Grunge Fans Recall How They Felt About Nu-Metal on Reddit

Grunge fans are having a discussion about how they felt about nu-metal when it became popular on Reddit.

The Seattle rock scene exploded by the end of 1991, so bands such as Alice In Chains, Nirvana, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam were all massive by the following year. Record labels all wanted their own version of a “grunge” artist, so alternative rock bands popped up all over the place that fit under the umbrella.

As with many other subgenres, this reign only lasted for so long. By 1994, a lot of these artists reached their peak. In April of that year, Kurt Cobain died. A few years later, Alice In Chains stepped mostly out of the public eye and Soundgarden broke up in ’97.

Who Invented Grunge?

While grunge was experiencing a downward spiral, Korn were creating their own revolution. Their self-titled debut came out the year Cobain died, and over the next few years, other bands such as Limp Bizkit, Deftones and Slipknot were gathering their own followings and paving the way for what became known as nu-metal.

Just as with grunge, suddenly a lot of groups were creating this style of heavy music, complemented with hip-hop and electronic elements, including Linkin Park, Papa Roach, Evanescence and many others.

So how did grunge fans feel about nu-metal?A Reddit user wrote a post on the Grunge Reddit Page titled “How Do You Feel About Nu-Metal as Grunge Fans?,” and it included a photo of a bunch of nu-metal band logos. Keep reading to see what some fans said — we broke down the discussion by those who liked it and those who didn’t.

 Grunge Fans That Like Nu-Metal

We’ll start with those who had (mostly) positive sentiments about nu-metal as a genre, or at least some specific bands. Some individuals said that they love nu-metal, while others had mixed feelings, but still pointed out the good aspects of the music.

READ MORE: The ‘Big 4’ of Grunge Guitarists

See some comments bulleted below.

• “I have a lot of mixed feelings but I absolutely love Deftones, Slipknot’s first two records were hard as fuck, Korn can be a pretty mixed bag but they have some gut wrenching bangers 100 percent and Jonathan Davis is a great singer. Toxicity is a classic album and System of a Down definitely deserves a whole lot more respect.”

• “I got into ‘nu-metal’ for a few years in my 20s. Looking back a lot of it was corny and kinda terrible but bands like the Deftones, Sevendust and Breaking Benjamin still have some songs that have held up great.”

• “I HAAAAAAATED it back then. I still kind of do, but now it’s sorta nostalgic and somewhat fun. So I half enjoy it. But it really depends on the band, I never liked many,” they wrote. “I just recently listened to the 1999 Staind album and it’s actually really good, a lot more genuine than other nu-metal, kinda bridges the two well to me.”
• “I did, when Nirvana was over, Korn and Deftones had a really fresh sound, never got into the other bands.”
• “I like it better than grunge honestly.”

Some other bands people praised throughout the discussion were Static-X, Nonpoint and Incubus.

Nu-Metal: Tales From a Scene

Grunge Fans That Dislike Nu-Metal

Of course, there were plenty of comments in opposition to nu-metal both then and now. See some of the responses bulleted below.

• “I was never able to get into it. For me, ‘grunge’ has a certain authenticity and genuine emotional impact to its darkness.By contrast, Nu metal always felt like an edgy 13-year old’s attempts to be deep. More of an aesthetic than anything real.”
• “Not my thing. When Korn’s ‘Clown’ first came out I saw the video on MTV and thought that it was really unique, but the whole thing quickly turned into something I didn’t connect with. As a ‘genre’ it seemed to be 50 percent broke-ass Millennials posturing as hip hop stars and doing a lame version of what RATM actually did well, and 50 percent suburban white kids complaining about life much more than their broke-ass hip hop wannabe peers or than their Alt Rock predecessors, whose complaints tended to focus on social issues and not exclusively on mom and dad not understanding them like the Stainds and their contemporaries.”
• “Two good bands and a bunch of terrible garbage. Mainstream Rock And Roll more or less became corporate schlock again after Grunge. It was a terrible time to be a young rock fan, and I personally found myself going back to the classics in that era because I couldn’t stand it. I will personally fuck with System of a Down and Deftones any day tho. And RATM was early 90s.”

Read the full conversation on Reddit.

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