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What Is Metal Music? Genre, History & Bands

The short answer

Metal is rock music built on heavily distorted guitars, powerful drumming and intense vocals, split into dozens of sub-genres from thrash to djent.

Live genre mix

Genre mix: what the UK streams today

Every day musicpiechart records the genre families behind Spotify's daily charts. The pie is the latest mix; the chart under it shows how that mix moved.

Alternative & Indie: 32%Pop: 32%R&B & Soul: 10%Rock: 8%Hip-Hop & Rap: 5%Electronic & Dance: 4%Other: 9%

What the UK is streaming today

Genre mix of Spotify's daily top 200, by streams, on October 20, 2026 · updated 20 Oct

  • Alternative & Indie 32%
  • Pop 32%
  • R&B & Soul 10%
  • Rock 8%
  • Hip-Hop & Rap 5%
  • Electronic & Dance 4%
  • Other 9%

Genre share over 35 recorded days

September 16 to October 20, 2026. Each band is one genre family's share of the chart's daily streams, stacked to 100%; a missing day leaves a gap.

Stacked area chart of genre-family share of daily streams on the United Kingdom Spotify chart, September 16 to October 20, 2026 Each coloured band is one genre family's share of the chart's daily streams, stacked to 100 percent. Days with no recorded edition leave a gap in every band. Hover a day for its shares; the data table below lists every value. 100% 75% 50% 25% 0% Sep 16 Oct 3 Oct 20 Sep 16, 2026: Pop 29.8%, Alternative & Indie 29.9%, R&B & Soul 11.3%, Rock 9.2%, Hip-Hop & Rap 6.7%, Electronic & Dance 4.5%, Other 8.5% Sep 17, 2026: Pop 30.1%, Alternative & Indie 29.9%, R&B & Soul 11.3%, Rock 9.2%, Hip-Hop & Rap 6.6%, Electronic & Dance 4.7%, Other 8.1% Sep 18, 2026: Pop 28.9%, Alternative & Indie 29.7%, R&B & Soul 11.7%, Rock 9.7%, Hip-Hop & Rap 5.6%, Electronic & Dance 5.6%, Other 8.8% Sep 19, 2026: Pop 30.3%, Alternative & Indie 28.0%, R&B & Soul 13.4%, Rock 9.3%, Hip-Hop & Rap 5.2%, Electronic & Dance 5.6%, Other 8.4% Sep 20, 2026: Pop 30.9%, Alternative & Indie 29.0%, R&B & Soul 12.7%, Rock 10.0%, Hip-Hop & Rap 5.1%, Electronic & Dance 4.0%, Other 8.4% Sep 21, 2026: Pop 30.7%, Alternative & Indie 29.6%, R&B & Soul 12.2%, Rock 9.1%, Hip-Hop & Rap 5.6%, Electronic & Dance 5.1%, Other 7.9% Sep 22, 2026: Pop 30.8%, Alternative & Indie 29.2%, R&B & Soul 12.0%, Rock 9.1%, Hip-Hop & Rap 5.9%, Electronic & Dance 5.0%, Other 7.9% Sep 23, 2026: Pop 30.5%, Alternative & Indie 29.3%, R&B & Soul 11.9%, Rock 8.8%, Hip-Hop & Rap 5.9%, Electronic & Dance 5.3%, Other 8.3% Sep 24, 2026: Pop 30.5%, Alternative & Indie 30.3%, R&B & Soul 11.6%, Rock 8.9%, Hip-Hop & Rap 5.9%, Electronic & Dance 5.2%, Other 7.6% Sep 25, 2026: Pop 38.3%, Alternative & Indie 25.9%, R&B & Soul 10.7%, Rock 8.1%, Hip-Hop & Rap 4.0%, Electronic & Dance 5.6%, Other 7.4% Sep 26, 2026: Pop 33.1%, Alternative & Indie 27.6%, R&B & Soul 12.0%, Rock 9.2%, Hip-Hop & Rap 4.2%, Electronic & Dance 5.8%, Other 8.0% Sep 27, 2026: Pop 33.1%, Alternative & Indie 29.4%, R&B & Soul 11.2%, Rock 10.1%, Hip-Hop & Rap 4.8%, Electronic & Dance 3.6%, Other 7.8% Sep 28, 2026: Pop 35.4%, Alternative & Indie 29.0%, R&B & Soul 11.0%, Rock 7.7%, Hip-Hop & Rap 4.8%, Electronic & Dance 4.5%, Other 7.6% Sep 29, 2026: Pop 35.2%, Alternative & Indie 29.1%, R&B & Soul 10.7%, Rock 7.5%, Hip-Hop & Rap 5.6%, Electronic & Dance 4.3%, Other 7.7% Sep 30, 2026: Pop 33.6%, Alternative & Indie 29.4%, R&B & Soul 10.6%, Rock 8.5%, Hip-Hop & Rap 4.5%, Electronic & Dance 5.3%, Other 8.0% Oct 1, 2026: Pop 33.6%, Alternative & Indie 29.4%, R&B & Soul 10.8%, Rock 8.2%, Hip-Hop & Rap 4.9%, Electronic & Dance 5.1%, Other 7.9% Oct 2, 2026: Pop 30.6%, Alternative & Indie 26.9%, R&B & Soul 11.4%, Rock 8.4%, Hip-Hop & Rap 7.2%, Electronic & Dance 6.4%, Other 9.0% Oct 3, 2026: Pop 30.0%, Alternative & Indie 26.7%, R&B & Soul 12.6%, Rock 8.6%, Hip-Hop & Rap 6.2%, Electronic & Dance 6.8%, Other 9.1% Oct 4, 2026: Pop 30.7%, Alternative & Indie 29.5%, R&B & Soul 11.5%, Rock 9.4%, Hip-Hop & Rap 5.9%, Electronic & Dance 4.4%, Other 8.6% Oct 5, 2026: Pop 31.8%, Alternative & Indie 29.1%, R&B & Soul 10.8%, Rock 8.2%, Hip-Hop & Rap 6.4%, Electronic & Dance 4.6%, Other 9.0% Oct 6, 2026: Pop 32.1%, Alternative & Indie 28.9%, R&B & Soul 11.2%, Rock 7.9%, Hip-Hop & Rap 6.6%, Electronic & Dance 4.6%, Other 8.7% Oct 7, 2026: Pop 31.4%, Alternative & Indie 29.0%, R&B & Soul 11.5%, Rock 8.3%, Hip-Hop & Rap 7.3%, Electronic & Dance 4.5%, Other 8.0% Oct 8, 2026: Pop 30.2%, Alternative & Indie 28.9%, R&B & Soul 11.8%, Rock 9.2%, Hip-Hop & Rap 7.6%, Electronic & Dance 4.2%, Other 8.1% Oct 9, 2026: Pop 30.2%, Alternative & Indie 27.6%, R&B & Soul 12.2%, Rock 8.6%, Hip-Hop & Rap 8.0%, Electronic & Dance 5.7%, Other 7.7% Oct 10, 2026: Pop 30.6%, Alternative & Indie 27.3%, R&B & Soul 13.5%, Rock 9.3%, Hip-Hop & Rap 6.4%, Electronic & Dance 5.2%, Other 7.8% Oct 11, 2026: Pop 30.7%, Alternative & Indie 29.2%, R&B & Soul 13.1%, Rock 9.4%, Hip-Hop & Rap 5.5%, Electronic & Dance 4.2%, Other 8.0% Oct 12, 2026: Pop 29.3%, Alternative & Indie 30.1%, R&B & Soul 12.5%, Rock 8.8%, Hip-Hop & Rap 6.8%, Electronic & Dance 4.4%, Other 8.2% Oct 13, 2026: Pop 29.7%, Alternative & Indie 30.4%, R&B & Soul 12.5%, Rock 7.7%, Hip-Hop & Rap 7.4%, Electronic & Dance 4.2%, Other 8.0% Oct 14, 2026: Pop 31.3%, Alternative & Indie 29.0%, R&B & Soul 12.3%, Rock 8.5%, Hip-Hop & Rap 7.0%, Electronic & Dance 4.2%, Other 7.7% Oct 15, 2026: Pop 31.4%, Alternative & Indie 29.3%, R&B & Soul 12.2%, Rock 8.8%, Hip-Hop & Rap 6.3%, Electronic & Dance 4.2%, Other 7.7% Oct 16, 2026: Pop 27.5%, Alternative & Indie 33.6%, R&B & Soul 10.0%, Rock 7.0%, Hip-Hop & Rap 4.5%, Electronic & Dance 6.4%, Other 11.2% Oct 17, 2026: Pop 30.2%, Alternative & Indie 30.7%, R&B & Soul 11.4%, Rock 7.3%, Hip-Hop & Rap 4.5%, Electronic & Dance 6.3%, Other 9.6% Oct 18, 2026: Pop 31.0%, Alternative & Indie 31.9%, R&B & Soul 11.0%, Rock 8.7%, Hip-Hop & Rap 4.4%, Electronic & Dance 3.7%, Other 9.2% Oct 19, 2026: Pop 31.6%, Alternative & Indie 32.4%, R&B & Soul 9.9%, Rock 7.6%, Hip-Hop & Rap 5.1%, Electronic & Dance 3.8%, Other 9.6% Oct 20, 2026: Pop 32.2%, Alternative & Indie 32.4%, R&B & Soul 10.4%, Rock 7.7%, Hip-Hop & Rap 4.9%, Electronic & Dance 3.8%, Other 8.6%
  • Pop 32.2% · +2.4 pts
  • Alternative & Indie 32.4% · +2.5 pts
  • R&B & Soul 10.4% · -1.0 pts
  • Rock 7.7% · -1.5 pts
  • Hip-Hop & Rap 4.9% · -1.8 pts
  • Electronic & Dance 3.8% · -0.7 pts
  • Other 8.6% · +0.1 pts
Genre-share data table
Genre-family share of daily streams, by day
Day PopAlternative & IndieR&B & SoulRockHip-Hop & RapElectronic & DanceOther
Oct 20, 2026 32.2%32.4%10.4%7.7%4.9%3.8%8.6%
Oct 19, 2026 31.6%32.4%9.9%7.6%5.1%3.8%9.6%
Oct 18, 2026 31.0%31.9%11.0%8.7%4.4%3.7%9.2%
Oct 17, 2026 30.2%30.7%11.4%7.3%4.5%6.3%9.6%
Oct 16, 2026 27.5%33.6%10.0%7.0%4.5%6.4%11.2%
Oct 15, 2026 31.4%29.3%12.2%8.8%6.3%4.2%7.7%
Oct 14, 2026 31.3%29.0%12.3%8.5%7.0%4.2%7.7%
Oct 13, 2026 29.7%30.4%12.5%7.7%7.4%4.2%8.0%
Oct 12, 2026 29.3%30.1%12.5%8.8%6.8%4.4%8.2%
Oct 11, 2026 30.7%29.2%13.1%9.4%5.5%4.2%8.0%
Oct 10, 2026 30.6%27.3%13.5%9.3%6.4%5.2%7.8%
Oct 9, 2026 30.2%27.6%12.2%8.6%8.0%5.7%7.7%
Oct 8, 2026 30.2%28.9%11.8%9.2%7.6%4.2%8.1%
Oct 7, 2026 31.4%29.0%11.5%8.3%7.3%4.5%8.0%
Oct 6, 2026 32.1%28.9%11.2%7.9%6.6%4.6%8.7%
Oct 5, 2026 31.8%29.1%10.8%8.2%6.4%4.6%9.0%
Oct 4, 2026 30.7%29.5%11.5%9.4%5.9%4.4%8.6%
Oct 3, 2026 30.0%26.7%12.6%8.6%6.2%6.8%9.1%
Oct 2, 2026 30.6%26.9%11.4%8.4%7.2%6.4%9.0%
Oct 1, 2026 33.6%29.4%10.8%8.2%4.9%5.1%7.9%
Sep 30, 2026 33.6%29.4%10.6%8.5%4.5%5.3%8.0%
Sep 29, 2026 35.2%29.1%10.7%7.5%5.6%4.3%7.7%
Sep 28, 2026 35.4%29.0%11.0%7.7%4.8%4.5%7.6%
Sep 27, 2026 33.1%29.4%11.2%10.1%4.8%3.6%7.8%
Sep 26, 2026 33.1%27.6%12.0%9.2%4.2%5.8%8.0%
Sep 25, 2026 38.3%25.9%10.7%8.1%4.0%5.6%7.4%
Sep 24, 2026 30.5%30.3%11.6%8.9%5.9%5.2%7.6%
Sep 23, 2026 30.5%29.3%11.9%8.8%5.9%5.3%8.3%
Sep 22, 2026 30.8%29.2%12.0%9.1%5.9%5.0%7.9%
Sep 21, 2026 30.7%29.6%12.2%9.1%5.6%5.1%7.9%
Sep 20, 2026 30.9%29.0%12.7%10.0%5.1%4.0%8.4%
Sep 19, 2026 30.3%28.0%13.4%9.3%5.2%5.6%8.4%
Sep 18, 2026 28.9%29.7%11.7%9.7%5.6%5.6%8.8%
Sep 17, 2026 30.1%29.9%11.3%9.2%6.6%4.7%8.1%
Sep 16, 2026 29.8%29.9%11.3%9.2%6.7%4.5%8.5%

Alternative & Indie leads the genre mix on the UK Spotify daily chart with 32.4% of the day's streams (7.5M plays), ahead of Pop at 32.2% and R&B & Soul at 10.4% on October 20, 2026. Across the 35 recorded days from September 16 to October 20, 2026, Alternative & Indie gained the most share, up 2.5 points to 32.4% of streams, while Hip-Hop & Rap slipped the most, down 1.8 points to 4.9%. Metal sits in the Metal family, which holds 0.8% of that chart's streams (-0.8 pts over the window). Shares are stream-weighted: every play of a song on the UK Spotify daily chart counts once, credited to its lead artist's genre family. Spotify cannot classify roughly 1.3% of its streams; every family outside the biggest six is grouped with them as Other. The figures come from spotify-top.com's daily charts, recorded once a day by Music Pie Chart.

Top Metal artists on Spotify

Artists in our catalogue tagged with this genre, ranked by Spotify popularity.

  1. Metallica

  2. System Of A Down

  3. Slipknot

  4. Avenged Sevenfold

  5. Bring Me The Horizon

  6. Rammstein

  7. Korn

  8. Disturbed

Metal: 62%Rock: 31%Alternative & Indie: 8%
62%Metal

Beyond Metal

What else do Metal artists play?

The other genre families Metal's top artists on Spotify are tagged with.

  • Metal 62%
  • Rock 31%
  • Alternative & Indie 8%

Everything about Metal

What Is Considered Metal Music?

Metal is a rock music genre known for its intense guitar riffs, thunderous drumming, and lyrics that can send chills down your spine. Metal knows no boundaries and thrives on pushing the limits of sonic intensity. It's all about unleashing raw energy, passion, and the freedom to express your wildest emotions.

What Defines Metal Music?

Face-melting guitar solos, earth-shattering bass-lines, and vocals that can go from a soothing whisper to a guttural roar in seconds. That's what defines Metal music - a relentless sonic force that refuses to be tamed.

Some Of The Best Metal Music Bands:

  • Metallica: The pioneers of Metal, with iconic songs like "Enter Sandman" and "Master of Puppets".

  • Iron Maiden: Known for their epic anthems like "The Trooper" and "Fear of the Dark".

  • Black Sabbath, with timeless classics like "Paranoid" and "War Pigs".

  • Slayer: Known for their lightning-fast guitar riffs and brutal lyrics with songs like "Angel of Death" and "Raining Blood".

What Is The Big 4 Metal Music?

The "Big Four" in Metal music refers to the four most influential bands in the subgenre of Thrash Metal, including

  • Metallica

  • Megadeth

  • Slayer

  • Anthrax.

The Most Popular Metal Music Artists:

  • Ozzy Osbourne / Black Sabbath

  • Metallica

  • Judas Priest

  • Slayer

  • Iron Maiden.

Related genres

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