--- title: "Grindcore" type: "MusicGenre" url: "https://themetalnet.com/genre/grindcore-classic" parent: "Grindcore" bands: 1090 era: "mid 1980s" --- # Grindcore **Grindcore** is a metal fusion genre, formative in the mid 1980s. TheMetalNet maps 1,090 bands and 2,149 albums under it. Grindcore is extreme metal at its most compressed and violent — blistering blast beats often above 200 BPM, heavily distorted riffs, guttural-and-shriek vocals, and songs frequently under two minutes, sometimes mere seconds. Birmingham’s Napalm Death crystallized it on 1987’s Scum, fusing hardcore punk’s speed and DIY politics with death metal’s heaviness, while Repulsion and Terrorizer set milestones on the US side. It is loud, chaotic, and confrontational, with lyrics ranging from politics to gore. Brevity and intensity are the whole point. ## Facts | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Genre | Grindcore | | Level | Sub-genre | | Parent genre | Grindcore | | Formative era | mid 1980s | | Fusion genre | Yes | | Bands | 1,090 | | Albums | 2,149 | | Formation span | 1968 to 2026 | ## Notable bands (top 60 by prominence) - [Napalm Death](https://themetalnet.com/band/napalm-death) (United Kingdom, 1982) - [Melt‐Banana](https://themetalnet.com/band/melt-banana) (Japan, 1992) - [Pig Destroyer](https://themetalnet.com/band/pig-destroyer) (United States, 1997) - [Agoraphobic Nosebleed](https://themetalnet.com/band/agoraphobic-nosebleed) (United States, 1994) - [Rotten Sound](https://themetalnet.com/band/rotten-sound) (Finland, 1993) - [Anal Cunt](https://themetalnet.com/band/anal-cunt) (United States, 1988) - [Extreme Noise Terror](https://themetalnet.com/band/extreme-noise-terror) (United Kingdom, 1985) - [The Locust](https://themetalnet.com/band/the-locust) (1994) - [Today Is the Day](https://themetalnet.com/band/today-is-the-day) (1992) - [Brutal Truth](https://themetalnet.com/band/brutal-truth) (1990) - [Macabre](https://themetalnet.com/band/macabre) (United States, 1985) - [The Berzerker](https://themetalnet.com/band/the-berzerker) (Australia, 1995) - [Nasum](https://themetalnet.com/band/nasum) (Sweden, 1992) - [Phobia](https://themetalnet.com/band/phobia) (1990) - [Magrudergrind](https://themetalnet.com/band/magrudergrind) (2002) - [Cripple Bastards](https://themetalnet.com/band/cripple-bastards) (Italy, 1988) - [Fuck the Facts](https://themetalnet.com/band/fuck-the-facts) (Canada, 1999) - [General Surgery](https://themetalnet.com/band/general-surgery) (Sweden, 1988) - [Birdflesh](https://themetalnet.com/band/birdflesh) (Sweden, 1992) - [Disfear](https://themetalnet.com/band/disfear) (Sweden, 1992) - [Japanische Kampfhörspiele](https://themetalnet.com/band/japanische-kampfhorspiele) (1998) - [Antigama](https://themetalnet.com/band/antigama) (Poland, 2000) - [Leng Tch’e](https://themetalnet.com/band/leng-tch-e) (Belgium, 2001) - [Yacøpsæ](https://themetalnet.com/band/yac-ps) (Germany, 1990) - [Blood](https://themetalnet.com/band/blood) (Germany, 1986) - [Excrementory Grindfuckers](https://themetalnet.com/band/excrementory-grindfuckers) (Germany, 2001) - [Genghis Tron](https://themetalnet.com/band/genghis-tron) (United States, 2004) - [Iron Lung](https://themetalnet.com/band/iron-lung) (1999) - [Regurgitate](https://themetalnet.com/band/regurgitate) (Sweden, 1990) - [Terrorizer](https://themetalnet.com/band/terrorizer) (United States, 1987) - [Unholy Grave](https://themetalnet.com/band/unholy-grave) (Japan, 1993) - [Daughters](https://themetalnet.com/band/daughters) (United States, 2002) - [Usurp Synapse](https://themetalnet.com/band/usurp-synapse) (United States, 1999) - [Bathtub Shitter](https://themetalnet.com/band/bathtub-shitter) (1996) - [Blood Duster](https://themetalnet.com/band/blood-duster) (Australia, 1991) - [Cause for Effect](https://themetalnet.com/band/cause-for-effect) (1992) - [Dr. Acula](https://themetalnet.com/band/dr-acula) (United States, 2005) - [Malignant Tumour](https://themetalnet.com/band/malignant-tumour) (Czechia, 1991) - [Skitsystem](https://themetalnet.com/band/skitsystem) (Sweden, 1994) - [S.O.B.](https://themetalnet.com/band/s-o-b) (Japan, 1983) - [Ada Rook](https://themetalnet.com/band/ada-rook) (Canada, 1988) - [Full of Hell](https://themetalnet.com/band/full-of-hell) (United States, 2009) - [Painkiller](https://themetalnet.com/band/painkiller) (United States, 1991) - [ACxDC](https://themetalnet.com/band/acxdc) (United States, 2003) - [Burnt by the Sun](https://themetalnet.com/band/burnt-by-the-sun) (United States, 1999) - [Dead](https://themetalnet.com/band/dead-2b5cac35) (Germany, 1990) - [Lock Up](https://themetalnet.com/band/lock-up) (United Kingdom, 1998) - [Machetazo](https://themetalnet.com/band/machetazo) (1994) - [ROT](https://themetalnet.com/band/rot) (Brazil, 1990) - [Swarrrm](https://themetalnet.com/band/swarrrm) (Japan, 1996) - [United Nations](https://themetalnet.com/band/united-nations) (United States, 2005) - [Wormrot](https://themetalnet.com/band/wormrot) (Singapore, 2007) - [Ed Gein](https://themetalnet.com/band/ed-gein) (United States, 2001) - [Nails](https://themetalnet.com/band/nails) (United States, 2007) - [Squash Bowels](https://themetalnet.com/band/squash-bowels) (Poland, 1994) - [Fukpig](https://themetalnet.com/band/fukpig) (United Kingdom, 2001) - [Gadget](https://themetalnet.com/band/gadget) (Sweden, 1997) - [Looking for an Answer](https://themetalnet.com/band/looking-for-an-answer) (Spain, 1999) - [PsyOpus](https://themetalnet.com/band/psyopus) (United States, 2002) - [See You Next Tuesday](https://themetalnet.com/band/see-you-next-tuesday) (United States, 2004) ## Where it is played - [United States](https://themetalnet.com/country/us): 204 bands - [Japan](https://themetalnet.com/country/jp): 44 bands - [Germany](https://themetalnet.com/country/de): 42 bands - [Australia](https://themetalnet.com/country/au): 31 bands - [United Kingdom](https://themetalnet.com/country/gb): 23 bands - [Indonesia](https://themetalnet.com/country/id): 22 bands - [Brazil](https://themetalnet.com/country/br): 21 bands - [Canada](https://themetalnet.com/country/ca): 19 bands ## Bands formed by decade | Decade | Bands formed | | --- | --- | | 1960s | 1 | | 1970s | 1 | | 1980s | 59 | | 1990s | 214 | | 2000s | 223 | | 2010s | 198 | | 2020s | 72 | --- Source: [TheMetalNet https://themetalnet.com/genre/grindcore-classic](https://themetalnet.com/genre/grindcore-classic). Catalog data from MusicBrainz and Metal Archives. Full site index: https://themetalnet.com/llms.txt