Origins and early development
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. 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.
Evolution or diversification
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. Its popularity continued through the early 2000s, with bands such as Papa Roach, Staind, and P.O.D. all selling multi-platinum albums. The popularity of nu metal came to a peak in 2001 with Linkin Park's diamond-selling 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 and many nu-metal bands disbanded or changed their sound in favor of other genres.
Cultural or musical significance
Nu metal is one of the key genres of the new wave of American heavy metal. 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, and Bring Me the Horizon combined nu metal with metalcore or deathcore, and artists like Grimes, Poppy, and Rina Sawayama integrated nu-metal sounds into electronic pop music in the late 2010s and early 2020s, with interest in nu metal rising in the early 2020s.
