Linkin Park, Nu Metal, And The Need For Big, Fun Rock

Released only a few weeks after Radiohead's 'Kid A,' Linkin Park's debut studio album 'Hybrid Theory' turns 20 this month. It featured four major singles ("One Step Closer", "In the End", "Crawling" and "Papercut") and has sold 27 million albums worldwide since its release, making it the best-selling debut album since Guns N' Roses' 1987 debut 'Appetite for Destruction,' and the single best-selling rock album of the 21st century.

The record's success marked a transition moment to the mainstream for a type of rock music that was pioneered by bands like Korn and Deftones. With the emergence of nu metal came a through line that Linkin Park was able to capitalize upon, one that continues today with Machine Gun Kelly's new album 'Tickets To My Downfall,' which is currently sitting at Number One on the Billboard 200 chart. In this episode, Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen trace the lasting influence of nu metal and big, fun chart-topping rock music.

Recommendation Corner: Field Medic's 'Floral Prince' and "The Shining But Tropical," a beautiful new single from Wild Pink.

Sign up for the Indie Mixtape newsletter at uproxx.com/indie

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.