Deftones frontman Chino Moreno has responded to being at the frontier of the ‘baddiecore’ genre.
The tag was coined in 2024 by Craig Reynolds of rap metal band Stray From The Path and The Downbeat Podcast, referring to a new generation of heavy, popular artists with pop elements and a perceived sexy sound, including Sleep Token and Bad Omens.
Though the drummer coined the genre as a joke, it’s since caught on, and Deftones’ alt-metal material has retroactively been added to its ranks.
In the new issue of Metal Hammer, Moreno is asked if he knows what ‘baddiecore’ is.
“I have not, but there’s another genre we have to escape at some point, right?”, he responds after a laugh, referring to the band’s past efforts to distance themselves from the nu metal movement.
Addressing the lustful sound that baddiecore possesses, he continues: “It’s part of growing up, those feelings, and it’s not something that just dissipates as you get older. Hopefully everybody still has desires as they grow old, you know what I mean? And I think connect with it.
“I grew up loving a lot of romanticised music. Obviously Depeche Mode, I’ve always claimed my love for them, and that was something that was always present in the songs, and I’ve always connected with. So I think, maybe in a roundabout way, some of that has seeped into our music.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Moreno talks about the nu metal revival. Even though Deftones never considered themselves part of the genre, they and other metal artists of that generation, including Korn and Limp Bizkit, have enjoyed an upswing in popularity in the 2020s, playing some of the biggest shows of their entire careers.
When asked why he thinks Deftones’ music is now connecting with a new generation of fans, Moreno answers: “It’s hard to say. I’d like to think that it’s not music that’s so dated to a certain time.
“It’s so funny, because we tried hard not to be lumped in with nu metal when nu metal was big, and then we kind of had to do it again with the nu metal resurgence – like, hoping that we weren’t going to get lumped in once again. I think we do at times, but we didn’t want to be dated back then, and the musical choices we made were not going to pigeonhole us into that space and time.”
Deftones will put out their new album, Private Music, on Friday (August 22) via Warner and Reprise. It will be their first full-length in five years, following 2020’s Ohms, but the band’s popularity has skyrocketed in that time, primarily thanks to a new generation discovering their music via TikTok.
The band will tour Europe to promote Private Music in January and February, with support from Denzel Curry and Drug Church. See dates and details below.
The full interview with Moreno appears in the new issue of Hammer, which goes on sale today (August 21). The issue is a bumper celebration of Ozzy Osbourne, interviewing artists and peers about his legacy. One of our writers also reports back from the Prince Of Darkness’ funeral procession, which they witnessed pass through Birmingham en route to a private ceremony. Order your copy now and get it delivered directly to your door.
Deftones 2026 European tour dates:
Jan 29: Paris Adidas Arena, France
Jan 30: Brussels Forest National, Belgium
Feb 01: Hamburg Barclays Arena, Germany
Feb 03: Munich Zenith, Germany
Feb 05: Lodz Atlas Arena, Poland
Feb 06: Berlin Max-Schmeling-Halle, Germany
Feb 07: Dortmund Westfalenhalle, Germany
Feb 09: Stuttgart Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle, Germany
Feb 10: Amsterdam AFAS Live, Netherlands
Feb 12: Birmingham BP Pulse Live, UK
Feb 13: Glasgow OVO Hydro, UK
Feb 14: Manchester Co-Op Live, UK
Feb 16: Dublin 3Arena, Ireland
Feb 18: Cardiff Utilita Arena, UK
Feb 20: London O2 Arena, UK
