-hop musician Jay-Z on their 2004 extended play Collision Course.

Origins, Peak Popularity, and Decline

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, bands like Pantera, Helmet, and Faith No More were influential in the development of nu metal with their groove metal and alternative metal styles. Korn is often credited as pioneering the subgenre in the mid-1990s with their self-titled debut album. Nu metal became popular in the late 1990s, with bands and artists such as Korn, Limp Bizkit, and Slipknot all releasing albums that sold millions of copies. The popularity of nu metal came to a peak in 2001 with Linkin Park's diamond-selling debut album, Hybrid Theory. By the mid-2000s, however, the oversaturation of bands, combined with the underperformance of several high-profile releases, signaled the subgenre's decline.

The Modern Revival and Genre Fusion

The 2010s brought a nu metal revival; many bands that combined it with other genres (for example, metalcore and deathcore) emerged, and some nu metal bands from the 1990s and early 2000s returned to the nu metal sound. Bands such as Of Mice & Men, Emmure, Issues, My Ticket Home, Bring Me the Horizon, and Motionless in White combined nu metal with metalcore or deathcore. Artists like Grimes, Poppy, and Rina Sawayama integrated nu metal sounds into electronic pop music in the late 2010s and early 2020s, and interest in nu metal rose in the early 2020s.