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What Is Nu-Metal? Genre, Bands & Songs

The short answer

Nu-metal blends heavy, down-tuned metal riffs with hip-hop rhythm and grunge angst — think Linkin Park, Slipknot and Limp Bizkit.

Live genre mix

Genre mix: what the US 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.

Pop: 26%Alternative & Indie: 23%Hip-Hop & Rap: 15%Country: 12%R&B & Soul: 10%Rock: 6%Other: 8%

What the US is streaming today

Genre mix of Spotify's daily top 200, by streams, on October 4, 2026 · updated 4 Oct

  • Pop 26%
  • Alternative & Indie 23%
  • Hip-Hop & Rap 15%
  • Country 12%
  • R&B & Soul 10%
  • Rock 6%
  • Other 8%

Genre share over 19 recorded days

September 16 to October 4, 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 States Spotify chart, September 16 to October 4, 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 Sep 25 Oct 4 Sep 16, 2026: Pop 23.4%, Alternative & Indie 22.2%, Hip-Hop & Rap 14.1%, Country 12.1%, R&B & Soul 10.3%, Rock 8.9%, Other 9.0% Sep 17, 2026: Pop 23.4%, Alternative & Indie 21.6%, Hip-Hop & Rap 14.1%, Country 13.4%, R&B & Soul 9.4%, Rock 8.8%, Other 9.3% Sep 18, 2026: Pop 23.2%, Alternative & Indie 20.5%, Hip-Hop & Rap 15.0%, Country 15.6%, R&B & Soul 9.2%, Rock 8.0%, Other 8.6% Sep 19, 2026: Pop 23.9%, Alternative & Indie 20.0%, Hip-Hop & Rap 14.0%, Country 15.9%, R&B & Soul 9.4%, Rock 7.5%, Other 9.4% Sep 20, 2026: Pop 23.8%, Alternative & Indie 22.2%, Hip-Hop & Rap 14.2%, Country 14.5%, R&B & Soul 9.9%, Rock 7.0%, Other 8.5% Sep 21, 2026: Pop 22.4%, Alternative & Indie 23.5%, Hip-Hop & Rap 13.4%, Country 13.5%, R&B & Soul 10.4%, Rock 8.3%, Other 8.4% Sep 22, 2026: Pop 22.4%, Alternative & Indie 23.9%, Hip-Hop & Rap 13.4%, Country 12.8%, R&B & Soul 10.2%, Rock 8.8%, Other 8.4% Sep 23, 2026: Pop 21.7%, Alternative & Indie 25.1%, Hip-Hop & Rap 13.3%, Country 13.1%, R&B & Soul 9.9%, Rock 8.1%, Other 8.9% Sep 24, 2026: Pop 21.4%, Alternative & Indie 25.7%, Hip-Hop & Rap 13.4%, Country 13.4%, R&B & Soul 9.1%, Rock 8.5%, Other 8.6% Sep 25, 2026: Pop 41.7%, Alternative & Indie 18.3%, Hip-Hop & Rap 10.1%, Country 11.2%, R&B & Soul 7.3%, Rock 5.4%, Other 6.0% Sep 26, 2026: Pop 33.2%, Alternative & Indie 19.3%, Hip-Hop & Rap 12.5%, Country 13.1%, R&B & Soul 8.6%, Rock 5.6%, Other 7.5% Sep 27, 2026: Pop 30.2%, Alternative & Indie 22.1%, Hip-Hop & Rap 12.6%, Country 12.4%, R&B & Soul 8.7%, Rock 6.8%, Other 7.3% Sep 28, 2026: Pop 32.7%, Alternative & Indie 22.6%, Hip-Hop & Rap 11.4%, Country 11.1%, R&B & Soul 8.8%, Rock 6.7%, Other 6.8% Sep 29, 2026: Pop 30.8%, Alternative & Indie 23.1%, Hip-Hop & Rap 11.6%, Country 11.1%, R&B & Soul 8.9%, Rock 7.6%, Other 6.9% Sep 30, 2026: Pop 28.3%, Alternative & Indie 22.8%, Hip-Hop & Rap 11.6%, Country 11.8%, R&B & Soul 9.7%, Rock 9.2%, Other 6.7% Oct 1, 2026: Pop 28.9%, Alternative & Indie 23.3%, Hip-Hop & Rap 11.3%, Country 11.8%, R&B & Soul 10.3%, Rock 7.4%, Other 7.1% Oct 2, 2026: Pop 26.9%, Alternative & Indie 20.6%, Hip-Hop & Rap 15.7%, Country 11.9%, R&B & Soul 8.8%, Rock 6.6%, Other 9.4% Oct 3, 2026: Pop 27.6%, Alternative & Indie 19.8%, Hip-Hop & Rap 16.1%, Country 12.9%, R&B & Soul 9.5%, Rock 6.1%, Other 8.1% Oct 4, 2026: Pop 26.4%, Alternative & Indie 23.2%, Hip-Hop & Rap 14.8%, Country 12.2%, R&B & Soul 10.1%, Rock 5.5%, Other 7.9%
  • Pop 26.4% · +3.0 pts
  • Alternative & Indie 23.2% · +1.0 pts
  • Hip-Hop & Rap 14.8% · +0.7 pts
  • Country 12.2% · +0.1 pts
  • R&B & Soul 10.1% · -0.2 pts
  • Rock 5.5% · -3.4 pts
  • Other 7.9% · -1.2 pts
Genre-share data table
Genre-family share of daily streams, by day
Day PopAlternative & IndieHip-Hop & RapCountryR&B & SoulRockOther
Oct 4, 2026 26.4%23.2%14.8%12.2%10.1%5.5%7.9%
Oct 3, 2026 27.6%19.8%16.1%12.9%9.5%6.1%8.1%
Oct 2, 2026 26.9%20.6%15.7%11.9%8.8%6.6%9.4%
Oct 1, 2026 28.9%23.3%11.3%11.8%10.3%7.4%7.1%
Sep 30, 2026 28.3%22.8%11.6%11.8%9.7%9.2%6.7%
Sep 29, 2026 30.8%23.1%11.6%11.1%8.9%7.6%6.9%
Sep 28, 2026 32.7%22.6%11.4%11.1%8.8%6.7%6.8%
Sep 27, 2026 30.2%22.1%12.6%12.4%8.7%6.8%7.3%
Sep 26, 2026 33.2%19.3%12.5%13.1%8.6%5.6%7.5%
Sep 25, 2026 41.7%18.3%10.1%11.2%7.3%5.4%6.0%
Sep 24, 2026 21.4%25.7%13.4%13.4%9.1%8.5%8.6%
Sep 23, 2026 21.7%25.1%13.3%13.1%9.9%8.1%8.9%
Sep 22, 2026 22.4%23.9%13.4%12.8%10.2%8.8%8.4%
Sep 21, 2026 22.4%23.5%13.4%13.5%10.4%8.3%8.4%
Sep 20, 2026 23.8%22.2%14.2%14.5%9.9%7.0%8.5%
Sep 19, 2026 23.9%20.0%14.0%15.9%9.4%7.5%9.4%
Sep 18, 2026 23.2%20.5%15.0%15.6%9.2%8.0%8.6%
Sep 17, 2026 23.4%21.6%14.1%13.4%9.4%8.8%9.3%
Sep 16, 2026 23.4%22.2%14.1%12.1%10.3%8.9%9.0%

Pop leads the genre mix on the US Spotify daily chart with 26.4% of the day's streams (19.1M plays), ahead of Alternative & Indie at 23.2% and Hip-Hop & Rap at 14.8% on October 4, 2026. Across the 19 recorded days from September 16 to October 4, 2026, Pop gained the most share, up 3.0 points to 26.4% of streams, while Rock slipped the most, down 3.4 points to 5.5%. Nu-Metal sits in the Metal family, which holds 1.3% of that chart's streams (-1.3 pts over the window). Shares are stream-weighted: every play of a song on the US Spotify daily chart counts once, credited to its lead artist's genre family. Every song that Spotify can classify counts; 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 Nu-Metal artists on Spotify

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

  1. Linkin Park

  2. System Of A Down

  3. Deftones

  4. Slipknot

  5. Limp Bizkit

  6. Korn

  7. Disturbed

  8. Staind

Metal: 53%Rock: 33%Alternative & Indie: 7%Hip-Hop & Rap: 7%
53%Metal

Beyond Nu-Metal

What else do Nu-Metal artists play?

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

  • Metal 53%
  • Rock 33%
  • Alternative & Indie 7%
  • Hip-Hop & Rap 7%

Everything about Nu-Metal

What Is Considered A Nu Metal?

Nu Metal is the ultimate fusion of Heavy Metal, Hip Hop, and Alternative Rock! With heavy guitar riffs, powerful drumming, and intense vocals, Nu Metal will have you head-banging like there's no tomorrow.

Alternative Metal Vs Nu Metal

Alternative Metal and Nu Metal are like cousins in the Metal music, but they've got their own unique vibes:

  • Alternative Metal tends to lean more towards the traditional metal sound.

  • Nu Metal brings in elements of Rap, Funk, and Electronic music.

Who Are The Big 4 Of Nu Metal?

The four influential bands played significant roles in shaping Nu Metal during its peak in the late 1990s and early 2000s include:

  • Korn: Pioneers of Nu Metal with hits like "Freak on a Leash" and "Coming Undone".

  • Limp Bizkit: Known for their rap-infused metal anthems like "Rollin'" and "My Way".

  • Linkin Park: Combining elements of Nu Metal with Alternative Rock and electronic influences, their debut album "Hybrid Theory" became a sensation worldwide.

  • System of a Down: Known for their eclectic mix of Heavy Metal, Punk Rock, and Middle Eastern influences and politically charged lyrics, e.g. their "Toxicity" album.

Some Of The Best Nu Metal Bands Also Include:

  • Deftones

  • Slipknot

  • Mudvayne

  • System of a Down

  • Papa Roach

  • Korn

  • Disturbed

  • Static-X

Related genres

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