The 11 Best Nu-Metal Albums of All Time (Ranked)

What are the 11 best nu-metal albums of all time?

Nu-metal arose in the mid-'90s while grunge was still the reigning rock 'n' roll superpower and power metal was raging (in Europe and South America, at least). Korn spearheaded the genre, opening the doors for other acts such as Limp Bizkit, Slipknot, Deftones and Linkin Park to follow not long after.

As with every other music subgenre, the artists most closely associated with it are unique to one another but are tied by some sonic commonalities. Hip-hop and funk flavors, rapid-fire vocal delivery and abrasive guitars are some of the core components of nu-metal.

Of course, there's the aesthetic side of it too — baggy clothes, tracksuits, JNCO jeans, chains and facial piercings are just a few of the characteristics of nu-metal's image.

Although a lot of the major nu-metal acts never stopped making music, the popularity of the subgenre as a whole began to wane toward the end of the 2000s. It experienced a major resurgence in the last few years, though, thanks to events such as the Sick New World festival, Linkin Park's comeback with Emily Armstrong, Korn touring with System of a Down and much more and Fred Durst's "Dad Vibes" persona.

We put together a list of the 11 best and most influential nu-metal albums of all time that not only laid the foundation for the nu-metal but have allowed it to stand the test of time all these years. The songs dominated the airwaves in the late '90s and 2000s and, for a lot of us, were the soundtracks to our youth.

READ MORE: What Is the Best Nu-Metal Song? Papa Roach Have Some Thoughts

This list only features a handful of artists because most of them put out multiple groundbreaking albums that we felt were necessary to include in order to best represent nu-metal. These are just the cream of the crop, no doubt about it.

Check out our ranking for the 11 best nu-metal albums of all time below.

For even more nostalgia, check out the best rock albums of the 2000s below.