10 Definitive Rock Albums Of The 2000s

The whole world of nu metal seemed to go in a different direction after Linkin Park arrived on the scene. Though the genre was already peaking with acts like Korn and Limp Bizkit getting major airtime on MTV, Hybrid Theory had a different vibe than everything else, having an emphasis on anger and a more introspective approach to what nu metal was about in between its DJ scratches. Hybrid Theory might have the bigger accolades, but what Linkin Park stood for didn't turn up until the next record.

Assembled mostly on the road, Meteora is the sound of the band doubling down on the more angsty elements of their debut and taking it that much further, making songs that had a lot more to say than just whining like Crawling. Whereas Hybrid Theory might be the more straight ahead nu metal project, Meteora is where the band started to really gel as a unit, bringing together some of the fiercest songs of their career like Don't Stay and Faint while also putting more heart into some of the ballads like Easier to Run and Numb.

And while their competition may have had feelings of alienation in their songs, Breaking the Habit was where things started to change, dissecting someone having suicidal thoughts and having the strength to talk yourself down from the ledge. Nu metal may have gotten the distinction of being an angry genre for a bunch of rowdy kids, but there was a lot of pain underneath everything, and Meteora was the first steps towards healing.