--- title: "Alternative Metal" type: "MusicGenre" url: "https://themetalnet.com/genre/alternative" bands: 1276 era: "early 1990s" --- # Alternative Metal **Alternative Metal** is a metal genre, formative in the early 1990s. TheMetalNet maps 1,276 bands and 3,640 albums under it. Alternative metal blends heavy metal with the experimentation and unconventional song-craft of alternative rock, favoring downtuned mid-paced riffs, a mix of melodic and harsh vocals, and sounds drawn from funk, noise, and grunge. It emerged in the late 1980s with Faith No More, Living Colour, Soundgarden, and Jane’s Addiction, and peaked in the 1990s through Tool, Deftones, Alice in Chains, and Helmet. Lyrics lean toward psychology, trauma, and personal struggle rather than fantasy. It is metal’s most eclectic, boundary-blurring umbrella. ## Facts | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Genre | Alternative Metal | | Level | Macro genre | | Formative era | early 1990s | | Bands | 1,276 | | Albums | 3,640 | | Formation span | 1961 to 2026 | ## Sub-genres - [Alternative Metal](https://themetalnet.com/genre/alternative-metal) (784 bands) - [Nu Metal](https://themetalnet.com/genre/nu-metal) (503 bands) - [Rap Metal](https://themetalnet.com/genre/rap-metal) (139 bands) - [Funk Metal](https://themetalnet.com/genre/funk-metal) (42 bands) - [Neue Deutsche Härte Metal](https://themetalnet.com/genre/neue-deutsche-harte) (23 bands) ## Notable bands (top 60 by prominence) - [Muse](https://themetalnet.com/band/muse) (United Kingdom, 1994) - [Red Hot Chili Peppers](https://themetalnet.com/band/red-hot-chili-peppers) (United States, 1983) - [Linkin Park](https://themetalnet.com/band/linkin-park) (United States, 1996) - [Evanescence](https://themetalnet.com/band/evanescence) (United States, 1995) - [Incubus](https://themetalnet.com/band/incubus) (United States, 1991) - [Korn](https://themetalnet.com/band/korn) (United States, 1993) - [Marilyn Manson](https://themetalnet.com/band/marilyn-manson) (United States, 1989) - [Alice in Chains](https://themetalnet.com/band/alice-in-chains) (United States, 1987) - [Deftones](https://themetalnet.com/band/deftones) (United States, 1988) - [Papa Roach](https://themetalnet.com/band/papa-roach) (United States, 1993) - [Sum 41](https://themetalnet.com/band/sum-41) (Canada, 1996) - [Soundgarden](https://themetalnet.com/band/soundgarden) (United States, 1984) - [3 Doors Down](https://themetalnet.com/band/3-doors-down) (United States, 1996) - [Hoobastank](https://themetalnet.com/band/hoobastank) (United States, 1994) - [P.O.D.](https://themetalnet.com/band/p-o-d) (United States, 1992) - [Slipknot](https://themetalnet.com/band/slipknot) (United States, 1995) - [System of a Down](https://themetalnet.com/band/system-of-a-down) (United States, 1995) - [Avenged Sevenfold](https://themetalnet.com/band/avenged-sevenfold) (United States, 1999) - [Disturbed](https://themetalnet.com/band/disturbed) (United States, 1996) - [Limp Bizkit](https://themetalnet.com/band/limp-bizkit) (United States, 1994) - [Serj Tankian](https://themetalnet.com/band/serj-tankian) (1967) - [Three Days Grace](https://themetalnet.com/band/three-days-grace) (Canada, 1997) - [Kid Rock](https://themetalnet.com/band/kid-rock) (United States, 1971) - [Primus](https://themetalnet.com/band/primus) (United States, 1984) - [Rage Against the Machine](https://themetalnet.com/band/rage-against-the-machine) (United States, 1991) - [Seether](https://themetalnet.com/band/seether) (United States, 1999) - [Chevelle](https://themetalnet.com/band/chevelle) (United States, 1994) - [Extreme](https://themetalnet.com/band/extreme) (United States, 1985) - [Godsmack](https://themetalnet.com/band/godsmack) (United States, 1995) - [Saliva](https://themetalnet.com/band/saliva) (United States, 1996) - [Stone Temple Pilots](https://themetalnet.com/band/stone-temple-pilots) (United States, 1990) - [Trapt](https://themetalnet.com/band/trapt) (1995) - [Zebrahead](https://themetalnet.com/band/zebrahead) (1996) - [Alien Ant Farm](https://themetalnet.com/band/alien-ant-farm) (United States, 1995) - [Faith No More](https://themetalnet.com/band/faith-no-more) (United States, 1983) - [Sevendust](https://themetalnet.com/band/sevendust) (United States, 1994) - [Staind](https://themetalnet.com/band/staind) (United States, 1995) - [Stone Sour](https://themetalnet.com/band/stone-sour) (United States, 1992) - [Bloodhound Gang](https://themetalnet.com/band/bloodhound-gang) (United States, 1988) - [Breaking Benjamin](https://themetalnet.com/band/breaking-benjamin) (United States, 1999) - [Drowning Pool](https://themetalnet.com/band/drowning-pool) (United States, 1996) - [Finger Eleven](https://themetalnet.com/band/finger-eleven) (Canada, 1996) - [Oomph!](https://themetalnet.com/band/oomph) (Germany, 1989) - [Shinedown](https://themetalnet.com/band/shinedown) (United States, 2001) - [Skunk Anansie](https://themetalnet.com/band/skunk-anansie) (United Kingdom, 1994) - [Cold](https://themetalnet.com/band/cold) (United States, 1996) - [Kittie](https://themetalnet.com/band/kittie) (Canada, 1996) - [Lit](https://themetalnet.com/band/lit) (United States, 1989) - [SOiL](https://themetalnet.com/band/soil) (United States, 1997) - [Therapy?](https://themetalnet.com/band/therapy) (United Kingdom, 1989) - [10 Years](https://themetalnet.com/band/10-years) (United States, 1999) - [Corrosion of Conformity](https://themetalnet.com/band/corrosion-of-conformity) (United States, 1982) - [DIR EN GREY](https://themetalnet.com/band/dir-en-grey) (Japan, 1997) - [Fuel](https://themetalnet.com/band/fuel-2a5a3b60) (United States, 1994) - [Helmet](https://themetalnet.com/band/helmet) (United States, 1989) - [Hinder](https://themetalnet.com/band/hinder) (United States, 2001) - [Lostprophets](https://themetalnet.com/band/lostprophets) (1997) - [Skindred](https://themetalnet.com/band/skindred) (United Kingdom, 1998) - [Anneke van Giersbergen](https://themetalnet.com/band/anneke-van-giersbergen) (Netherlands, 1973) - [Biohazard](https://themetalnet.com/band/biohazard) (United States, 1988) ## Where it is played - [United States](https://themetalnet.com/country/us): 356 bands - [United Kingdom](https://themetalnet.com/country/gb): 52 bands - [Germany](https://themetalnet.com/country/de): 42 bands - [Japan](https://themetalnet.com/country/jp): 41 bands - [France](https://themetalnet.com/country/fr): 35 bands - [Australia](https://themetalnet.com/country/au): 23 bands - [Canada](https://themetalnet.com/country/ca): 22 bands - [Argentina](https://themetalnet.com/country/ar): 20 bands ## Bands formed by decade | Decade | Bands formed | | --- | --- | | 1960s | 12 | | 1970s | 27 | | 1980s | 61 | | 1990s | 289 | | 2000s | 200 | | 2010s | 275 | | 2020s | 140 | --- Source: [TheMetalNet https://themetalnet.com/genre/alternative](https://themetalnet.com/genre/alternative). Catalog data from MusicBrainz and Metal Archives. Full site index: https://themetalnet.com/llms.txt