Nu metal is just over thirty years old at this point, and it’s high time to face the music: All those classic records and bands we love so much have entered the pantheon of dad rock.
Merlin Alderslade of Louder / Metal Hammer recently published his own reckoning with this fact, reflecting on his own perceptions of the “dad rock” label and learning to accept that it has grown to include the likes of Korn, Slipknot, System of a Down, and so many other titans of nu.
Many Zoomers may be inclined to agree, as many of them likely grew up with Gen X parents who experienced the genre in its prime. On top of that, many playlists and compilation albums found on streaming services will happily broadcast that nu metal, along with related genres like grunge, post-grunge, metalcore, emo and more, all have an extensive library at this point that are available to be adopted into the dad rock canon.
A Zoomer myself, I first discovered nu metal listening to the radio with my own dad when I was young. When I heard a song I liked, I would ask my dad what it was called and rush to find a music video on YouTube to immerse myself in this world of angst, record scratches and wallet chains.
Now, as I watch people younger than me go through a similar process of discovery on social media, the bigger picture becomes clear: Nu metal is dad rock, but it isn’t just dad rock.
Just like heavy metal itself, which simultaneously boasts countless entries in the dad rock canon while continuing to go strong and kick ass all the way to the present day, nu metal has crossed a generational hurdle to connect music lovers of all ages with a message of pissed-off, cantankerous love and unity. When Limp Bizkit frontman and nu metal patron saint Fred Durst debuted his cartoonishly daddish look in 2021, in synergy with the band’s single “Dad Vibes,” dads and kids alike could sing along to a sound that’s old enough to drink but never loses its freshness.
“Dad rock” itself is an elusive thing to define, often named but rarely understood. In an interview with Xtra, Niko Stratis, author of The Dad Rock That Made Me a Woman, defines dad rock as any music that makes us who we are.
“You didn’t just have the one dad necessarily. Like, if you had other people that raised you who were informative or who imprinted upon you in some way. And if music was a part of them, then that’s dad rock too,” Stratis stated.
Nu metal, for all the music’s spitting anger and wallowing sadness, has fostered a scene with a bedrock of love, artistic innovation and a shared love of getting the fuck up. It seems only natural, then, that it would continue to take the role of dad rock and help shape the lives of millions.
There is so much music coming out in the nu metal space now that is primarily by and for people of the younger generations; I think we can all agree the likes of Poppy and The Callous Daoboys are safe from the dad rock allegations for another couple of decades. Even so, we have the old heads to thank for inspiring whole new generations of rap rockers and Fred-heads to step up to the plate and show us what they’ve got.
We made it to dad rock, everyone; that just means we’ve got many golden decades of nu metal still to look forward to.
