
These are the 11 best metalcore and hardcore records of 2025.
Hardcore and metalcore remain an ever-shifting landscape in the world of heavy music, representing both tradition and the future, simultaneously. This year, the past and future often intersected, bands such as Excide and Skinhead representing the genre's history and re-contextualizing it for modern audiences, while others — Turnstile, for example — represent a future of experimentation and genre-play.
READ MORE: The 51 Best Rock + Metal Songs of 2025
This year, we decided to give our numerical ranking, counting down to the best record that represents both worlds with even fervor.
It's hard to nail down to just 11 records, but we're confident this is a solid barometer for what the year did in metalcore and hardcore
Let us know on socials what record was your number one.
The 11 Best Hardcore + Metalcore Albums of 2025
Metalcore and hardcore encompasses its widest range of sounds yet as we're over halfway through the decade. Here's the best records of 2025.
Contributions by Rob Carroll (RC), Chad Childers (CC), John Hill (JH) and Bryan Rolli (BR).
Gallery Credit: Loudwire
The Best Metalcore Album of Every Year Since 2000
Naming the best metalcore album of each year, starting with 2000.
Gallery Credit: John Hill