View source for Metalcore

{{short description|Genre of music}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2023}}
<span class="plainlinks"></span>{{Infobox music genre
| name              = Metalcore
| other_names       = Metallic hardcore
| image             = 
| caption           = 
| stylistic_origins = <!-- The genres have wide consensus among editors to this article. Please do not change any of the genres, their placement or add any more without first discussing it on the talk page. Any changes without explanation or discussion WILL be reverted -->
{{flatlist|
* [[Extreme metal]]
* [[hardcore punk]]
* [[tough guy hardcore]]
* [[crossover thrash]]
* [[groove metal]]<ref>{{cite web |last1=Martins |first1=Jorge |title=10 Essential Bands to Get Into Groove Metal |url=https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/10_essential_bands_to_get_into_groove_metal-161797 |access-date=2 November 2024}}</ref>
}}
| cultural_origins  = Late 1980s to early 1990s, United States 
| derivatives       =
*[[Hyperpop]]<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.kerrang.com/features/why-hyperpop-owes-its-existence-to-heavy-metal/ |title=Why hyperpop owes its existence to heavy metal|last=Chaudhury|first=Aliya|date=14 April 2021|work=Kerrang!|access-date=14 August 2021}}</ref>
*[[pop screamo]]<ref name="MetalSucks-2010">{{cite web |url=http://www.metalsucks.net/2010/06/07/the-history-of-metalcorescreamo/ |title=The History of Metalcore/Screamo |publisher=MetalSucks |date=June 7, 2010 |access-date=January 18, 2018 |archive-date=June 10, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100610213118/http://www.metalsucks.net/2010/06/07/the-history-of-metalcorescreamo/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
*[[sass music|sass]]<ref>{{cite web |last1=ROA |first1=RAY |title=WTF is sasscore, and why is SeeYouSpaceCowboy bringing it to St. Petersburg's Lucky You Tattoo? |url=https://www.cltampa.com/music/show-previews/article/21012214/wtf-is-sasscore-and-why-is-seeyouspacecowboy-bringing-it-to-st-petersburgs-lucky-you-tattoo |website=[[Creative Loafing]] |date=5 July 2018 |access-date=9 February 2019}}</ref>
| subgenres         = *[[Mathcore]]
*[[Risecore]]
| fusiongenres      = * [[Deathcore]]
* [[easycore]]
* [[electronicore]]
* [[melodic metalcore]]
* [[progressive metalcore]]
* [[nu metalcore]]
* [[Nintendocore]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.avclub.com/chicago/events/horse-the-band-super-8-bit-brothers-endless-hallwa,178414/ |title=Horse the Band, Super 8 Bit Brothers, Endless Hallway, and Oceana &#124; Music &#124; Events &#124; the A.V. Club Chicago |website=www.avclub.com |access-date=17 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315121824/http://www.avclub.com/chicago/events/horse-the-band-super-8-bit-brothers-endless-hallwa,178414/ |archive-date=15 March 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.altpress.com/news/new_8_bit_metalcore_album_revives_nintendocore_with_brutal_n64_themelisten/|title = New 8-bit metalcore album revives nintendocore with brutal N64 theme—listen|website = [[Alternative Press (magazine)|Alternative Press]]|date = 17 July 2016}}</ref>
| regional_scenes   =
*[[Hardcore punk in the United Kingdom#South East England|South East England]]
*[[Ohio metalcore|Ohio]]
| local_scenes      = *[[Boston hardcore|Boston]]
* [[Chicago hardcore|Chicago]]
* [[New York hardcore|New York]]
* [[Hardcore punk in the United Kingdom#Sheffield|Sheffield]]
| other_topics      = *[[Post-hardcore]]
*[[beatdown hardcore]]
* [[melodic hardcore]]
}}
'''Metalcore''' is a broadly defined<ref name="Kennedy56-57">{{cite book |last1=Kennedy |first1=Lewis |title=Functions of Genre in Metal and Hardcore Music |date=January 2018 |publisher=University of Hull |pages=56–57 |quote=The consciously hybrid nature of metalcore resulted initially in a somewhat amorphous version of the genre. Commentary on metalcore of the 1990s tends to construct the genre as stylistically indistinct, referring to a general mixing of metal and hardcore that variously incorporates elements of hardcore, crossover, thrash metal, groove metal, and death metal. Berelian’s wideranging conception of metalcore includes artists as dissimilar as Sick of It All, The Dillinger Escape Plan, and Mastodon (2005, p. 223), grouped as such primarily (it would seem) as a result of each artist mixing elements drawn from various metal/hardcore genres. A more stable interpretation of metalcore emerged during the New Wave of American Heavy Metal period that codified metalcore into a recognisable form (the subject of chapter six) with identifiable style characteristics. A product of metal/hardcore symbiosis, metalcore’s overt hybridity is also conspicuous in the related genres of mathcore and deathcore, both of which amalgamate aspects of diverse metal/hardcore genres.}}</ref> fusion genre combining elements of [[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]] and [[hardcore punk]], originating in the 1990s [[United States]] and becoming popular in the 2000s. Metalcore typically has aggressive verses and melodic choruses, combined with slow, intense passages called [[Breakdown (music)|breakdowns]]. Other defining traits are low-tuned, percussive guitar riffs, [[double bass drumming]], and highly polished production. Vocalists typically switch between clean, melodic, emotional singing and roaring or [[Screaming (music)|screaming]]. Lyrics are often personal, introspective and emotive.<ref name="Smialek">{{cite book |last1=Smialek |first1=Eric |editor1-last=Herbst |editor1-first=Jan-Peter |title=The Cambridge Companion to Metal Music |date=2023 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |pages=282–290 |chapter=Contempt-of-Core: A reception history of Metalcore}}</ref> It is debated whether metalcore is a subgenre of metal and hardcore, or a genre of its own.

In the late 1980s to early 1990s, pioneering bands were founded such as [[Integrity (band)|Integrity]], [[Earth Crisis]] and [[Converge (band)|Converge]], whose hardcore punk-leaning style is sometimes referred to as '''metallic hardcore'''.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bennett |first1=J |title=Converge's "Jane Doe" |journal=[[Revolver (magazine)|Revolver]] |date=June 2008}}</ref> These bands took influence from a range of styles and genres such as hardcore punk, [[thrash metal]] and [[death metal]]. During the decade, the genre diversified, with Converge, [[the Dillinger Escape Plan]], [[Botch (band)|Botch]] and [[Coalesce (band)|Coalesce]] pioneering [[mathcore]], while [[Overcast (band)|Overcast]], [[Shadows Fall]] and [[Darkest Hour (band)|Darkest Hour]] merged the genre with [[melodic death metal]] to create [[melodic metalcore]]. 

During the early 2000s, melodic metalcore bands such as <!-- DO NOT name-drop your favorite band here; following groups are all this section needs --> [[Killswitch Engage]], [[All That Remains (band)|All That Remains]], [[Trivium (band)|Trivium]], [[As I Lay Dying (band)|As I Lay Dying]], [[Atreyu]], [[Bullet for My Valentine]] and [[Parkway Drive]] found mainstream popularity. In the subsequent years, the genre saw increased success through [[social networking]] on [[Myspace]] and [[internet meme]]s such as [[crabcore]]. During this time, artists began to draw influence from a wide variety of sources, which led to genre cultivating a plethora of fusion genres including [[electronicore]], [[deathcore]], [[Nintendocore]], [[progressive metalcore]] and [[nu metalcore]]. In the 2010s and through to the 2020s, the genre saw even greater commercial success, with albums by [[Bring Me the Horizon]], [[Architects (British band)|Architects]], [[Asking Alexandria]], [[the Devil Wears Prada (band)|the Devil Wears Prada]] and [[Of Mice & Men (band)|Of Mice & Men]] penetrating the top 10 of international albums charts.

==Etymology==
[[File:Mattfox shaihulud.jpg|thumb|[[Shai Hulud]] guitarist [[Matt Fox (musician)|Matt Fox]] has been credited by some for popularizing the "metalcore" term.|left |263x263px]]{{Quotebox
| quote = Like most genres, [metalcore is] not an easy term to define; even saying “metal meets hardcore” doesn’t really do it. Hardcore and metal’s relationship long predates metalcore; hardcore bands inspired metal bands to invent thrash, and in turn thrash bands inspired punk bands to start crossover thrash, both genres influenced grunge, and the cross-pollination just kept spiraling from there. I don’t know the exact year that “metalcore” entered the vernacular, but some of the earlier bands [...] probably would have just been called “metallic hardcore."
| author = Andrew Sacher
| source = ''[[Brooklyn Vegan]]'' (August 26, 2019) <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.brooklynvegan.com/15-90s-metalcore-albums-that-still-resonate-today/ | title=15 '90s metalcore albums that still resonate today }}</ref>
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The term "metalcore" is a portmanteau of the words "metal" and "hardcore", and was originally [[tongue-in-cheek]].<ref name="Trapp, 2023">{{cite web | url=https://loudwire.com/who-invented-metalcore/ | title=Who Invented Metalcore? | website=[[Loudwire]] | date=28 November 2023 }}</ref> During the 1980s, ''[[Maximumrocknroll]]'' had used early variations of the term, referring to Richmond band Black Pyramid as "heavy-metal core" in February 1985;<ref>{{cite journal |journal=Maximum Rocknroll |title=Virginia |date=February 1985 |volume=22 |page=32 |quote=BLACK PYRAMID is a heavy-metal core outfit debuting recently, plus a sorta thrash group called DAMAGE REPORT. TOOLINC FOR ANUS also did a first show, but unfortunately I missed it. |url=https://archive.org/details/mrr_22 |access-date=2024-11-16}}</ref> Oxnard band [[False Confession (band)|False Confessions]] as "metal-core" in December 1985;<ref>{{cite journal |journal=Maximum Rocknroll |title=Questions remain in aftermath of Vets hall riot |date=December 1985 |volume=31 |page=22 |quote=FALSE CONFESSIONS kicked out Ishinael and now Scott (ex-bassist) is singing, and the band is looking for a bassist. They have a much talked about new direction, leaning into the BAUHAUS/SPECIMEN style of punk (or so I've heard). While I applaud their decision to change, I wonder if they'll alienate some of their audience who were used to their old metal-core style, or is it true at all? |url=https://archive.org/details/mrr_31 |access-date=2024-11-16}}</ref> Mesa band Desecration as "death metal core" in May 1986;<ref>{{cite journal |journal=Maximum Rocknroll |title=Desecration, Arizona thrash |date=May 1986 |volume=36 |page=26 |quote=DESECRATION - "Damaged by Decibels" cassette A 4-song "death metal core band" that zips along at a frantic pace, isn’t as metal as it is thrash, ana avoids lame lyrics and sticks to political/social subjects. A pretty hot debut|url=https://archive.org/details/mrr_036 |access-date=2024-11-16}}</ref> and Austin band Last Will as "ghoulish metal/core" in December 1986.<ref>{{cite journal |journal=Maximum Rocknroll |title=Texas |date=December 1986 |volume=43 |page=44 |quote=LAST WILL has a ghoulish metal/core cassette out.|url=https://archive.org/details/mrr_43 |access-date=2024-11-16}}</ref> When the metalcore genre began in the 1990s, it was largely known as "metallic hardcore".<ref name="Trapp, 2023" />

Phillip Trapp of ''[[Loudwire]]'' states that [[Shai Hulud]] guitarist [[Matt Fox (musician)|Matt Fox]] is widely credited for playing a role in "popularizing" the term. However, in a 2008 interview, Fox claimed the term had already been in use before his band began releasing music. He recalled: "There were bands before Shai Hulud started that my friends and I were referring to as 'metalcore.' Bands like Burn, Deadguy, Earth Crisis, even Integrity. These bands that were heavier than the average hardcore bands. These bands that were more progressive [...] my friends and I would always refer to them as 'metalcore' because it wasn't purely hardcore and it wasn't purely metal [...] so we would joke around and say, 'Hey, it's metalcore. Cool!' But it was definitely a tongue-in-cheek term."<ref>{{cite web | url=https://loudwire.com/who-invented-metalcore/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral | title=Who Invented Metalcore? | website=[[Loudwire]] | date=28 November 2023 }}</ref>
Alternatively, Jorge Rosado of [[Merauder]] claimed in 2014 interview that he and his band coined the term.<ref>{{cite web |title=MERAUDER Interview With Frontman Jorge Rosado |url=http://restassuredzine.com/interviews/3581-merauder-interview-with-frontman-jorge-rosado#:~:text=But%20that%20music%20speaks%20for,METALCORE! |access-date=13 October 2024}}</ref>

Luke Morton of ''[[Metal Hammer]]'' stated that the word "means different things to different people," highlighting the fact that the tag has been variously applied to stylistically dissimilar bands such as [[Killswitch Engage]], [[Earth Crisis]], [[Asking Alexandria]] and [[Parkway Drive]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Morton |first=Luke |date=2018-07-26 |title=The top 10 best metalcore songs |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-10-best-metalcore-songs-as-chosen-by-the-agony-scene |access-date=2025-03-24 |website=louder |language=en}}</ref>

==Characteristics==
=== Stylistic elements ===
[[File:Cave In.jpg|left|thumb|Metalcore band [[Cave In]] performing in 2006|225x225px]]{{Quotebox
| quote = The word "metalcore" is one of the few subgenres of music that conjures up an incredibly different range of sounds depending on who you ask. For old heads, it brings up a moment in time when the worlds of heavy metal and hardcore punk combined to a new underground genre, a grassroots movement and [an] exciting time for punk. For others, big room metal anthems pitted with poppy choruses are conjured, riffs descended from the Gothenburg school of metal contorted into music with a sense of bounce.
| source = John Hill of ''[[Loudwire]]'' (May 25, 2020) [https://loudwire.com/best-metalcore-albums-all-time/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral]
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Metalcore fuses elements of [[hardcore punk]] with [[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]],<ref name="Kennedy56-57"/><ref name="Sounds of Origin">{{cite book |last1=Karjalainen |first1=Toni-Matti |title=Sounds of Origin in Heavy Metal Music |date=2018 |publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing |pages=141–142|quote=Metalcore and post-hardcore draw on multiple traditions of metal, as well as hardcore punk ... Bands under the metalcore banner drew criticism for their increasingly considered images, polished production, and what was seen as appeal to progressively more mainstream audiences.}}</ref><ref name="Composition">{{cite book |last1=Thomas |first1=Niall |editor1-last=Burns |editor1-first=Lori |editor2-last=Scotto |editor2-first=Ciro |title=The Routledge Handbook to Metal Music Composition |date=2025 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |pages=404 |chapter=Masters of Reality: The (De)construction of Reality in the Production of Metal Music}}</ref> as well as incorporating elements of [[groove metal]], [[crossover thrash]] and [[melodic death metal]].<ref name="Kennedy56-57"/> It is known for its use of [[breakdown (music)#Heavy metal and punk rock|breakdowns]]. There is debate as to whether metalcore is a fusion genre, a subgenre, or a genre of its own.<ref>{{cite web |date=8 January 2024 |title=Is Metalcore Metal? |url=https://loudwire.com/is-metalcore-metal/ |website=[[Loudwire]]}}</ref> According to Lewis Kennedy, although metalcore existed "in some form or another" throughout the 1990s, it was only during the early 2000s that metalcore became codified or distinguished as a genre with specific traits. He links this with the movement known as the "[[New Wave of American Heavy Metal]]".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kennedy |first1=Lewis |title=Functions of Genre in Metal and Hardcore Music |date=January 2018 |publisher=University of Hull |pages=237–238 |quote=NWOAHM marks an identifiable period during which ‘metalcore’ became widely understood to refer to a particular genre with a relatively specific set of stylistic traits. NWOAHM codification demarcated metalcore as a genre unto itself, distinguishing it from closely related subgenres like metallic hardcore. ... after the NWOAHM period ended, metalcore still commonly refers to elements of style introduced during this codification, notably the combination of clean and distorted vocals, high-fidelity, polished production, and a clear influence from melodic death metal. ... Despite metalcore existing in some form or another for around a decade prior to NWOAHM, it was only during the first few years of the twenty-first century that the genre became codified.}}</ref>

The genre is broadly defined, and throughout its history, various metalcore acts have fused elements of hardcore and metal in different ways. Some earlier metalcore bands, such as [[Botch (band)|Botch]] and [[Cave In]], were stylistically derived from traditional hardcore scenes, performing styles characterized by "relentless tempos and neck vein-popping vocals." Jorge Martins of ''[[Ultimate Guitar]]'' stated: "Some of those bands fused [[Slayer]]-based assaulting riffs with [[Pantera]]-leaning plummeting breakdowns and punk's ferocity and ethics, and a whole new beast was formed."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rolli |first=Bryan RolliBryan |date=2025-04-30 |title=The Best Album From 11 Legendary Metalcore Bands |url=https://loudwire.com/best-album-metalcore-bands/ |access-date=2025-06-25 |website=Loudwire |language=en}}</ref><ref name="JorgeM, 2020" />

Some later acts, such as [[Killswitch Engage]], gravitated towards a more accessible [[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]] sound, while also incorporating elements of [[Swedish death metal|Swedish melodic death metal]] and [[Boston hardcore]].<ref name="JorgeM, 2020">{{Cite web |title=Top 10 Best '90s Proto-Metalcore Albums That Shaped the Genre |url=https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/top_10_best_90s_proto-metalcore_albums_that_shaped_the_genre-113093 |access-date=2025-03-24 |website=www.ultimate-guitar.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=20 Years Ago, This Underground Classic Changed the Game for Metal and Punk (But It's Not the One You Think) |url=https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/20_years_ago_this_underground_classic_changed_the_game_for_metal_and_punk_but_its_not_the_one_you_think-169512 |access-date=2025-02-25 |website=www.ultimate-guitar.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Killswitch Engage > Loudwire |url=https://loudwire.com/tags/killswitch-engage/ |access-date=2025-03-24 |website=Loudwire |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Killswitch Engage Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio ... |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/killswitch-engage-mn0000771792#biography |access-date=2025-03-24 |website=AllMusic |language=en}}</ref> Many 2000s metalcore bands were heavily influenced by [[melodic death metal]], and extensively incorporated elements of the style into their music.<ref>{{cite web |last=Crane |first=Matt |date=2 September 2014 |title=12 melodic death-metal songs any self-respecting metalcore fan should like |url=https://www.altpress.com/features/12_melodic_death_metal_songs_any_self_respecting_metalcore_fan_should_like/ |access-date=30 November 2019 |work=[[Altpress.com|Alternative Press]]}}</ref> ''[[Alternative Press (magazine)|Alternative Press Magazine]]'' described metalcore as the "breakdown-heavy counterpart" of melodic death metal, referring to the latter genre as the "founding ancestor" of the former.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Crane |first=Matt |title=12 melodic death-metal songs any self-respecting metalcore fan should like |url=https://www.altpress.com/12_melodic_death_metal_songs_any_self_respecting_metalcore_fan_should_like/ |access-date=2025-03-24 |website=Alternative Press Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref> Malcolm Dome of ''[[Revolver magazine|Revolver]]'' wrote that without Swedish melodic death metal band [[At the Gates]]' 1995 album ''[[Slaughter of the Soul]]'', modern North American melodic metalcore acts such as [[As I Lay Dying (band)|As I Lay Dying]] and [[All That Remains (band)|All That Remains]] "wouldn't even exist."<ref name="AtTheGates">{{cite web |last=Dome |first=Malcolm |date=14 November 2018 |title=How At the Gates Changed Metal Forever With 'Slaughter of the Soul' |url=https://www.revolvermag.com/music/how-gates-changed-metal-forever-slaughter-soul |access-date=30 November 2019 |work=[[Revolver magazine|Revolver]]}}</ref> Graham Hartmann of ''[[Loudwire]]'' retroactively assessed that the album appeared to be a "[[Nostradamus]]-esque prediction of how metal would evolve."<ref>{{cite web |last=Hartmann |first=Graham |date=21 January 2014 |title=Will At the Gates Release a New Album in 2014? |url=https://loudwire.com/at-the-gates-new-album-2014/ |access-date=30 November 2019 |work=[[Loudwire]]}}</ref> Jon Weiderhorn of ''[[Loudwire]]'' said that deathcore and some metalcore bands were influenced by elements of [[death metal]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://loudwire.com/heavy-metal-101-history-of-death-metal/ | title=Death Metal 101: The History of Death Metal | website=[[Loudwire]] | date=31 August 2017 }}</ref> Additionally, the clean vocal passages employed by some metalcore bands during the 2000s incorporated elements of [[emo]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rolli |first=Bryan RolliBryan |date=2025-04-30 |title=The Best Album From 11 Legendary Metalcore Bands |url=https://loudwire.com/best-album-metalcore-bands/ |access-date=2025-06-25 |website=Loudwire |language=en}}</ref> 

=== Instrumentation and vocals ===
{{Quotebox
| quote = The success of [Killswitch Engage] also effected the artistic endeavours of the genre. So instantly recognisable was the Killswitch sound that it was aped unashamedly by many a newcomer, where before it was an underground scene full of innovative and eclectic bands there was now a formula. This in turn led to every chancer with a guitar chucking some beatdowns in between a few In Flames cast-off riffs and barking over the top – save for the inevitable emotive chorus. [...] The punk rock spirit was long gone, even bands such as Trivium, a band who have not a single atom of influence, approach or sound of punk in their make up, were bizarrely linked with the metalcore tag. A name that seemed to have less and less meaning the more the noughties rolled on.
| source = Stephen Hill of ''[[Metal Hammer]]'' (January 29, 2015) [https://www.loudersound.com/features/from-crossover-to-metalcore-the-genesis-of-a-genre]
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}}[[File:Converge @ Roadburn Festival 2018-04-19 009.jpg|thumb|[[Converge (band)|Converge]] guitarist [[Kurt Ballou]]|200px]]
Instrumentally, metalcore bands generally employ heavy, metallic, percussive [[guitar riffs]], and stop-start [[rhythm guitar]].<ref name="MetalSucks">{{cite web |url=https://www.metalsucks.net/2019/01/09/wristmeetrazor-channel-vintage-metalcore-energy-on-misery-never-forgets/ |title=Wristmeetrazor Channel Vintage Metalcore Energy on Misery Never Forgets |website=[[MetalSucks]] |date=9 January 2019 |access-date=8 December 2020}}</ref><ref name="WhatIsMetalcore">{{cite web |last=Bowar |first=Chad |title=What Is Metalcore? |url=https://www.liveabout.com/what-is-metalcore-1756187 |access-date=16 November 2014 |publisher=liveabout.com}}</ref> Metalcore is known for its emphasis on [[Breakdown (music)|breakdowns]]. According to Graham Hartmann of ''[[Loudwire]]'', "when a band changes up the mood with some masterful composition, a breakdown can be brilliant as well as devastating."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hartmann |first=Graham |date=2017-07-27 |title=10 Sickest Breakdowns of All Time |url=https://loudwire.com/10-sickest-breakdowns-of-all-time/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral |access-date=2025-03-24 |website=Loudwire |language=en}}</ref> [[Drop tunings|Drop guitar tunings]] are often used in metalcore. Most bands use tuning ranging between Drop D and A, although lower tunings, as well as [[Seven-string guitar|7]] and [[Eight-string guitar|8 string guitars]], are not uncommon. Drummers typically employ various techniques common in extreme metal and hardcore, such as [[Double bass drumming|double-kick]] drumming. Author James Giordano states that metalcore is usually played at slower [[Tempo|tempos]] than some of the styles its artists draw influence from, such as [[thrash metal]].{{sfn|Giordano|2016|p=141}}

Metalcore vocalists usually perform [[screaming (music)|screaming]], a harsh vocal technique that became popular in the underground punk and metal scenes of the 1980s.<ref name="WhatIsMetalcore" /> Vocal performances in early metalcore acts were characterized by what has been described as a "raw, scream-meets-shout vocal style."<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=DiVita |first=Joe |date=2023-11-02 |title=Metalcore's 10 Best Clean Singers + 10 Best Bands Who Don't (or Barely) Use Clean Vocals |url=https://loudwire.com/metalcore-best-clean-singers-bands-barely-use-clean-vocals/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral |access-date=2025-03-25 |website=Loudwire |language=en}}</ref> Later metalcore bands often alternate between harsh vocals and singing (also known as "clean vocals"), usually during the [[bridge (music)|bridge]] or [[refrain|chorus]] of a song.<ref name="WhatIsMetalcore" /> Joe DiVita of ''[[Loudwire]]'' states that many people define modern metalcore by the tradeoff between screaming and clean singing. Although many modern metalcore tracks have choruses that contain [[Hook (music)|hooks]], some bands still do omit clean vocals entirely. Other bands use clean vocals very sparingly, done for the purpose of "coloring a mood," according to DiVita.<ref name=":1" /> Modern metalcore clean vocals have drawn comparisons to the mainstream [[emo]] and [[pop-punk]] music of the 2000s, which some have suggested may have deterred some fans of heavier music styles.<ref>{{cite web |date=16 April 2024 |title=Why do Metalheads Think Metalcore Isn't Real Metal? Reddit Users Answer |url=https://loudwire.com/why-metalheads-dont-like-metalcore-reddit/ |website=[[Loudwire]]}}</ref>

Lyrics in metalcore are often personal, [[Introspection|introspective]] and emotive.<ref name="Smialek" />

==History==

===Precursors: 1980s===
{{main|Hardcore punk|tough guy hardcore}}

[[File:Agnostic Front – Reload Festival 2016 03.jpg|thumb|left|200px|[[Agnostic Front]] were an early band to merge elements of metal with hardcore]]

Many of the originators of [[hardcore punk]] took influence from the sound of heavy metal, including [[Black Flag (band)|Black Flag]],<ref>Blush, American Hardcore, part 2, "Thirsty and Miserable", p. 63, 66.</ref> the [[Bad Brains]],<ref>Andersen, Mark and Mark Jenkins (2003). ''Dance of Days: Two Decades of Punk in the Nation's Capital''. "Positive Mental Attitude". p. 27. Akashic Books. {{ISBN|1-888451-44-0}}.</ref> [[Discharge (band)|Discharge]] and [[the Exploited]],<ref>Glasper, Ian (2004). ''Burning Britain: The History of UK Punk 1980–1984''. Cherry Red Books. p. 5. {{ISBN|1-901447-24-3}}.</ref> Furthermore, during the 1980s many genres originated merging the two styles, including [[crust punk]], [[sludge metal]] and [[crossover thrash]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=TARRE |first1=DYLAN |title=The Complete A-Z of Heavy Metal Subgenres |url=https://lambgoat.com/lists/1/the-complete-a-z-of-heavy-metal-subgenres |access-date=13 November 2024}}</ref> Nonetheless, punk and metal cultures and music remained fairly separate through the 1980s.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://loudwire.com/who-invented-metalcore/ | title=Who Invented Metalcore? | website=[[Loudwire]] | date=28 November 2023 }}</ref>

Bands in the [[New York hardcore]] scene in particular put a significant emphasis on the influence of metal, building their own take on hardcore, based around groove-driven, [[palm mute]]d guitar riffs.<ref name=newyorker>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/03/09/united-blood |title=How Hardcore Conquered New York |magazine=[[The New Yorker]] |last=Sanneh |first=Kelefa |date=March 9, 2015 |accessdate=June 7, 2021 |archive-date=January 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190104230554/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/03/09/united-blood |url-status=live }}</ref> Early on, this scene saw the development of the hardcore [[breakdown (music)#Heavy metal and punk rock|breakdown]], an amalgamation of Bad Brains' [[reggae]] and hardcore backgrounds, which encouraged moshing.<ref name="mosh">Blush, p. 193. "Howie Abrams (NYHC scene): Mosh style was slower, very tribal – like a Reggae beat adapted to Hardcore. (...) It was an outbreak of dancing with a mid-tempo beat driven by floor tom and [[snare drum|snare]]."</ref> It was this [[New York-style hardcore]] that metalcore grew directly out of.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sfetcu |first1=Nicolae |title=The Music Sound |date=7 May 2014 |quote=This idea obviously spread outwards, and although their first real release ("Those Who Fear Tomorrow") wasn't until 1991, Integrity was formed in 1989. Most songwriting by metalcore bands at this time was similar to New York hardcore bands, but differed in their harder sound thanks to use of double bass drums, harder distortion and louder, more gruff vocal shouts.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=HARDCORE PUNK |url=https://www.metalmusicarchives.com/subgenre/hardcore-punk |access-date=10 November 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Enis |first1=Eli |title=10 ESSENTIAL NEW YORK HARDCORE ALBUMS |url=https://www.revolvermag.com/music/10-essential-new-york-hardcore-albums/ |website=[[Revolver (magazine)|Revolver]] |access-date=10 November 2024 |quote=As its very own sub-style of the broader tent genre, NYHC has an instantly recognizable sound and style with its own localized lineage, but it's also transcended its own area code and influenced many of the biggest hardcore bands of the last 30 years — from Hatebreed and No Warning to Power Trip and Turnstile. From the enduring works of metallic hardcore pioneers to the timeless exuberance of straight-edge provocateurs...}}</ref>

===Origins: 1990s===
[[File:Integrity_Tokyo_2017_unholy.jpg|thumb|right|Integrity in [[Tokyo, Japan]] in 2017.]]
One of the earliest metalcore scenes was that of [[Cleveland]], [[Ohio]]. Fronted by [[Integrity (band)|Integrity]] and [[Ringworm (band)|Ringworm]], the sound of bands in the scene was distinctly darker than what the genre would become.<ref name="Schafer, 2019">{{cite web |last1=Schafer |first1=Joseph |title=States Of Metal: Ohio Thrives On Grit And Determination |url=https://www.kerrang.com/states-of-metal-ohio-thrives-on-grit-and-determination |website=[[Kerrang!]] |date=23 January 2019 |access-date=29 August 2023}}</ref> Integrity's debut album ''Those Who Fear Tomorrow '' (1991) merged hardcore with apocalyptic lyrics and metal's guitar solos and chugging riffs to create one of the primeval albums in the genre.<ref name="Young 2020">{{cite web |last1=Young |first1=Simon |title=The 21 best U.S. metalcore albums of all time |url=https://www.kerrang.com/the-21-best-us-metalcore-albums-of-all-time |website=[[Kerrang!]] |date=9 June 2020 |access-date=29 August 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://loudwire.com/who-invented-metalcore/ | title=Who Invented Metalcore? | website=[[Loudwire]] | date=28 November 2023 }}</ref> ''[[Revolver (magazine)|Revolver]]'' magazine writer Elis Enis stated that the album "influenced practically every breakdown that's been recorded since".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Enis |first1=Eli |title=10 MOST INFLUENTIAL METALCORE ALBUMS OF ALL TIME |url=https://www.revolvermag.com/music/10-most-influential-metalcore-albums-all-time#integrity-those-who-fear-tomorrow |website=[[Revolver (magazine)|Revolver]] |date=16 August 2021 |access-date=29 August 2023}}</ref> Whereas, Ringworm's debut ''The Promise'' (1993) made use of a style closer to crossover thrash while also putting a heavy emphasis on breakdowns.<ref name="JorgeM, 2020" /> The term "holy terror" refers to this specific style of metalcore which Integrity and Ringworm pioneered.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Yanick |first1=Joseph |title=A Documentary About Ohio Hardcore is Coming: We Interviewed the Director of 'Destroy Cleveland' |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/destroy-cleveland-doc/ |website=[[Vice Media]] |date=22 March 2015 |access-date=3 January 2025}}</ref> The style is typified by soaring guitar leads,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Whelan |first1=Kez |title=Columnus Metallicus: Heavy Metal For September Reviewed By Kez Whelan |url=https://thequietus.com/quietus-reviews/metal/dying-fetus-incantation-atomck/ |website=[[The Quietus]] |date=5 September 2023 |access-date=3 January 2025}}</ref> gravelly vocals<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gluck |first1=Michael |title=Pulling Teeth Vicious Skin |url=https://lambgoat.com/albums/2363/pulling-teeth-vicious-skin/ |access-date=3 January 2025}}</ref> and lyrics discussing [[western esotericism]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=ADAMS |first1=GREGORY |title=Five Unexpected Elements That Shaped Integrity's 'Howling, For the Nightmare Shall Consume' |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/five_unexpected_elements_that_shaped_integritys_occult-inspired_new_lp_howling_for_the_nightmare_shall_consume |website=[[Exclaim!]] |access-date=3 January 2025}}</ref>

Philadelphia's [[Starkweather (band)|Starkweather]] were also an important early metalcore band, with their album ''Crossbearer'' (1992) which merged early metal's grooves and dark atmospheres with elements of hardcore.<ref name="Martins, 2020">{{cite web |last1=Martins |first1=Jorge |title=Top 10 Most Important Moments In the Evolution of Metalcore |url=https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/top_10_most_important_moments_in_the_evolution_of_metalcore-107030 |website=[[Ultimate Guitar]] |access-date=29 August 2023}}</ref> [[Rorschach (band)|Rorschach]] also pioneered a distinctly dissonant and [[noise music|noise]]-influence niche into this early metalcore sound, which would go on to define [[noisecore]] and [[mathcore]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=McKenty |first1=Finn |author-link=Finn McKenty |title=The History of Metalcore/Screamo |url=https://www.metalsucks.net/2010/06/07/the-history-of-metalcorescreamo/ |website=[[MetalSucks]] |date=7 June 2010 |access-date=29 August 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Breiham |first1=Tom |title=Watch Members Of Converge, The Dillinger Escape Plan, & More Cover Botch's Mathcore Classic "To Our Friends In The Great White North" |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2188993/watch-members-of-converge-the-dillinger-escape-plan-more-cover-botchs-mathcore-classic-to-our-friends-in-the-great-white-north/news/ |website=[[Stereogum]] |date=6 June 2022 |access-date=29 August 2023}}</ref>

In 1993, [[Earth Crisis]] released "Firestorm", a song which became one of the most influential in metalcore.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Marwood |first1=Lance |title=Earth Crisis: "People really take the bait when it comes to the divide and conquer propaganda." |date=5 June 2023 |url=https://v13.net/2023/06/earth-crisis-karl-buechner-interview-cover-stoy-firestorm/ |access-date=29 August 2023}}</ref> The band's militant [[vegan]] [[straight edge]] ethic and emphasis on chug riffs saw them immediately influence a wave of subsequent bands and gained coverage by major media outlets like ''[[CNN]]'', ''[[CBS]]'' and ''[[MTV]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Downey |first1=Ryan |title=Biography Earth Crisis |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/earth-crisis-mn0000160870/biography |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=29 August 2023}}</ref> The [[Firestorm (EP)|EP the song was a part of]] was also one of the earliest releases by [[Victory Records]] who go on to be a defining part of the metalcore scene in the coming years, through releasing many of the style's most successful albums.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bellino |first1=Emily |title=Five Times Victory Records Ruled |url=https://www.decibelmagazine.com/2019/10/21/five-times-victory/ |website=[[Decibel (magazine)|Decibel]] |date=21 October 2019 |access-date=29 August 2023}}</ref>

[[Boston]], [[Massachusetts]] too developed [[Boston hardcore#1990s|an early metalcore scene]], led by [[Overcast (band)|Overcast]] who formed in 1990.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kennelty |first1=Greg |title=LISTSUNEARTH Names The 11 Best Lesser-Known Metalcore Classics, Announces New Album |date=3 March 2023 |url=https://metalinjection.net/lists/unearth-names-the-11-best-lesser-known-metalcore-classics-announces-new-album |access-date=29 August 2023}}</ref> Much of this scene were based around [[Hydra Head Records]], which was founded by [[Aaron Turner]] after moving to Boston. [[Converge (band)|Converge]] were one of the earliest and most prominent groups from the city, formed in 1990.<ref name="Hill 2020">{{cite web |last1=Hill |first1=Stephen |title=How Boston hardcore changed rock music |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/how-boston-hardcore-changed-rock-music |website=[[Metal Hammer]] |date=March 2020 |access-date=7 July 2021}}</ref> Using Rorschach's music as their sonic template,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Breihan |first1=Tom |title=5-10-15-20: Converge's Kurt Ballou |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/37497-5-10-15-20-converges-kurt-ballou/ |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |date=7 January 2010 |access-date=29 August 2023}}</ref> the band's experimental attitude, emotional lyrics and attention to dynamics led to them becoming one of the most influential bands in the genre.<ref name="Martins, 2020" /> Converge, along with [[Morris Plains, New Jersey]]'s [[the Dillinger Escape Plan]] and [[Tacoma, Washington]]'s [[Botch (band)|Botch]] were three of the founding acts in the style's mathcore subgenre,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Luis |first1=Michael |title=A Brief History of Mathcore In Ten Albums |url=https://daily.bandcamp.com/lists/mathcore-guide |website=[[Bandcamp Daily]] |date=12 June 2019 |access-date=29 August 2023}}</ref> with [[Kansas City, Missouri]]'s [[Coalesce (band)|Coalesce]] and [[New Brunswick, New Jersey]]'s [[Deadguy]] being prominent acts transitioning towards the style.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Smith-Engelhardt |first1=Joe |title=20 mathcore albums that made the genre what it is today |url=https://www.altpress.com/best-mathcore-albums-of-all-time/ |website=[[Alternative Press (magazine)|Alternative Press]] |date=21 January 2021 |access-date=29 August 2023}}</ref> Converge's guitarist [[Kurt Ballou]] opened the recording studio GodCity Studio in 1998, and would go on to record many of the most influential  subsequent hardcore records from the city.<ref name="Hill 2020" />

[[New York City]]'s [[Merauder]] released their debut album ''[[Master Killer (album)|Master Killer]]'' in 1996, merging the sounds of metalcore, earlier New York hardcore and the newly emerged [[beatdown hardcore]] style. Of the album, ''[[Revolver (magazine)|Revolver]]'' writer Elis Enis stated "any self-proclaimed 'metallic hardcore' band of the last 25 years is indebted to ''Master Killer'''s steel-toed stomp."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Enis |first1=Eli |title=10 MOST INFLUENTIAL METALCORE ALBUMS OF ALL TIME |url=https://www.revolvermag.com/music/10-most-influential-metalcore-albums-all-time#merauder-master-killer |website=[[Revolver (magazine)|Revolver]] |date=16 August 2021 |access-date=29 August 2023}}</ref> Along with [[All Out War (band)|All Out War]], Darkside NYC and Confusion, Merauder were a part of a wave of bands defining a newer, increasingly metallic style of hardcore in New York that had long been one of the epicentres of the genre.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Enis |first1=Eli |title=Metal And Hardcore Legends Remember All Out War's For Those Who Were Crucified |url=https://www.kerrang.com/metal-and-hardcore-legends-remember-all-out-wars-for-those-who-were-crucified |website=[[Kerrang!]] |date=22 July 2019 |access-date=29 August 2023}}</ref> Long Island's [[Vision of Disorder]] were also a prevalent band in the scene, being one of the first bands to incorporate clean singing into the genre, which would soon become a staple, as well as incorporating elements of [[nu metal]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=McKenty |first1=Finn |title=LET'S TALK ABOUT VISION OF DISORDER! |url=https://www.metalsucks.net/2011/04/08/lets-talk-about-vision-of-disorder/ |website=[[MetalSucks]] |date=8 April 2011 |access-date=29 August 2023}}</ref> In a 2005 article by ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' magazine, writer Greg Pato stated that "with seemingly every local teen waving the VOD banner circa the mid/late '90s, it seemed as though it was only a matter of time before VOD would become the band to take 'metalcore' to a massive audience".<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Prato |first1=Greg |title=Bloodsimple / Sept. 24, 2005 / Levittown, N.Y. (Club Voltage) |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/bloodsimple-sept-24-2005-levittown-ny-club-voltage-61208/ |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |access-date=29 August 2023}}</ref>

[[File:Hatebreed 2016.jpg|thumb|left|Metalcore band [[Hatebreed]].]]
[[Bridgeport, Connecticut]]'s [[Hatebreed]] released their debut album ''[[Satisfaction is the Death of Desire]]'' in 1997. The album helped the band achieve underground success, selling 158,000 copies, according to [[Nielsen SoundScan]],<ref name=Victory>{{cite magazine |title=Victory Scores With Indie Grit |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |last=Reesman |first=Bryan |date=3 April 2004 |access-date=29 November 2019 |page=22 |volume=116 |number=14 |publisher=[[Nielsen Business Media, Inc.]] |issn= 0006-2510 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FhAEAAAAMBAJ&q=hatebreed+satisfaction+is+death+of+desire+soundscan&pg=PA22}}</ref> and holds the record for Victory Record's best selling debut album.<ref name="Hill 2015" /> The band's style merged classic hardcore with beatdown and metalcore,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Richardson |first1=Jake |title=10 Metalcore Bands Who Don't (Or Barely) Use Clean Vocals |url=https://loudwire.com/metalcore-bands-little-no-clean-singing/ |website=[[Loudwire]] |date=12 January 2023 |access-date=24 August 2023}}</ref> while also overtly referencing metal bands like [[Slayer]]. In a 2015 ''[[Metal Hammer]]'' article, writer Stephen Hill stated "The difference between Hatebreed and many of their influences is that where a band like [[Madball]] were happy to co-exist with metal bands without feeling like they were part of the same scene, Hatebreed actively went out of their way to become the hardcore band metal fans listen to."<ref name="Hill 2015">{{cite web |last1=Hill |first1=Stephen |title=In Praise Of... Hatebreed – Satisfaction Is The Death Of Desire |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/in-praise-of-hatebreed-satisfaction-is-the-death-of-desire |website=[[Metal Hammer]] |date=October 2015 |access-date=29 August 2023}}</ref> Other influential metalcore bands of the time include  [[Shai Hulud (band)|Shai Hulud]],<ref name=killyour>{{cite web|title=Kill Your Stereo – Reviews: Shai Hulud – Misanthropy Pure|url=http://www.killyourstereo.com/reviews/169/shai-hulud-misanthropy-pure/|quote=Shai Hulud, a name that is synonymous (in heavy music circles at least) with intelligent, provocative and most importantly unique metallic hardcore. The band's earliest release is widely credited with influencing an entire generation of musicians|access-date=13 November 2009|archive-date=27 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120327210110/http://www.killyourstereo.com/reviews/169/shai-hulud-misanthropy-pure/|url-status=dead}}.</ref><ref name=sputnik>{{cite web |url=https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/14839/Shai-Hulud-Hearts-Once-Nourished/ |title=Shai Hulud – Hearts Once Nourished with Hope and Compassion Review |work=Sputnikmusic |access-date=11 July 2012 |quote=''[[Hearts Once Nourished with Hope and Compassion]]'' is pretty much the prime in early melodic metalcore. So many bands in both the modern metalcore and hardcore scene have drawn vast influence from them, because of how perfect they blend hardcore and metal.}}</ref><ref name=inatthedeep>{{cite web|url=http://www.iatde.alivewww.co.uk/zombieapocalypse.htm|title=In at the Deep End Records|quote=Regardless of whether or not you liked Shai Hulud, it is undeniable that ''Hearts Once Nourished with Hope and Compassion'' was an oft-imitated and highly influential release in the mid-to-late nineties.}}</ref> [[Zao (American band)|Zao]]<ref name=msjz>{{cite web|title=Metal Hammer – The Top 10 best proto-metalcore records|date=22 July 2020|url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-top-10-best-proto-metalcore-records|quote=Zao is one of the best examples of early metalcore, and their influence on the genre is undeniable. The guitar work, the high throaty style of the vocals, and the band aesthetics are all pieces that would have great influence on bands down the road.}}.</ref> and [[Disembodied (band)|Disembodied]].<ref>Sharpe-Young, p. 119</ref>

[[Orange County, California]] metalcore band [[Eighteen Visions]] contrasted the metalcore scene's usual hyper masculine aesthetic of "army and sports clothes" with "skinny jeans, [[eyeliner]] and hairstyles influenced by [[Orgy (band)|Orgy]] and [[Unbroken (band)|Unbroken]]".<ref name=Scene/> This visual style led to the band being called "fashioncore".<ref name=Scene>{{cite web |url=https://www.popmatters.com/scene-subculture-origins-hardcore-harajuku |title=From Hardcore to Harajuku: The Origins of Scene Subculture |work=[[PopMatters]] |last=Stewart |first=Ethan |date=25 May 2021 |access-date=8 June 2021 |archive-date=25 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210525180042/https://www.popmatters.com/scene-subculture-origins-hardcore-harajuku |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=ocweeklyfashioncore>{{cite web |url=https://www.ocweekly.com/how-eighteen-visions-became-the-oc-metal-band-known-for-inventing-fashioncore-6569812/ |title=How Eighteen Visions Became The OC Metal Band Known For Inventing "Fashioncore" |work=[[OC Weekly]] |last1=Wiederhorn |first1=Jon |last2=Turman |first2=Katherine |date=17 July 2013 |access-date=8 June 2021 |archive-date=4 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210604141108/https://www.ocweekly.com/how-eighteen-visions-became-the-oc-metal-band-known-for-inventing-fashioncore-6569812/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Jasamine White-Gluz of ''[[Exclaim!]]'' wrote that Eighteen Visions look "more like a boy band than a popular hardcore group. Critics tag the band for putting fashion at the centre of their music, but it adds a playful and interesting touch to a band that sounds much tougher than it looks."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/lamb_of_god_chimaira_eighteen_visions_atreyu-rainbow |title=Lamb of God / Chimaira / Eighteen Visions / Atreyu Rainbow Montreal QC - May 16, 2003 |work=[[Exclaim!]] |last=White-Gluz |first=Jasamine |date=1 June 2003 |access-date=8 June 2021 |archive-date=8 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210608133232/https://exclaim.ca/music/article/lamb_of_god_chimaira_eighteen_visions_atreyu-rainbow |url-status=live }}</ref> A scene of bands in Orange County including [[Bleeding Through]], [[Avenged Sevenfold]] and [[Atreyu]] continued this in Eighteen Visions' wake,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.altpress.com/features/what_is_emo_history_definition/ |title=What is Emo, Anyway? We Look at History to Define a Genre |work=[[Altpress.com|Alternative Press]] |last=Richman |first=Jesse |date=24 January 2018 |access-date=8 June 2021 |archive-date=8 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210608130901/https://www.altpress.com/features/what_is_emo_history_definition/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/bleeding_through-wolves_among_sheep |title=Bleeding Through Wolves Among Sheep |work=[[Exclaim!]] |last=Deneau |first=Max |date=1 December 2005 |access-date=8 June 2021 |archive-date=8 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210608130859/https://exclaim.ca/music/article/bleeding_through-wolves_among_sheep |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cjlo.com/articles/easy-breezy-brutal-three-major-movements-in-heavy-metal-makeup |title=Easy, Breezy, Brutal: Three Major Movements in Heavy Metal Makeup |work=Cjlo |date=10 February 2014 |access-date=8 June 2021 |archive-date=8 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210608130909/http://www.cjlo.com/articles/easy-breezy-brutal-three-major-movements-in-heavy-metal-makeup |url-status=live }}</ref> and influenced [[emo]] and [[scene (subculture)|scene]] fashion in the coming decade.<ref name=Scene />

As the decade drew to a close, a wave of metalcore bands began incorporating elements of [[melodic death metal]] into their sound. This formed an early version of what would become the [[melodic metalcore]] genre, with [[Shadows Fall]]'s ''[[Somber Eyes to the Sky]]'' (1997), Undying's ''This Day All Gods Die'' (1999), [[Darkest Hour (band)|Darkest Hour]]'s ''The Prophecy Fulfilled'' (1999), [[Unearth]]'s ''[[Above the Fall of Man]]'' (1999), [[Prayer for Cleansing]]'s ''Rain in Endless Fall'' (1999) being some of the style's earliest releases.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sfetcu |first1=Nicolae |title=The Music Sound |date=7 May 2014 |quote=While death metal and hardcore had always intermingled to an extent, the first clearly identifiable instances of melodic Swedish metal being combined with hardcore seem to have sprung almost simultaneously, with Undying's This Day All Gods Die, Darkest Hour's The Prophecy Fulfilled, Prayer for Cleansing's The Rain in Endless Fall, Shadows Fall's With Somber Eyes to the Sky, and Unearth's Above the Fall of Man all being released within a year of each other (1998-99). It is unclear who first got the idea to combine the two styles. Darkest Hour had released an EP called The Misanthrope in 1996 which arguably contained elements of their later sound but was for the most part aggro-hardcore in the vein of Damnation a.d. On the other hand, Day of Suffering's 1997 album The Eternal Jihad is cited as an influence for many of the North Carolina bands that followed, such as Undying and Overcast is seen as having started the genre in Massachusetts.}}</ref> [[CMJ]] writer Anthony Delia also credited Florida's [[Poison the Well (band)|Poison the Well]] and their first two releases ''[[The Opposite of December... A Season of Separation]]'' (1999) and ''[[Tear from the Red]]'' (2002) as "design[ing] the template for most of" the melodic metalcore bands to come.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Delia|first1=Anthony|title=CMJ Magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XY5HXiUDbskC |access-date=27 April 2018|issue=821|publisher=[[CMJ]]|date=7 July 2003 |quote=Poison The Well designed the template for most of today's melodic metalcore acts, spawning countless copycats in the process. The band's last two efforts, 1999's The Opposite Of December...A Season Of Separation and 2002's Tear From The Red, are genre essentials, but no one is going to argue that those albums were constructed of memorable parts, rather than complete, efficiently executed songs; you knew when to rock out and when to sing along.}}</ref>

=== Mainstream success: 2000s ===
[[File:Jacob Bannon of Converge.jpg|thumb|150px|[[Converge (band)|Converge]]'s ''[[Jane Doe (album)|Jane Doe]]'' (2001) is one of the most critically acclaimed albums in metalcore.]]
Converge's ''[[Jane Doe (album)|Jane Doe]]'' was released on 4 September 2001 to universal critical and fan acclaim. The album influenced the development of the sound of other U.S. bands like [[Norma Jean (band)|Norma Jean]] and [[Misery Signals]] as well as international acts like [[Eden Maine]], [[Johnny Truant]] and [[Beecher (band)|Beecher]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hill |first1=Stephen |title=Converge's Jane Doe: revisiting the album that changed hardcore forever |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-cult-of-carnage-revisiting-converges-jane-doe |website=[[Metal Hammer]] |date=5 April 2017 |access-date=1 September 2023}}</ref>
Blake Butler of ''[[Allmusic]]'' stated that Converge "put the final sealing blow on their status as a legend in the world of metallic hardcore" with the album, calling it "an experience -- an encyclopedic envelopment of so much at once."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://allmusic.com/album/jane-doe-mw0000012994|title=Jane Doe - Converge|website=allmusic.com|access-date=15 September 2020}}</ref> ''[[Terrorizer Magazine]]'' named it their 2001 Album of the Year,<ref name="bennett2">J. Bennett, "Who's That Girl?", ''Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces'', Albert Mudrian (ed.), Da Capo Press, p. 331.</ref> and it was named the greatest album of the 2000s by ''[[Noisecreep]]'',<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://noisecreep.com/best-albums-2000s/|title=Best Albums of the 2000s|website=Noisecreep|date=2 December 2009 |language=en-US|access-date=1 February 2017}}</ref> ''Sputnikmusic''<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=http://www.sputnikmusic.com/blog/2010/06/11/top-100-albums-of-the-decade-10-1/|title=Sputnikmusic - Top 100 Albums of the Decade (10-1) « Staff Blog|website=www.sputnikmusic.com|language=en-US|access-date=1 February 2017}}</ref> and ''[[Decibel (magazine)|Decibel]]''.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://newmusicexcess.wordpress.com/music-lists/decibel-the-top-100-greatest-metal-albums-of-the-decade/|title=Decibel – The Top 100 Greatest Metal Albums Of The Decade|date=28 January 2010|newspaper=New Music Excess|language=en-US|access-date=1 February 2017}}</ref>

[[Douglasville, Georgia]]'s Norma Jean and [[The Chariot (band)|the Chariot]] were both influential artists continuing metalcore's earlier sound into the 2000s.<ref name="Young 2020" /><ref>{{cite web |title=12 influential early 2000s metalcore albums that shaped the genre |url=https://www.altpress.com/2000s-metalcore-albums/ |website=[[Alternative Press (magazine)|Alternative Press]] |date=29 April 2021 |access-date=1 September 2023}}</ref> Norma Jean's ''[[O' God, the Aftermath]]'' (2005) was [[Grammy award]] nominated for [[Grammy Award for Best Recording Package|Best Recording Package]]<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hickie |first1=James |title=Album Review: Norma Jean – All Hail |url=https://www.kerrang.com/album-review-norma-jean-all-hail |website=[[Kerrang!]] |date=3 November 2019 |access-date=1 September 2023}}</ref> and the Chariot's ''[[Long Live (The Chariot album)|Long Live]]'' (2010) was listed as one of ''[[Kerrang!]]'''s "21 best U.S. metalcore albums of all time".<ref name="Young 2020" /> In contrast to these bands' dark approach to the genre, [[Buffalo, New York]]'s [[Every Time I Die]] incorporated [[Southern rock]] elements and humor,<ref name="Martins, 2020" /> ''Kerrang!'' noted them as "shaped the cutting edge of modern metalcore."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Law |first1=Sam |title=All Structures Are Unstable: An ode to Every Time I Die |url=https://www.kerrang.com/all-structures-are-unstable-an-ode-to-every-time-i-die |website=Kerrang! Magazine |date=19 January 2022 |access-date=24 January 2022}}</ref>

==== Melodic metalcore ====
{{Main|Melodic metalcore}}
[[Image:Killswitch Engage (4).jpg|thumb|Melodic metalcore band [[Killswitch Engage]] performing in 2016.|left]]
In 2002, Killswitch Engage's ''[[Alive or Just Breathing]]'' reached number 37 on the [[Heatseekers Albums]] chart.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/killswitch-engage/chart-history/tln/ |title=Killswitch Engage Chart History (Heatseekers Albums) |magazine=Billboard |access-date=29 November 2019}}</ref> In 2004, Killswitch Engage's ''[[The End of Heartache]]'',<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/killswitch-engage/chart-history/tlp/ |title=Killswitch Engage Chart History (''Billboard'' 200) |magazine=Billboard |access-date=29 November 2019}}</ref> Shadows Fall's ''[[The War Within (Shadows Fall album)|The War Within]]'',<ref name="SF">{{cite web|url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=70442 |title=Shadows Fall to Co-Headline Sounds of the Underground |work=[[Blabbermouth.net]] |access-date=11 July 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110819065852/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=70442 |archive-date=19 August 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/shadows-fall/chart-history |title=Shadows Fall (Chart History) |magazine=Billboard |access-date=29 November 2019}}</ref> and Atreyu's ''[[The Curse (Atreyu album)|The Curse]]''<ref name=AtreyuBillboard>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/atreyu/chart-history |title=Atreyu Chart History |magazine=Billboard |access-date=29 November 2019}}</ref> peaked at numbers 21, 20, and 36 on the ''Billboard'' 200, respectively. Also, in 2006, Atreyu's third studio album, ''[[A Death-Grip On Yesterday]]'' peaked at number 9 on the Billboard 200, only to be followed up by 2007's ''[[Lead Sails Paper Anchor]]'', which peaked at number 8.<ref name=AtreyuBillboard/> Atreyu's 2002 debut album ''[[Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses]]'', as of 3 July 2004, has sold 107,000 copies in the United States.<ref name=SoundScanAtreyuKSE>{{cite magazine |page=41 |date=3 July 2004 |access-date=29 November 2019 |magazine=Billboard |title=Atreyu Gets Victory Plan |last=Christman |first=Ed |volume=116 |number=27 |issn=0006-2510 |publisher=[[Nielsen Business Media, Inc.]] |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OhAEAAAAMBAJ&q=atreyu+soundscan&pg=PA41 |archive-date=20 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220223626/https://books.google.com/books?id=OhAEAAAAMBAJ&q=atreyu+soundscan&pg=PA41 |url-status=live }}</ref> Killswitch Engage's 2004 album ''The End of Heartache''{{Certification Cite Ref|title=The End of Heartache|artist=Killswitch Engage|type=album|region=United States}} and 2006 album ''[[As Daylight Dies]]''{{Certification Cite Ref|title=As Daylight Dies|artist=Killswitch Engage|type=album|region=United States}} were both certified gold by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]] (RIAA) in 2007 and 2009, respectively. Killswitch Engage's 2002 album ''[[Alive or Just Breathing]]'', as of 3 July 2004, has sold 114,000 copies in the United States.<ref name=SoundScanAtreyuKSE/> [[Unearth]] began to have success among heavy metal fans in 2004 with the release of their second album ''[[The Oncoming Storm]]'', which peaked at number 1 on the [[Heatseekers Albums]] chart on 17 July 2004.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/unearth/chart-history/tln/ |title=Unearth Chart History (Heatseekers Albums) |magazine=Billboard |access-date=29 November 2019}}</ref> On that same day, the album peaked at number 105 on the ''Billboard'' 200. Unearth's 2006 album ''[[III: In the Eyes of Fire]]'' peaked at number 35 on the ''Billboard'' 200. The band's 2008 album ''[[The March (album)|The March]]'' peaked at number 45 on the ''Billboard'' 200.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/unearth/chart-history/tlp/ |title=Unearth Chart History (''Billboard'' 200) |magazine=Billboard |access-date=29 November 2019}}</ref> ''Oncoming Storm'', ''III: In the Eyes of Fire''', and ''The March'' peaked at numbers 6, 2 and 3 on the [[Independent Albums|Independent]]{{Listen
| filename     = 
| title        = 
| description  = 
| filename2    = 
| title2       = "My Curse"
| description2 = Sample of "[[My Curse (song)|My Curse]]" by melodic metalcore band [[Killswitch Engage]] from ''[[As Daylight Dies]]'' (2006).
}}
[[Independent Albums|nt Albums]] chart, respectively.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/unearth/chart-history/ind/ |title=Unearth Chart History (Independent Albums) |magazine=Billboard |access-date=29 November 2019}}</ref> 

[[Avenged Sevenfold]]'s first two albums ''[[Sounding the Seventh Trumpet]]'' (2001) and ''[[Waking the Fallen]]'' (2003) were also both metalcore albums. On the band's 2005 album ''[[City of Evil]]'', Avenged Sevenfold moved away from metalcore and changed to a traditional heavy metal sound.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1503793/20050608/avenged_sevenfold.jhtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071001110302/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1503793/20050608/avenged_sevenfold.jhtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 October 2007|title=Avenged Sevenfold Salute Dimebag, Shun Metalcore On Evil|last=Weiderhorn|first=Joe|date=9 June 2005|publisher=MTV |access-date=29 November 2019}}</ref> On 15 June 2005, ''[[Blabbermouth.net]]'' reported that ''Waking the Fallen'' has sold 172,253 copies in the United States, according to [[Nielsen SoundScan]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/avenged-sevenfold-s-city-of-evil-enters-billboard-chart-at-no/ |title=Avenged Sevenfold's 'City Of Evil' Enters Billboard Chart At No. 30 |work=[[Blabbermouth.net]] |date=15 June 2005 |access-date=29 November 2019 |archive-date=20 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200920183914/https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/avenged-sevenfold-s-city-of-evil-enters-billboard-chart-at-no/ |url-status=live }}</ref> On 17 July 2009, ''Waking the Fallen'' was certified gold by the RIAA.{{Certification Cite Ref|title=Waking the Fallen|artist=Avenged Sevenfold|type=album|region=United States}}
[[File:As I Lay Dying at the With Full Force music festival -- 29 June 2007.jpg|thumb|[[As I Lay Dying (band)|As I Lay Dying]] live at [[With Full Force]] 2007.|left]]
Trivium also achieved success among heavy metal fans when their 2005 album ''[[Ascendancy (album)|Ascendancy]]'' peaked at number 151 on the ''Billboard'' 200. Their albums ''[[The Crusade (album)|The Crusade]]'' (2006) and ''[[Shogun (Trivium album)|Shogun]]'' (2008) peaked at numbers 25 and 23 on the ''Billboard'' 200, respectively.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/trivium/chart-history |title=Trivium Chart History |magazine=Billboard |access-date=29 November 2019}}</ref> Bleeding Through's 2006 album ''[[The Truth (Bleeding Through album)|The Truth]]'' peaked at number 1 on the [[Independent Albums]] chart on 28 January 2006.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/bleeding-through/chart-history/ind/ |title=Bleeding Through Chart History (Independent Albums) |magazine=Billboard |access-date=29 November 2019}}</ref> On that same day, the album peaked at number 48 on the ''Billboard'' 200.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/bleeding-through/chart-history/tlp/ |title=Bleeding Through Chart History (''Billboard'' 200) |magazine=Billboard |access-date=29 November 2019}}</ref> Metalcore band [[As I Lay Dying (band)|As I Lay Dying]] also achieved success among heavy metal fans. The band's 2005 album ''[[Shadows Are Security]]'' peaked at number 35 on the ''Billboard'' 200<ref name=AILDBILLBOARD/> and sold 263,000 copies, according to [[Nielsen SoundScan]].<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cg8EAAAAMBAJ&q=as+i+lay+dying+soundscan&pg=PA46 |title=As I Stay Touring |magazine=Billboard |date=28 July 2007 |access-date=29 November 2019 |page=46 |volume=119 |number=30 |issn=0006-2510 |publisher=[[Nielsen Business Media, Inc.]] |last=Titus |first=Christa |archive-date=20 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220223646/https://books.google.com/books?id=cg8EAAAAMBAJ&q=as+i+lay+dying+soundscan&pg=PA46 |url-status=live }}</ref> As I Lay Dying's 2007 album ''[[An Ocean Between Us]]'' peaked at number 8 on the ''Billboard'' 200 in 2007.<ref name=AILDBILLBOARD>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/as-i-lay-dying |title=As I Lay Dying |magazine=Billboard |access-date=29 November 2019}}</ref> As of April 2005, As I Lay Dying's 2003 album ''[[Frail Words Collapse]]'' sold 118,000 copies in the United States.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/as-i-lay-dying-new-album-limited-edition-to-include-bonus-dvd/ |title=AS I LAY DYING: New Album Limited Edition To Include Bonus DVD |work=[[Blabbermouth.net]] |date=28 April 2005 |access-date=29 November 2019 |archive-date=3 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201203173351/https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/as-i-lay-dying-new-album-limited-edition-to-include-bonus-dvd/ |url-status=live }}</ref> All That Remains achieved success with their 2006 album ''[[The Fall of Ideals]]'', which, as of 1 October 2008, sold 175,000 copies in the United States.<ref name=ATRBLABBERMOUTH>{{cite web |url=https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/all-that-remains-behind-the-scenes-footage-from-two-weeks-video-shoot-available/ |title=ALL THAT REMAINS: Behind-The-Scenes Footage From 'Two Weeks' Video Shoot Available |work=[[Blabbermouth.net]] |date=1 October 2008 |access-date=29 November 2019}}</ref> All That Remains' 2008 album ''[[Overcome (All That Remains album)|Overcome]]'' peaked at number 16 on the ''Billboard'' 200.<ref name=ATRBLABBERMOUTH/> ''Overcome''{{'s}} song "Two Weeks" peaked at number 9 on the [[Mainstream Rock Songs]] chart on 16 May 2009.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/all-that-remains/chart-history/rtt/ |title=All That Remains Chart History (Mainstream Rock Songs) |magazine=Billboard |access-date=29 November 2019}}</ref> [[Bullet for My Valentine]]'s debut album ''[[The Poison]]'' was released in October 2005 in Europe and was released in February 2006 in the United States. On 26 July 2006, Blabbermouth.net reported that ''The Poison'' has sold 72,000 copies in the United States.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/bullet-for-my-valentine-the-poison-reissue-detailed/ |title=BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE: 'The Poison' Reissue Detailed |work=[[Blabbermouth.net]] |date=26 July 2006 |access-date=29 November 2019 |archive-date=3 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201203165319/https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/bullet-for-my-valentine-the-poison-reissue-detailed/ |url-status=live }}</ref> On 27 October 2007, Blabbermouth.net reported that ''The Poison'' has sold 336,000 copies in the United States.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/bullet-for-my-valentine-frontman-says-new-album-will-blow-the-poison-out-of-the-water/ |title=BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE Frontman Says New Album Will Blow 'The Poison' Out Of The Water |work=[[Blabbermouth.net]] |date=27 October 2007 |access-date=29 November 2019 |archive-date=3 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201203170316/https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/bullet-for-my-valentine-frontman-says-new-album-will-blow-the-poison-out-of-the-water/ |url-status=live }}</ref> On 3 April 2010, ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' reported that ''The Poison'' sold 573,000 copies in the United States.<ref name=BFMVSOUNDSCAN/> ''The Poison'' was certified gold by the RIAA on 30 January 2009.{{Certification Cite Ref|title=The Poison|artist=Bullet for My Valentine|type=album|region=United States}} Bullet for My Valentine's second album ''[[Scream Aim Fire]]'', released in 2008, peaked at number 4 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and sold 360,000 copies in the United States.<ref name=BFMVSOUNDSCAN>{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rOA5W_BoYGIC&q=bullet+for+my+valentine+soundscan+360%2C000&pg=RA13-PA14 |title=Big RED |date=3 April 2010 |access-date=29 November 2019 |magazine=Billboard |volume=122 |number=13 |issn= 0006-2510 |publisher=[[Nielsen Business Media, Inc.]] |page=14}}</ref> Bullet for My Valentine's 2010 album ''[[Fever (Bullet for My Valentine album)|Fever]]'' peaked at number 3 on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling 71,000 copies in the United States during its first week of release.<ref name=BFMVSOUNDSCAN/> ''Fever''{{'s}} song "[[Your Betrayal]]" peaked at number 25 on the [[Bubbling Under Hot 100]] chart.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/bullet-for-my-valentine/chart-history/hbu/|title=Bullet for My Valentine (Bubbling Under Hot 100) |magazine=Billboard |access-date=29 November 2019}}</ref>

====Diversification====
[[File:Whitechapel live in anaheim 2011.jpg|thumb|right|220px|[[Whitechapel (band)|Whitechapel]] on 2011 [[Summer Slaughter Tour]].]]
{{see also|Deathcore|electronicore}}
As the decade progressed, metalcore became increasingly tied to the social media [[Myspace]], launched in 2003, and the [[scene (subculture)|scene subculture]] that was prominent on the platform.<ref>{{cite web |title=How Corporations Trapped the MySpace Scene in a Literal Bubble |url=https://consequence.net/2023/08/myspace-scene-bubble-cartel-top-eight/2/ |website=[[Consequence (publication)|Consequence]] |date=17 August 2023 |access-date=1 September 2023}}</ref> Marketing through Myspace launched the careers of many of the era's most prominent bands including [[Bring Me the Horizon]], [[Attack Attack! (American band)|Attack Attack!]], [[Black Veil Brides]], Bullet for My Valentine, [[Job For a Cowboy]] and [[Suicide Silence]]. Despite the stylistic distinctness between many of these groups' sounds they became encompassed by the terms "myspace-core" and "scene-core". Many went on to become fixtures at [[Warped Tour]],<ref>{{cite web |last1=Irizarry |first1=Katy |title=16 Bands Who Got Their Start on MySpace |url=https://loudwire.com/bands-who-got-start-on-myspace/ |website=[[Loudwire]] |date=20 June 2019 |access-date=1 September 2023}}</ref> and [[Fearless Records]]'s ''[[Punk Goes...]]'' cover series.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Richardson |first1=Jake |title=20 era-defining MySpace bands: Where are they now? |url=https://www.kerrang.com/20-bands-who-owe-it-all-to-myspace-and-where-they-are-now |website=[[Kerrang!]] |date=24 September 2019 |access-date=1 September 2023}}</ref>

[[Deathcore]] is a fusion of metalcore and death metal.<ref name="breakdown">{{cite web |title=lambgoat.com |url=http://www.lambgoat.com/albums/view.aspx?id=2517 |access-date=11 July 2012 |quote=This is deathcore. This is what happens when death metal and hardcore, along with healthy doses of other heavy music styles, are so smoothly blended...}}</ref><ref name="ASP">{{cite web |author=Lee, Cosmo |date=29 October 2007 |title=metalinjection.net |url=http://metalinjection.net/blog/2007/10/29/cd-review-whitechapel-the-somatic-defilement/ |access-date=11 November 2008 |quote=...All Shall Perish... Alienacja (Poland), Despised Icon (Montreal) and Whitechapel (Knoxville, TN)... They're all textbook 'deathcore', fusing death metal and hardcore punk.}}</ref><ref name="allmusic bio">{{cite web |author=Rivadavia, Eduardo |title=Heaven Shall Burn |url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=heaven-shall-burn-mn0000952025|pure_url=yes}} |access-date=31 May 2008 |work=[[AllMusic]] |quote=Munich, Germany's Heaven Shall Burn specialize in highly controversial and politicized death metal fused with hardcore; a hybrid style often referred to as death-core.}}</ref> Deathcore is defined by [[Breakdown (music)#Heavy metal and punk rock|breakdowns]], blast beats and death metal [[Ostinato#Riff|riffs]].<ref name="Cosmo Lee">{{cite web |last=Lee |first=Cosmo |title=Doom |url={{allMusic|class=album|id=doom-mw0000787310|pure_url=yes}} |access-date=25 March 2011 |work=[[AllMusic]] |publisher=[[Rovi Corporation]]}}</ref> Bands may also incorporate guitar solos and even riffs that are influenced by metalcore.<ref name="breakdown" /> New York-based death metal group [[Suffocation (band)|Suffocation]] is credited as one of the main influences for the emergence of deathcore. Embodyments album "Embrace The Eternal" is a foundation for the modern Deathcore sound.<ref name="Decibel #059">{{cite magazine |last=Lee |first=Cosmo |date=September 2009 |title=Suffocation reclaim their rightful place as kings of death metal |magazine=Decibel Magazine |issue=59 |quote=One of Suffocation's trademarks, breakdowns, has spawned an entire metal subgenre: deathcore}}.</ref> Some examples of deathcore bands are [[Suicide Silence]],<ref name="Dawn of the Deathcore">{{cite magazine |author=Wiederhorn, Jon |date=September 2008 |title=Dawn of the Deathcore |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tPkDAAAAMBAJ&q=deathcore&pg=PT62 |magazine=[[Revolver (magazine)|Revolver]] |publisher=[[Future US]] |issue=72 |pages=63–66 |issn=1527-408X |access-date=3 July 2009 }}{{Dead link|date=December 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> [[Whitechapel (band)|Whitechapel]],<ref name="Dawn of the Deathcore" /> [[Knights of the Abyss]],<ref name="knights">{{cite web |author=Sharpe-Young, Garry |title=Knights of the Abyss |url=http://www.musicmight.com/artist/united+states/arizona/glendale/knights+of+the+abyss |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090918200532/http://www.musicmight.com/artist/united%2Bstates/arizona/glendale/knights%2Bof%2Bthe%2Babyss |archive-date=18 September 2009 |access-date=10 July 2009 |publisher=[[MusicMight]]}}</ref> [[Carnifex (band)|Carnifex]]<ref name="Dawn of the Deathcore" /> and [[Chelsea Grin (band)|Chelsea Grin]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Henderson |first=Alex |title=''Desolation of Eden'' review |url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=desolation-of-eden-mw0001958607|pure_url=yes}} |access-date=4 April 2010 |work=[[AllMusic]] |publisher=Macrovision}}</ref>

In 2006 and 2007, a wave of metalcore bands strongly influenced by death metal dubbed deathcore gained moderate popularity. Notable bands that brought the genre to the fore include Bring Me the Horizon and Suicide Silence. Suicide Silence's ''[[No Time to Bleed]]'' peaked at number 32 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]], number 12 on the [[Rock Albums Chart]] and number 6 on the [[Hard Rock Albums]] Chart,<ref name="charts">{{cite magazine|url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=suicide silence|chart=all}}|title=Suicide Silence Album & Songs Chart History|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|publisher=Billboard.com|access-date=5 January 2013}}</ref> while their album ''[[The Black Crown]]'' peaked at number 28 on the ''Billboard'' 200, number 7 on the Rock Albums Chart and number 3 on the Hard Rock Albums Chart.<ref name="charts" /> After its release, [[Whitechapel (band)|Whitechapel]]'s album ''[[This Is Exile]]'' sold 5,900 in copies, which made it enter the ''Billboard'' 200 chart at position 118.<ref name="Blabbermouth">{{cite news|url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=100980|title=Whitechapel's ''This Is Exile'' Lands on Billboard Chart|date=16 July 2008|work=[[Blabbermouth]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080803031857/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=100980|archive-date=3 August 2008|url-status=dead|access-date=5 January 2013}}</ref> Their [[Whitechapel (album)|self-titled album]] peaked at number 65 on the [[Canadian Albums Chart]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Charts/ALBUMS.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20041226005640/http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Charts/ALBUMS.html|url-status=usurped|archive-date=26 December 2004|title=Albums Charts|access-date=5 January 2013}}</ref> and also at number 47 on the ''Billboard'' 200.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/artist/whitechapel/chart-history/778140|title=Whitechapel's Chart History|magazine=Billboard.com|access-date=5 January 2013}}{{Dead link|date=June 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Their third album ''[[A New Era of Corruption]]'' sold about 10,600 copies in the [[United States]] in its first week of being released and peaked at position number 43 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/page-not-found|title=Roadrunner Records Page Not Found|website=Roadrunner Records Official Website|access-date=6 May 2017|archive-date=26 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170526052254/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/page-not-found|url-status=dead}}</ref> Furthermore, Bring Me the Horizon won the [[Kerrang! Awards#2006 Results|2006 Kerrang! Awards]] for Best British Newcomer after they released their 2006 debut record ''[[Count Your Blessings (Bring Me the Horizon album)|Count Your Blessings]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kerrang.typepad.com/kerrang_awards_2006_blog/2006/08/best_british_ne.html|title=Kerrang! Awards 2006 Blog: Best British Newcomer}}</ref> However, Bring Me the Horizon abandoned the deathcore genre after the release of this album.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://drownedinsound.com/directory/artists/Bring_Me_The_Horizon|title=Bring Me The Horizon // Drowned In Sound|work=[[Drowned In Sound]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921054215/http://drownedinsound.com/directory/artists/Bring_Me_The_Horizon|archive-date=21 September 2013|url-status=dead|access-date=20 March 2012}}</ref> San Diego natives [[Carnifex (band)|Carnifex]], witnessed success with their first album ''[[Dead in My Arms]]'', selling 5,000 copies with little publicity. On top of their non-stop touring and methodical songwriting resulted in Carnifex quickly getting signed to label [[Victory Records]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.massconcerts.com/event/83083-all-in-merch-14th-annual-new-worcester/|title=Event – MassConcerts|website=www.massconcerts.com|access-date=6 May 2017|archive-date=31 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190731161929/https://www.massconcerts.com/event/83083-all-in-merch-14th-annual-new-worcester/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Lastly, Australian deathcore band [[Thy Art Is Murder]] debuted at number 35 on the [[ARIA Charts]] with their album ''[[Hate (Thy Art Is Murder album)|Hate]]'' (2012)<ref name="australian-charts.com">{{cite web|url=http://australian-charts.com/weekchart.asp?cat=a&year=2012&date=20121104|title=Australian charts portal|author=Steffen Hung|date=13 April 2015|publisher=Australian-charts.com|access-date=17 April 2015}}</ref> making them the first extreme metal band to ever reach the Top 40 of this chart.<ref name="themusicnetwork.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.themusicnetwork.com/music-news/industry/2012/10/31/thy-art-is-murder-break-aria-record/|title=Thy Art Is Murder break ARIA record - Music Industry - The Music Network|last=Eliezer|first=Christie|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130926071241/http://www.themusicnetwork.com/music-news/industry/2012/10/31/thy-art-is-murder-break-aria-record/|archive-date=26 September 2013|access-date=27 July 2017}}</ref>

[[File:Asking Alexandria 2012 Mayhem.jpg|thumb|right|180px|[[Asking Alexandria]] at [[Mayhem Festival 2012]].]]
[[Electronicore]]'s merger of metalcore with various [[electronic music]] styles emerged in the 2000s. One of the earliest contributors to the sound was [[St Albans]] band [[Enter Shikari]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=May |first1=Adam |title=Enter Shikari: The award-winning British rock band who formed in Hertfordshire |url=https://www.hertfordshiremercury.co.uk/news/hertfordshire-news/enter-shikari-award-winning-british-5085170 |website=[[Hertfordshire Mercury]] |date=9 March 2021 |access-date=1 September 2023}}</ref> Their debut album ''[[Take to the Skies]]'' peaked at number on the Official UK Album Chart selling 28,000 copies in its first week and was certified Gold in the UK after selling over 100,000 copies. It was also the first album to achieve a significant chart success for a new act operating outside the traditional label system.<ref>{{cite web|author=Lars Brandle |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1053180/uks-enter-shikari-scores-without-label |title=U.K.'s Enter Shikari Scores Without Label |publisher=Billboard |date= |access-date=22 November 2016}}</ref> The group received international [[radio]] [[airplay]] and a substantial number of musical awards, from ''Kerrang!'', ''[[NME]]'', ''[[Rock Sound]]'' and the ''[[BT Digital Music Awards]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kerrang! Awards 2006 Blog: Best British Newcomer |url=http://kerrang.typepad.com/kerrang_awards_2006_blog/2006/08/best_british_ne.html |access-date=12 March 2011 |publisher=Kerrang.typepad.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Mike Diver |title=NME Awards: winners in full |url=http://drownedinsound.com/news/1689011-nme-awards--winners-in-full |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016060502/http://drownedinsound.com/news/1689011-nme-awards--winners-in-full |archive-date=16 October 2012 |access-date=11 September 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Muse win BT Digital Music Award |url=http://www.nme.com/news/muse/31529 |website=[[NME]]}}</ref> Their second album ''[[Common Dreads]]'' was released in June 2009 and debuted on the [[UK Albums Chart]] at 16.<ref>{{cite web |title=Radio 1 – The Official Chart with Reggie Yates – The Official UK Top 40 Albums Chart |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/chart/albums.shtml |access-date=12 March 2011 |publisher=BBC}}</ref> Columbus, Ohio's Attack Attack! gained significant notoriety with their Enter Shikari-influenced sound. The band's song for "Stick Stickly", the lead single from ''[[Someday Came Suddenly]]'' (2008) went viral online for its use of [[autotune]] and synths, with the members' squatting "crab walk" stance during the music video giving way to the [[crabcore]] [[meme]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The True Story Behind the Most Hated Metal Video of All Time |url=https://www.kerrang.com/features/the-true-story-behind-the-most-hated-metal-video-of-all-time/ |access-date=31 July 2019 |website=[[Kerrang!]]|date=4 June 2019 }}</ref> [[Warren, Michigan]] band [[I See Stars]]'s debut album ''[[3-D (I See Stars album)|3-D]]'' debuted at number 176 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]], number 5 on [[Top Heatseekers]], and number 22 on [[Top Independent Albums]].<ref name="AMG Charts">{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p1122695/charts-awards|pure_url=yes}}|title=I See Stars album charting|publisher=Allmusic.com|access-date=26 April 2011}}</ref> [[The Devil Wears Prada (band)|The Devil Wears Prada]]'s 2011 album ''[[Dead Throne]]'' (which sold 32,400 in its first week)<ref>{{cite web |author=<!-- Up for discussion jump to forums --> |url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/467358/lady-antebellum-own-the-billboard-200-with-second-no-1-album |title=Lady Antebellum 'Own' the Billboard 200 with Second No. 1 Album |work=[[Billboard.com]] |date=14 September 2009 |access-date=20 October 2011}}</ref> reached number 10<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metalinsider.net/video/the-devil-wears-prada-post-a-video-update-for-new-album|title=The Devil Wears Prada Post A Video Update For New Album|work=Metal Insider|date=31 May 2013}}</ref> on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart. [[Asking Alexandria]] also achieved success, with their 2009 song "[[Final Episode (Let's Change the Channel)]]" being certified gold by the RIAA.{{Certification Cite Ref|title=Final Episode (Let's Change the Channel)|artist=Asking Alexandria|type=single|region=United States}} The band's 2011 album ''[[Reckless & Relentless]]'' peaked at number 9 on the ''Billboard'' 200.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/asking-alexandria/chart-history/tlp/ |title=Asking Alexandria Chart History (''Billboard'' 200) |magazine=Billboard |date=22 January 2015 |access-date=29 November 2019}}</ref>

In the late 2000s, a wave of groups began to gain traction cross-pollinating the metalcore style of bands like [[Shai Hulud (band)|Shai Hulud]] and [[Misery Signals]], with the influence of traditional hardcore and [[melodic hardcore]] groups like [[Killing the Dream]]. This wave often made use of serious, solemn lyrics and sometimes clean vocals in addition to the commonplace screams. Music commentators including ''[[Finn McKenty|Stuff You Will Hate]]'', ''Alternative Press'' and Bradley Zorgdrager of ''[[Exclaim!]]'' used the name "serious hardcore" or "srscore" to refer to this style.<ref name="ZORGDRAGER, 2015">{{cite web |last1=ZORGDRAGER |first1=BRADLEY |title=Lifeless Dream |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/lifeless-dream |website=[[Exclaim!]] |access-date=10 August 2024}}</ref><ref name="Shultz, 2017">{{cite web |last1=Shultz |first1=Brian |title=Hundredth live in Somerville (2017) |date=7 December 2017 |url=https://www.punknews.org/review/15429/hundredth-live-in-somerville |access-date=10 August 2024}}</ref> Groups in this wave included [[Hundredth (band)|Hundredth]], [[The Ghost Inside (band)|the Ghost Inside]], [[Counterparts (band)|Counterparts]]<ref name="Shultz, 2017" /> and [[Stick to Your Guns (band)|Stick to Your Guns]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Stick To Your Guns Diamond |url=https://rockfreaks.net/albums/4920 |access-date=10 August 2024}}</ref>

=== Continued success: 2010s–present ===

[[File:Warped Tour 2010 - BMTH 21.jpg|thumb|left|200px|[[Bring Me the Horizon]]'s 2013 album ''[[Sempiternal (album)|Sempiternal]]'' was highly influential on metalcore in the 2010s]]
[[Architects (British band)|Architects]] and Bring Me the Horizon spearheaded the British metalcore scene of the late 2000s and early 2010s.<ref name="Hysteria">{{cite web |last1=Callan |first1=Alex |title=How Architects Became One Of The Biggest Metal Bands In The World. |date=9 February 2021 |url=https://www.hysteriamag.com/architects-became-one-biggest-metal-bands-world/ |access-date=15 May 2021}}</ref> Architects had begun as a mathcore band on ''[[Nightmares (Architects album)|Nightmares]]'' (2006) before moving into metalcore by the release of ''[[Ruin (album)|Ruin]]'' (2007).<ref name="Hill and Alderslade, 2023">{{cite web |last1=Hill |first1=Stephen |last2=Alderslade |first2=Merlin |title=Every Architects album ranked from worst to best |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/all-architects-albums-ranked |website=[[Metal Hammer]] |date=15 August 2023 |access-date=31 August 2023}}</ref> ''Hysteria'' magazine credited the band's long time vocalist Sam Carter with reviving high pitched screamed vocals in metalcore and "influencing an entire generation of acts such as [[Polaris (Australian band)|Polaris]], [[In Hearts Wake]], [[Void of Vision]], [[Invent Animate]], [[Imminence (band)|Imminence]]...the list goes on", as well as popularising the "blegh" adlib, which subsequently became commonplace in the genre.<ref name="Hysteria" /> Bring Me the Horizon's third album ''[[There Is a Hell Believe Me I've Seen It. There Is a Heaven Let's Keep It a Secret.]]'' (2010), saw the band incorporate electronica, classical music and pop music into their metalcore style,<ref name="CANOE-horizons broadened">{{cite web | url = http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/B/Bring_Me_The_Horizon/2010/11/18/16203866.html | title = Horizon broadens for young band | first = Darryl | last = Sterdan | work = [[QMI Agency]] | publisher = [[Canoe Inc.]] | date = 18 November 2010 | access-date = 20 March 2012 | url-status = usurped | archive-url = https://archive.today/20121209031552/http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/B/Bring_Me_The_Horizon/2010/11/18/16203866.html | archive-date = 9 December 2012 }}</ref> a trend then continued further on ''[[Sempiternal (album)|Sempiternal]]'' (2013), which also embraced elements of [[nu metal]].<ref name="Hill 2023">{{cite web |last1=Hill |first1=Stephen |title=This is Sempiternal: how Bring Me The Horizon made this generation's definitive metal album |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/this-is-sempiternal-how-bring-me-the-horizon-made-this-generations-definitive-metal-album |website=[[Metal Hammer]] |date=31 March 2023 |access-date=31 August 2023}}</ref> The Latter peaked at number 3 on the UK albums chart,<ref>{{cite web |title=Bring Me The Horizon |website=[[Official Charts Company|Official Charts]] |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/5240/bring-me-the-horizon/ |access-date=15 May 2021}}</ref> and was one of the earliest releases by a UK metalcore band on a major label, through [[RCA Records]].<ref>{{cite news |title=BRING ME THE HORIZON ANNOUNCE NEW RECORD LABEL |url=https://www.rocksound.tv/news/read/bring-me-the-horizon-announce-new-record-label? |website=[[RockSound]] |access-date=15 May 2021}}</ref> Following this, many bands in the metalcore scene began to emulate the sound these albums.<ref name="Hill 2023" /> The band's massive mainstream success led publications such as ''[[the Guardian]]'' and ''[[the Independent]]'' to accredit them as "the new Metallica",<ref name="Independent">{{cite web |last1=Brey |first1=Elisa |title=Bring me the Horizon, interview: Could the band become the new Metallica? |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/bring-me-horizon-interview-could-band-become-new-metallica-9890176.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220509/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/bring-me-horizon-interview-could-band-become-new-metallica-9890176.html |archive-date=9 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |website=[[The Independent]] |date=28 November 2014 |access-date=15 May 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Hann |first1=Michael |title=Bring Me The Horizon: 'We'll never sell out arenas' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/apr/04/bring-me-the-horizon-interview-sempiternal |website=[[The Guardian]] |date=4 April 2013 |access-date=15 May 2021}}</ref> and ''[[Metal Hammer]]'' writer Stephen Hill to call ''Sempiternal'' "this generation's definitive metal album".<ref name="Hill 2023" />

The nu metal elements present on ''Sempiternal'', as well as Suicide Silence's ''[[The Black Crown]]'' (2012), led to a wave of bands in the mid-2010s taking influence from nu metal.<ref name="Thrash Hits - Nu metalcore">{{cite web |title=Thrash Hits - Nu metalcore |url=http://www.thrashhits.com/2013/09/nu-metalcore-is-definitely-happening-why/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170315001209/http://www.thrashhits.com/2013/09/nu-metalcore-is-definitely-happening-why/ |archive-date=15 March 2017}}</ref> [[My Ticket Home]]'s ''[[Strangers Only]]'' (2013) was a notable precedent of this wave, seeing a previously established metalcore act merge their style with dark, nu metal influence to help establish the coming [[nu metalcore]] sound.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sievers |first1=Alex |title=From The Editor: The Best Releases Of The 2010s |url=https://killyourstereo.com/features/from-the-editor-the-best-releases-of-the-2010s/tqSiqKuqraw/04-02-20 |access-date=31 August 2023}}</ref> [[Issues (band)|Issues]]' merger of nu metal, metalcore and [[contemporary R&B]] gained them significant commercial success, with a number of publications crediting them as ushering a new wave of nu metal.<ref>{{cite web |date=17 April 2013 |title=Issues: The Band That (Finally) Gets Nu-Metal Right |url=http://www.metalsucks.net/2013/04/17/issues-the-band-that-finally-gets-nu-metal-right/ |access-date=27 June 2014 |publisher=MetalSucks}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Are Issues Ushering In A New Wave of Nü-Metal? |work=Metal Injection |url=http://www.metalinjection.net/editorials/are-issues-ushering-in-a-new-wave-of-nu-metal |url-status=live |access-date=27 June 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304001649/http://www.metalinjection.net/editorials/are-issues-ushering-in-a-new-wave-of-nu-metal |archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref> Their debut [[Issues (Issues album)|self-titled album]] (2014) peaked at number nine on the ''Billboard 200'' chart<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Chart History Issues |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/issues/chart-history/tlp/ |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |access-date=31 August 2023}}</ref> and their second album ''[[Headspace (Issues album)|Headspace]]'' (2016) reached number one on the ''Top Alternative Albums'' chart.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Chart History Issues |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/issues/chart-history/alt/ |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |access-date=31 August 2023}}</ref>
Furthermore, Bring Me the Horizon's fifth album ''[[That's the Spirit]]'' (2015) saw the band fully embrace nu metal,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bakare |first1=Lanre |title=Bring Me the Horizon: That's the Spirit review – nu-metal reanimators |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/sep/10/bring-me-the-horizon-thats-the-spirit-review |website=[[The Guardian]] |date=10 September 2015 |access-date=31 August 2023}}</ref> which peaked at number 2 in both the UK and US.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Chart History Bring Me the Horizon |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/bring-me-the-horizon/chart-history/tlp/ |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |access-date=31 August 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Official Albums Charton 18/9/2015 18 September 2015 - 24 September 2015 |website=[[Official Charts Company|Official Charts]] |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/albums-chart/20150918/7502/ |access-date=31 August 2023}}</ref> In the following years [[Emmure]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Eternal Enemies - Emmure |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/eternal-enemies-mw0002621415 |website=[[Allmusic]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=10 September 2009 |title=Guest Insider: Mike Gitter Reviews Emmure's 'Felony' |url=http://www.metalinsider.net/guest-blog/guest-insider-mike-gitter-reviews-emmures-felony |access-date=27 June 2014 |publisher=Metal Insider}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Emmure - Slave to the Game Review |url=http://www.decoymusic.com/reviews/emmure-slave-to-the-game |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140324075843/http://www.decoymusic.com/reviews/emmure-slave-to-the-game |archive-date=24 March 2014 |access-date=27 June 2014 |publisher=DecoyMusic.com}}</ref> [[Of Mice & Men (band)|Of Mice & Men]],<ref name="Cryptic">{{cite web |date=7 February 2014 |title=Of Mice & Men - Restoring Force (Album review) |url=http://crypticrock.com/of-mice-men-restoring-force-album-review/ |publisher=Crypticrock.com}}</ref><ref name="Megusta">{{cite web |title=Of Mice & Men - Restoring Force (2014) |url=http://www.megustareviews.com/2014/01/of-mice-men-restoring-force-2014.html |publisher=Megusta Reviews}}</ref><ref name="Monolith">{{cite web |title=Review: Of Mice & Men - Restoring Force |url=http://www.themonolith.com/music/review-mice-men-restoring-force/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701175203/http://www.themonolith.com/music/review-mice-men-restoring-force/ |archive-date=1 July 2017 |access-date=16 July 2017 |publisher=The Monolith}}</ref> [[Sworn In (band)|Sworn In]] and [[DangerKids]] had all embraced the genre,<ref name="Thrash Hits - Nu metalcore" /> and by 2016, nu metalcore had solidified itself as a movement.<ref name="Stewart 20212">{{cite web |last1=Stewart |first1=Ethan |date=31 August 2021 |title=SLIPKNOT TRANSFORMED MODERN METAL WITH 'IOWA' 20 YEARS AGO |url=https://www.popmatters.com/slipknot-iowa-album-atr20 |access-date=7 September 2021 |website=[[PopMatters]]}}</ref>

[[File:Architects02.JPG|thumb|200px|[[Architects (British band)|Architects]] were one of the most prominent metalcore bands in the 2010s]]
Architect's ''[[All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us]]'' (2016) was released to critical acclaim, with ''Metal Hammer'' writer Stephen Hill called it "as close to a perfect metal record as one can imagine". The following year, they released the single "[[Doomsday (Architects song)|Doomsday]]", their first release since the death of the band's founding guitarist Tom Searle. In the years following the single's release, the song's sound became widely imitated within the metalcore scene,<ref name="Hill and Alderslade, 2023" /> particularly the song's introduction guitar riff.<ref name="Hysteria" />

As the decade drew to a close, a new wave of bands in the genre emerged who harkened back to the metallic hardcore sound of bands from the 1990s. [[Vein.fm]],<ref>{{cite web |last1=Krovatin |first1=Chris |title=6 Underground Metalcore Bands Redefining The Scene Right Now |url=https://www.kerrang.com/features/six-underground-metalcore-bands-redefining-the-scene/ |website=Kerrang! |date=12 November 2018 |access-date=29 February 2020}}</ref> [[Code Orange (band)|Code Orange]], [[Knocked Loose]], [[Varials]], [[Jesus Piece (band)|Jesus Piece]], [[Counterparts (band)|Counterparts]] and [[Kublai Khan (band)|Kublai Khan]] were all notable groups who gained significant success within the genre at the time.{{cn|date=September 2024}} Code Orange saw critical acclaim and success with their [[Roadrunner Records]] debut ''[[Forever (Code Orange album)|Forever]]'' in 2017. Forever's title track was also nominated Grammy for Best Metal Performance in 2018.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=R. Weingarten |first1=Christopher |last2=Shteamer |first2=Hank |last3=Bienstock |first3=Richard |last4=Grow |first4=Kory |last5=Epstein |first5=Dan |title=20 Best Metal Albums of 2017 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/20-best-metal-albums-of-2017-196307/code-orange-forever-3-197921/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=1 March 2020 |date=6 December 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Loudwire Staff |title=25 Best Metal Albums of 2017 |url=https://loudwire.com/25-best-metal-albums-2017/ |website=Loudwire |date=27 November 2017 |access-date=1 March 2020 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Code Orange |url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/code-orange |website=GRAMMY.com |access-date=1 March 2020 |language=en |date=19 November 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Exposito |first1=Suzy |title=Code Orange: Metal's Rising Stars on Their Grammy Nod, Breakthrough Year |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/code-orange-metals-rising-stars-on-their-grammy-nod-breakthrough-year-204507/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=1 March 2020 |date=13 February 2018}}</ref> It too embraced the influence of nu metal and according to ''[[PopMatters]]'' writer Ethan Stewart, led to nu metalcore becoming "one of the most prominent flavors of contemporary metal".<ref name="Stewart 20212" /> Knocked Loose gained significant attention after their song "Counting Worms" from their album ''[[Laugh Tracks (Knocked Loose album)|Laugh Tracks]]'' (2016) became a meme due to its "arf arf" mosh call.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Towers |first1=Julian |title=Knock Their Socks Loose |url=https://www.austinchronicle.com/daily/music/2022-04-16/knock-their-socks-loose/ |access-date=31 August 2023}}</ref> The band's 2019 second album ''[[A Different Shade of Blue]]'' also received critical and commercial success.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Epstein |first1=Dan |last2=Bennett |first2=J. |last3=Appleford |first3=Steve |last4=Navison |first4=Will |last5=Enis |first5=Eli |last6=Hill |first6=John |last7=Pessaro |first7=Fred |last8=Chapstick |first8=Kelsey |title=25 Best Albums of 2019 |url=https://www.revolvermag.com/music/25-best-albums-2019#4-knocked-loose-different-shade-blue |website=Revolver |access-date=29 February 2020 |language=en |date=25 November 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Carter |first1=Emily |last2=Garner |first2=George |last3=Law |first3=Sam |last4=Longbottom |first4=John |last5=Mackinnon |first5=James |last6=McLaughlin |first6=David |last7=Morton |first7=Luke |last8=Pearlman |first8=Mischa |last9=Ruskell |first9=Nick |last10=Shepherd |first10=Tom |last11=Thomas |first11=Olly |last12=Travers |first12=Paul |title=The 50 Best Albums Of 2019 |url=https://www.kerrang.com/features/the-50-best-albums-of-2019/ |website=Kerrang! |date=31 December 2019 |access-date=29 February 2020}}</ref>

Nu metalcore maintained its prominence into the 2020s with [[Tetrarch (band)|Tetrarch]] and [[Tallah]] gaining notability.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Enis |first1=Eli |title=10 BANDS LEADING THE NEW WAVE OF NU-METAL |url=https://www.revolvermag.com/music/10-bands-leading-new-wave-nu-metal#city-morgue |website=[[Revolver (magazine)|Revolver]] |date=18 July 2022 |access-date=1 September 2023}}</ref> [[Loathe (band)|Loathe]]'s second album ''[[I Let It In and It Took Everything]]'' (2020) saw critical acclaim, and was consistently praised for expanding the scope of metalcore by incorporating elements of nu metal, [[shoegaze]], [[emo]], [[post-rock]], [[progressive metal]] and [[industrial music]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Loathe take prog-metalcore to dazzling heights on new single |url=https://www.altpress.com/loathe-take-prog-metalcore-to-dazzling-heights-on-new-single/ |website=[[Alternative Press (magazine)|Alternative Press]] |date=20 September 2019 |access-date=1 September 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Yoo |first1=Noah |title=I Let It In and It Took Everything |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/loathe-i-let-it-in-and-it-took-everything/ |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |access-date=1 September 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=FAN POLL: 5 BANDS MOST LIKELY TO BREAKOUT IN 2020 |url=https://www.revolvermag.com/music/fan-poll-5-bands-most-likely-breakout-2020#3-loathe |website=[[Revolver (magazine)|Revolver]] |date=23 January 2020 |access-date=1 September 2023}}</ref> The band's use of the Fender Bass VI guitar, which tunes to an octave below a standard tuning guitar, became widely sought after following the album's release.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Astley-Brown |first1=Michael |title=How an oddball baritone became one of the most valuable Squier guitars of all time |website=[[Guitar World]] |date=31 March 2021 |url=https://www.guitarworld.com/features/how-an-oddball-baritone-became-one-of-the-most-valuable-squier-guitars-of-all-time |access-date=1 September 2023}}</ref> Publications credited [[Spiritbox]] similarly with ''Metal Hammer'' calling them "post-metalcore" and "genre-fluid".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Summan |first1=Yasmine |title=Spiritbox: the post-metalcore trio set to own 2021 |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/spiritbox-the-post-metalcore-trio-set-to-own-2021 |website=[[Metal Hammer]] |date=16 December 2020 |access-date=1 September 2023}}</ref> The band's 2020 single "Holy Roller" reached the Top 40 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Morin |first1=Max |title=Spiritbox Want to Be the "2 Chainz of Metalcore" |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/spiritbox_eternal_blue_interview |website=[[Exclaim!]] |access-date=1 September 2023}}</ref> and their debut album ''[[Eternal Blue (album)|Eternal Blue]]'' was named the year's best rock or metal album by ''[[Loudwire]]''<ref name="LWbest2021">{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s)/no by-line.--> |date=10 December 2021 |title=The 45 Best Rock + Metal Albums of 2021 |url=https://loudwire.com/best-rock-metal-albums-2021/ |url-status=live |work=[[Loudwire]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20211210173513/https://loudwire.com/best-rock-metal-albums-2021/ |archive-date=10 December 2021 |access-date=10 December 2021}}</ref> and metalcore album by ''Metal Hammer''.<ref name="HobsonMetalcoreAlbums">{{cite news |last=Hobson |first=Rich| date=2 December 2021 |title=The top 10 metalcore albums of 2021 |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-top-10-metalcore-albums-of-2021 |url-status=live |work=[[Metal Hammer]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20211202175825/https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-top-10-metalcore-albums-of-2021 |archive-date=2 December 2021 |access-date=2 December 2021}}</ref>

Around the same time, a number of bands gained prominence in the scene that revived the sound of groups from the mid-to-late-2000s, fronted by [[Static Dress]], [[SeeYouSpaceCowboy]], [[If I Die First]] and [[Jarrod Alonge|CrazyEightyEight]]. This movement grew out of both the hardcore scene and the mainstream success that the [[emo rap]] scene gained the late-2010s.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Stewart |first1=Ethan |title=From Hardcore to Harajuku: the Origins of Scene Subculture |url=https://www.popmatters.com/scene-subculture-origins-hardcore-harajuku |website=[[PopMatters]] |date=25 May 2021 |access-date=25 May 2021}}</ref>

Formed in 2015, [[Bad Omens]]' third album ''[[The Death of Peace of Mind]]'' (2022) was the band's commercial breakthrough after viral success of the album's second single "[[Just Pretend (Bad Omens song)|Just Pretend]]" on TikTok<ref name="Hill, 2023" /> which then topped the ''Billboard'' Mainstream Rock chart.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Chart History Bad Omens |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/bad-omens/chart-history/rtt/ |access-date=1 September 2023}}</ref> By March 2023, the album had received 20 million streams on [[Spotify]], leading to ''Metal Hammer'' calling them "the biggest metalcore band in a generation."<ref name="Hill, 2023">{{cite web |last1=Hill |first1=Stephen |title=No one expected Bad Omens to become the biggest metalcore band in a generation. So what the hell is going on? |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/no-one-expected-bad-omens-to-become-the-biggest-metalcore-band-in-a-generation-so-what-the-hell-is-going-on |website=[[Metal Hammer]] |date=17 March 2023 |access-date=1 September 2023}}</ref> Bring Me the Horizon's ''[[Post Human: Survival Horror]]'' (2020)<ref>{{cite web |title=Official Albums Charton 29/1/2021 29 January 2021 - 4 February 2021 |website=[[Official Charts Company|Official Charts]] |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/albums-chart/20210129/7502/ |access-date=1 September 2023}}</ref> and Architects' ''[[For Those That Wish to Exist]]'' (2021) both also reached number one in the UK album charts.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Loftin |first1=Steven |title=The Ongoing Legacy of Architects |url=https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/interviews/architects-ongoing-legacy |access-date=31 August 2023}}</ref>

== Reception and legacy ==
Metalcore is not universally accepted in some traditional [[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]] and hardcore circles,<ref name="Smialek222">{{cite book |last1=Smialek |first1=Eric |title=The Cambridge Companion to Metal Music |date=2023 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |editor1-last=Herbst |editor1-first=Jan-Peter |pages=282–290 |chapter=Contempt-of-Core: A reception history of Metalcore}}</ref> and there has been debate and disagreement over whether metalcore is an authentic subgenre of heavy metal.<ref>{{cite web |date=9 June 2020 |title=The 21 best U.S. Metalcore albums of all time |url=https://www.kerrang.com/the-21-best-us-metalcore-albums-of-all-time}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=16 April 2024 |title=Why do Metalheads Think Metalcore Isn't Real Metal? Reddit Users Answer |url=https://loudwire.com/why-metalheads-dont-like-metalcore-reddit/ |website=[[Loudwire]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Trapp |first=Philip |date=2023-11-28 |title=Who Invented Metalcore? |url=https://loudwire.com/who-invented-metalcore/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral |access-date=2025-03-25 |website=Loudwire |language=en}}</ref> Traditional [[Heavy metal subculture|metalheads]] tend to view the style as an inauthentic imitation of "real" metal, and "a diluted misinterpretation of metal's stylistic codes".<ref name="Smialek222" /> Additionally, metalcore is occasionally mistaken for [[death metal]] by some unfamiliar listeners, which according to Philip Trapp of ''[[Loudwire]]'', "borders on [[sacrilege]] for the most discerning metalheads."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Trapp |first=Philip TrappPhilip |date=2023-11-01 |title=10 Times Bands Were Wrongly Accused of Being Death Metal |url=https://loudwire.com/bands-wrongly-called-death-metal/ |access-date=2025-08-18 |website=Loudwire |language=en}}</ref>

In the early 2000s, bands under the metalcore banner drew criticism for "their increasingly considered images, polished production, and what was seen as appeal to progressively more mainstream audiences".<ref name="Sounds of Origin"/> Despite several metalcore bands achieving critical acclaim and cult status, several journalists have noted that the metalcore tag earned a "bad rep" after several bands in the genre found commercial success, or released albums with polished production. Andrew Sacher of ''[[BrooklynVegan|Brooklyn Vegan]]'' stated his belief that "the mainstream boom tarnished the word 'metalcore' for a while."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sacher |first=Andrew |title=15 '90s metalcore albums that still resonate today |url=https://www.brooklynvegan.com/15-90s-metalcore-albums-that-still-resonate-today/ |access-date=2025-02-25 |website=BrooklynVegan |language=en-US}}</ref> Several bands and musicians labelled as metalcore have rejected the term entirely,<ref>{{cite web |title=Top 10 Most Important Moments in the Evolution of Metalcore |url=https://activloop.com/music/top-10-most-important-moments-in-the-evolution-of-metalcore/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=28 November 2023 |title=Who Invented Metalcore? |url=https://loudwire.com/who-invented-metalcore/ |website=[[Loudwire]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Metalcore Bands are Going Mainstream, and It's Painful |url=https://www.houstonpress.com/music/metalcore-bands-are-going-mainstream-and-its-painful-7805113}}</ref> and even some who accept the term nonetheless insist that the style has become "bastardized" by the influence of [[commercialism]] and trends.<ref name=":22">{{cite web |title=Renounced: "Death to false metalcore" |url=https://www.punktastic.com/radar/renounced-death-to-false-metalcore/}}</ref> Stephen Hill of ''Metal Hammer'' suggested that later metalcore bands such as [[Attila (metalcore band)|Attila]] and [[Blessthefall]] "[have] more in common with [[Airbrush|airbrushed]], cynically-minded [[Boy band|boy bands]] than the melding of two [[Counterculture|counter-cultures]]."<ref name=":03" /> 

Critics and journalists have observed the increased presence of ballads on modern metalcore albums, claiming that the "[[punk rock]] spirit [is] long gone" from the genre. Stephen Hill of ''[[Metal Hammer]]'' assessed, "[[Killswitch Engage]] became something akin to the [[Metallica]] of metalcore, enjoying continued success whilst others dwindled but, with [[Howard Jones (American singer)|Howard Jones]] taking the mic from [[Jesse Leach|Jess Leach]], becoming more [[hard rock]] and [[ballad]]-heavy with each new album." Journalists have also observed many later metalcore bands omitting direct hardcore punk influence entirely. Hill also said: "So instantly recognisable was the Killswitch sound that it was aped unashamedly by many a newcomer, where before it was an underground scene full of innovative and eclectic bands, there was now a formula."<ref name=":03">{{Cite web |last=Hill |first=Stephen |date=2015-01-29 |title=From Crossover To Metalcore: The Genesis Of A Genre |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/from-crossover-to-metalcore-the-genesis-of-a-genre |access-date=2025-03-24 |website=louder |language=en}}</ref> 

Furthermore, many of the genre's more commercially successful acts, such as [[All That Remains (band)|All That Remains]], [[Asking Alexandria]], [[Of Mice & Men (band)|Of Mice & Men]] and [[Bring Me the Horizon]], eventually abandoned their metalcore roots entirely, opting for what has been described as a "more radio-friendly [[Rock music|rock]]- and [[Pop music|pop]]-inclined" approach.<ref>{{cite web |title=Metalcore Bands are Going Mainstream, and It's Painful |url=https://www.houstonpress.com/music/metalcore-bands-are-going-mainstream-and-its-painful-7805113}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Fan Poll: 5 Greatest Metalcore Albums |url=https://www.revolvermag.com/music/fan-poll-5-greatest-metalcore-albums/ |access-date=2025-03-25 |website=Revolver |language=en-US}}</ref> Stephen Hill of ''Metal Hammer'' said: "To onlookers from the outside, metalcore was dead, a one dimensional flash in the pan to go alongside [[Glam metal|glam]] and [[Nu metal|nu-metal]] in the ‘what were we thinking?’ Fads of alternative culture."<ref name=":022">{{Cite web |last=Hill |first=Stephen |date=2015-01-29 |title=From Crossover To Metalcore: The Genesis Of A Genre |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/from-crossover-to-metalcore-the-genesis-of-a-genre |access-date=2025-03-24 |website=louder |language=en}}</ref> 

[[Ultimate Guitar]] staff writer Jorge Martins contested the notion of metalcore's commercial decline, opining: "Metalcore became, through its almost three decades of existence, arguably the most popular subgenre of heavy music, finding its way across all styles of metal and influencing an endless number of artists and landmark releases. One of the secrets for its seemingly never-ending vitality is how well it gels with other styles in order to never grow stale and keep its relevance when some of their contemporaries pushed their boundaries as far as they would go and ended up spitting out formulaic albums and falling into oblivion as Metalcore thrived then and now."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Top 10 Best '90s Proto-Metalcore Albums That Shaped the Genre |url=https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/top_10_best_90s_proto-metalcore_albums_that_shaped_the_genre-113093 |access-date=2025-08-22 |website=www.ultimate-guitar.com |language=en}}</ref>

==See also==
{{wiktionary|metalcore}}
{{wikiquote|Metalcore}}
{{wikiversity|Metalcore Theory}}
* [[List of metalcore bands]]
{{clear}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* Haenfler, Ross. ''Straight Edge: Clean-living Youth, Hardcore Punk, and Social Change'', Rutgers University Press. {{ISBN|0-8135-3852-1}}.
* Mudrian, Albert (2000). ''Choosing Death: The Improbable History of Death Metal and Grindcore''. Feral House. {{ISBN|1-932595-04-X}}.
* Sharpe-Young, Garry (2005). ''New Wave of American Heavy Metal''. Zonda Books. {{ISBN|0-9582684-0-1}}.
* {{cite book |last=Giordano |first=James |year=2016 |title=Maldynia: Multidisciplinary Perspectives on the Illness of Chronic Pain |publisher=[[CRC Press]] |isbn=9781439836316 }}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
{{Heavymetal}}
{{Metalcore}}
{{Hardcorepunk}}
{{punk}}

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