YouSuck: These Five Nu-Metal Bands Were Voted the Best by MetalSucks Readers
Everyone knows it at this point and if you don’t know, you’re about to know — nu metal is big business in 2024. All over the place, elder millennials and their younger cohorts are either returning to the music of their youth, or younger generations are just discovering the downtuned, often hip-hop influenced music that inspired a generation to wear stupidly baggy jeans and pretend they were cool when let’s be real… they never were. Myself included.
With so much attention being paid to legacy bands like Korn, Limp Bizkit, and Slipknot these days, we sought to find out what our readers felt were the top five best nu metal bands from the mid-90s to early 2000s. There were scores of bands to consider and while many failed to get any votes at all, we got some great insight into who the MetalSucks faithful thinks were the best of the best from that era.
Most of the results are honestly pretty expected at this point, so there’s nothing too shocking. Still, it’s interesting nonetheless. So without further ado, here’s the top five best nu-metal bands, as voted by you — the MetalSucks reader.
Korn (1,082 votes)
Considered by many to be the one of the OGs of the genre, Korn burst onto the scene with their self-titled debut three decades ago. Since then, they’ve released 14 studio albums, toured the world multiple times over, and maintained a rabid fanbase, despite the various lineup changes that happened over the years. With their continued popularity and ventures into things like an ADIDAS clothing line, these guys are definitely here to stay.
System of a Down (935 votes)
Popularized through their politically charged music during the Bush era and accepted by the youth thanks to both guitarist Daron Malakian and vocalist Serj Tankian’s madcap style, System of a Down remains a juggernaut in the nu metal space. Though their music doesn’t follow the typical nu metal trope of drawing inspiration from hip-hop, these guys shot into the stratosphere with the groovy and tumultuous Toxicity. If you haven’t listened to their self-titled debut album from 1998 though, you owe it to yourself to do so because that shit still slaps.
Slipknot (892 votes)
What can we say about Slipknot that hasn’t been said already? They have a ridiculously large lineup of players, they’re eccentricity is right on display in the outfits and masks they wear, and they’ve effectively become the Metallica of nu metal, if I can be so bold as to call ’em that. Sure, their latest output has been lackluster in recent years, but that doesn’t stop people from clamoring to catch them on their upcoming 25th anniversary tours.
Deftones (822 votes)
There are two camps of people that like Deftones: those that fell in love with the band during the Around the Fur/White Pony days and those that found the band through TikTok. These guys are a bit of a surprise on the top five list, as their inclusion likely knocked off Limp Bizkit out of contention, but their unique style definitely puts them in the conversation among the greats. That is undeniable.
Linkin Park (558 votes)
If Slipknot aren’t the Metallica of nu-metal, then Linkin Park is/was. Talk about a band that exploded — Hybrid Theory was a massive success right out of the gate, but follow up efforts like Meteora and their insanely popular collaboration with Jay-Z made them mainstays. Sadly, the passing of vocalist Chester Bennington halted the band, but it’s sounding like they may be coming back around with a female singer. Who knows?
