10 Best Alternative Rock Bands Of All Time

10. Linkin Park

Quintessential Lyric: (From 'Crawling')

"There's something inside me that pulls beneath the surface / Consuming (confusing what is real) / This lack of self control I fear is never ending / Controlling (confusing what is real)"

Anthem: Faint

Though Linkin Park have a plethora of hits, Faint is a track which best encapsulates the band's energy. The lyrics are introspective and personal yet widely relatable. Loneliness gives way to fighting back and refusing to be ignored.

Musically, the instruments and Chester Bennington's vocals come into their own on Meteora (2003). Though the track is driven by Rob Bourdon's drumming, this takes little to nothing away from the rest of the instruments (as lots of the lesser nu metal of the time did). Mike Shinoda’s strings arrangement, along with the violins, violas, and cellos only add to the impact.

Defining Album: [REAИIMATIOИ] (2002)

Linkin Park were stars in their own genre, pushing nu metal and rap rock to the forefront of mainstream rock. However it was with their remix album [REAИIMATIOИ] that the band showed not only their willingness to experiment with their sound, but also their talent for it. The album is the start of Linkin Park's rise out of the nu metal to become the band they would.