the.com/nu metal

means A late-1990s/early-2000s rock subgenre that fused heavy, down-tuned guitar riffs with hip-hop rhythms, turntable scratching, and confessional, angsty vocals, often in place of traditional guitar solos.

from The 'nu' is simply a phonetic respelling of 'new,' the same trick used by 'nu-wave' and countless brand names to look fresh on a flyer or album sleeve. The genre itself grew out of 1990s alternative and groove metal bands (think Korn, Deftones) who started folding in DJ scratching, rap cadences, and hip-hop's rhythmic swagger alongside detuned, percussive guitars. The label 'nu metal' was coined by music press and marketers trying to pin down this hybrid sound as it exploded into the mainstream — not a term the bands themselves invented, but one that stuck, for better and for the endless mocking that followed.