Top 7 Nu Metal Bands of All Time: A List for People Who Wore JNCO Jeans Unironically
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Let’s be real—nu metal was the soundtrack to every middle school meltdown, questionable fashion choice, and parental disappointment in the late ‘90s and early 2000s. It was the genre where rap met rock, DJs were inexplicably considered band members, and every vocalist sounded like they’d just chugged a gallon of Mountain Dew before screaming into a Walmart mic.
But beneath the baggy pants and frosted tips, some bands actually made music that still slaps today (if you ignore the cringe). So, in honor of a genre that peaked when flip phones were still cool, here are the Top 7 Nu Metal Bands of All Time—ranked by influence, absurdity, and how hard they made your mom sigh when she walked in on you "moshing" in your bedroom.
7. Papa Roach
Why They’re Here: Because Last Resort is the unofficial anthem of every 13-year-old who ever wrote "life is pain" in their Trapper Keeper. Papa Roach took teenage angst, slapped a rap-rock beat on it, and somehow convinced an entire generation that cutting your wrists was a metaphor (please don’t actually do that). They weren’t the heaviest or the deepest, but damn if that chorus doesn’t still hit when you’re stuck in traffic.
Legacy: Responsible for at least 70% of bad high school poetry.
6. Limp Bizkit
Why They’re Here: Because Fred Durst was the living embodiment of "how do you do, fellow kids?"—a backwards-hat-wearing, goatee-sporting hype man who somehow convinced the world that nu metal needed more scooter-riding in its music videos. Break Stuff is the musical equivalent of kicking a trash can, and Nookie is the reason an entire generation still can’t explain what "it" is.
Legacy: Single-handedly justified the existence of parental advisory stickers.
5. Deftones
Why They’re Here: Because while everyone else was busy rapping about how much they hated their stepdad, Deftones were out here making horny, atmospheric bangers that made you feel things. Change (In the House of Flies) is what would happen if a haunted strip club had a house band, and Chino Moreno’s voice is proof that you can sound like a horny ghost and still be iconic.
Legacy: The only nu metal band your pretentious indie friend will admit to liking.
4. Slipknot
Why They’re Here: Because nothing says "I’m edgy" like wearing a mask to the grocery store. Slipknot took nu metal’s aggression, cranked it to 11, and added nine dudes just to make sure the stage looked like a serial killer’s garage sale. Wait and Bleed and Duality are still the go-to songs for anyone who’s ever angrily punched a pillow.
Legacy: Proved that you can be terrifying and still sell out arenas (and also that jumpsuits are a valid fashion choice).
3. Korn
Why They’re Here: Because Jonathan Davis made bagpipes cool (somehow) and turned daddy issues into a Grammy-worthy career. Freak on a Leash and Blind are the sound of a man exorcising his demons through a combination of scatting and primal screaming. Plus, those bass lines sound like a washing machine full of chains—in the best way.
Legacy: The reason your therapist drives a BMW.
2. Linkin Park
Why They’re Here: Because Chester Bennington’s voice was the emotional equivalent of being hugged and punched at the same time. Hybrid Theory is the perfect album for anyone who’s ever felt misunderstood (so, literally every teenager ever). Whether you were crying to Crawling or pretending you could rap like Mike Shinoda, Linkin Park was the gateway drug to angst.
Legacy: Still the only band that could make a song about depression sound like a stadium anthem.
1. System of a Down
Why They’re Here: Because no other band could scream about genocide, sugar, and prison sex in the same album—and make it a masterpiece. SOAD was the chaotic, politically charged, Armenian-American fever dream nu metal didn’t know it needed. Chop Suey! is the national anthem of controlled chaos, and Toxicity is proof that you can be both deeply weird and deeply profound.
Legacy: The only band that could make you mosh and question U.S. foreign policy simultaneously.
Final Thoughts
Nu metal was a glorious, ridiculous, and occasionally profound train wreck—and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Whether you still secretly rock out to Bawitdaba or pretend you were "always into post-hardcore," these bands defined an era.
Agree? Disagree? Still mad we didn’t include Crazy Town? Scream into the void (aka the comments) below!