10 Perfect Albums Where Metal Went Alternative

For all of the buzz that was surrounding Linkin Park in the early '00s, there was also a lingering sense that their rise to stardom may have been a fluke. The nu metal boom had been going on for years at this point, and the massive success of Hybrid Theory felt like it was the beginning of the end for the genre, reaching its highest commercial potential just before fizzling out. Just when nu metal started to look passe, Linkin Park grabbed us by the throat and made us pay attention on Meteora.

Building off every single lesson they learned on their debut record, Meteora is the same stripe of songs only more finetuned, taking the kind of angst that they had in their early days and channeling it into something that was a lot more accessible for both pop fans and metalheads. Even if you don't like the more singalong style of songs like In the End, there's something on this record for every heavy music fan, whether that's the heavy guitars on Don't Stay or the screamed vocals from Chester Bennington.

There's more underneath all of that anger though, and the introspective side of the band is a lot more evident on this record, from Easier to Run being a moody cut about running away from conflict instead of addressing it to talking yourself down from self destructive thoughts on the song Breaking the Habit. Hybrid Theory may have looked nu metal's last big cash in, but history wrote itself the minute that you heard Chester scream I WON'T BE IGNORED.