Guitars are tuned very low and play simple, rhythmic riffs, with few or no solos. Vocals switch between rapping, singing and screaming, and some bands add a DJ. It began in California in the mid-1990s, with Korn's 1994 debut album usually named as the starting point, and it was at its most popular around 2000. It is more groove-based and less technical than older metal.
Artists it is known for: Korn, Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Slipknot.
About 20,000 of 83,000 Trackify listeners with public profiles have nu metal among their top artists of the last four weeks. Rounded; updated 13 November 2026.
Nu Metal artists
Linkin Park
Deftones
Slipknot
System Of A Down
Limp Bizkit
Alice In Chains
Korn
Three Days Grace
Pantera
Avenged Sevenfold
The nu metal artists most Trackify listeners have in their top fifty. Each opens on Spotify.
Sources
The definition is written for this site from open sources, and was checked against them on 13 November 2026.