Across the history of heavy metal, no subgenre has transformed so greatly in as short a time as metalcore. Initially defined as a mixture of thrash metal and hardcore punk, spearheaded by the likes of Earth Crisis and D.R.I., the tag is now shorthand for any melodic but screamy band with an eye at world domination. But, one thing has remained: it’s always been one of the most densely populated genres in heavy music.
Like most evolutionary movements, metalcore started as a disparate scene, with some of its luminaries hailing from all over the United States. There were scenes in Cleveland, New York and California during the late 80s and early-to-mid 90s, but the first one to truly take over was the one in New England. Converge blew up in the late 90s, opening the door for the likes of Cave In and Botch.
As the new millennium dawned, the second wave of the New England scene began integrating influences from such Swedish metal bands as At The Gates, as well as the local punk scene. These artists – including Killswitch Engage, All That Remains and Shadows Fall – built the blueprint for metalcore as most people define it today. Within a few years, it had overtaken nu metal as the American metal sound, rounded out by God Forbid, Trivium, Chimaira, Bleeding Through and others from across the country.
Metalcore was at the vanguard of the metal mainstream for approximately half a decade, and the bands’ impact spawned spin-off scenes across the globe. Artists from Scandinavia, Germany and the UK all took notice and found success.
In 2025, the genre is still massive, with young guns and evolutionaries such as Spiritbox and Jinjer being some of metal’s biggest bands, full stop. So, when it comes to naming the greatest metalcore band ever, there is a lot to pick from. We certainly couldn’t do it – but maybe you can. In the comments section below, sound off and tell us who your pick for the best of the best in the scene is.
