Top Ten Rock Bands Who Are Mistakenly Called Metal Bands

Hey people, you know what? Live in facts not fiction
The Top Ten
1 Linkin Park Linkin Park is an American alternative rock band formed in Agoura Hills, California, in 1996. The current members include Mike Shinoda (vocals, keyboards, rhythm guitar), Brad Delson (guitar), Dave "Phoenix" Farrell (bass), Joe Hahn (DJ), and Rob Bourdon (drums). Linkin Park is associated with a mixture of alternative rock, hip hop, and techno. Some of their influences include Nine Inch Nails, Deftones,... read more

I'll be honest, Linkin Park is a Hard Alternative band (Basically a more heavier version of Alternative Rock with common usage of Heavy Metal traits, not enough to make LP a Metal band, but enough to make its sound more distinct enough for a separate genre).

Chester Bennington also said he never identified Linkin Park as a metal band, so there's that (Though he was okay to have the band labelled Nu Metal). Conversely, Mike Shinoda doesn't like to be labelled in the Nn Metal label, citing that Nu Metal was associated with "Frat Rock", which was connected with misogyny, arrogance and male-dominance, which we (Linkin Park) were against.

So if they're a Nu-Metal band wouldn't that make them both Metal and Rock?

I really hate it when people call this band a metal band

2 Evanescence Evanescence is an American alternative rock/alternative metal band. It was founded in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1995 by singer/pianist Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody.

Pure rock band. Their heavy riffs don't make them a metal band.

3 Disturbed Disturbed is an American alternative metal/nu-metal/hard rock band from Chicago, Illinois. The band comprises vocalist David Draiman, bassist John Moyer, guitarist Dan Donegan, and drummer Mike Wengren. They are known for songs like "Down With the Sickness" and "Stricken".

Metal or not, I personally think they are a pretty good band. They're last album was very good

Nah, they are metal in my opinion. Also @Ananya could you please turn on messaging for me.

Disturbed is definitely heavy metal/alternative metal

4 Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin was an English hard rock band formed in London in 1968 as the New Yardbirds. The group consisted of Robert Plant (Vocal), Jimmy Page (Guitar), John Paul Jones (Bass, Keyboard) and John Bonham (Drums) and was very much the child of Jimmy Page who even financed their first tour. He had tasted some previous success with The [original] Yardbirds and was friendly with some big names in rock. Page states it was Keith Moon of The Who that claimed the band could only go down, like a lead balloon -- thus prompting the iconic name of Led Zeppelin. The band's heavy, guitar-driven sound, rooted in blues and psychedelia on their early albums, has earned them recognition as one of the progenitors ...read more.

In fact Queen is more metal than Led Zeppelin is because Queen has a Metal song (Stone Cold Crazy) while Led Zeppelin doesn't

If there wasn't Deep Purple,Uriah Heep or Black Sabbath at that time then they could be called metal.

Led Zeppelin themselves refuse to be labeled as metal.

They are not satanic. There is nothing caked satan

5 Breaking Benjamin Breaking Benjamin is a American post-grunge/alternative metal/rock band formed in 1998. The bands members all changed in the time between 2010 to 2014, with the exception of Ben Burnley (Vocals). The Ex-Members included Chad Szeliga (Drums), Aaron Fink (Guitar) and Mark Klepaspi (Bass). The band is one of the most well-known bands of its genre and is associated with its electronic sounds in their songs and overall technicality. After the release of their second album "We Are Not Alone", the band gained a lot success in Europe and Asia.

Alternative metal

6 Three Days Grace Three Days Grace is a Canadian post-grunge/alternative rock band formed in Norwood, Ontario in 1992 with a line-up consisting of guitarist and lead vocalist Adam Gontier, drummer and backing vocalist Neil Sanderson, and bassist Brad Walst. Their original name was Groundswell until they changed it to their current name in 1997. In 2003, the band's current guitarist Barry Stock was recruited to the band. In 2013 Gontier left the band due to creative differences. He was replaced with Brad's brother Matt Walst.

Since when was Post Grunge a subgenre of Metal.

7 Red Red is an American Christian alternative metal/alternative rock band from Nashville, Tennessee. The band was formed in 2002 by brothers Anthony Armstrong (guitarist) and Randy Armstrong (bassist), along with lead vocalist Michael Barnes.
8 Limp Bizkit Limp Bizkit is an American nu-metal/rap metal/rock band from Jacksonville, Florida, formed in 1994. Their lineup consists of Fred Durst, Sam Rivers, John Otto, and Wes Borland. They're mostly known for their singles like Break Stuff, My Way, My Generation, Nookie, Eat You Alive, Rollin', and Take a Look Around... read more
9 Marilyn Manson Marilyn Manson is an American rock band from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Formed in 1989 by frontman Marilyn Manson and Daisy Berkowitz, the group was originally named Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids with their theatrical performances gathering a local cult following in the early 1990s. The name of the band comes from famous sex symbol Marilyn Monroe and famous criminal Charles Manson. Manson joined these two names together because he wanted a name combined with good (Monroe) and evil (Manson). The other members of the band have their stage names combined with the first names of famous sex symbols and the last names of famous serial killers.

He never claimed to be metal. Sure he's made some metal sounding stuff but he's more industrial/shock rock.

I'm not a fan, but he is definitely metal

10 Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles formed in 1985. The classic lineup, as signed to Geffen Records in 1986, consisted of vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKagan, and drummer Steven Adler. Apart from hard rock they are also associated with heavy metal. ...read more.
The Contenders
11 Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock band, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio.

Nine Inch Nails are one of my favourite bands of all time, that being said, they aren't Metal really. They have some Industrial Metal songs but are more Industrial Rock.

I love NIN. They have some stuff that is metal, and some that isn't

12 Skillet Skillet is an American Christian rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee in 1996 and based in the United States.
13 Kiss Kiss, often styled as KISS, was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1973. The original members were Paul Stanley (vocals, rhythm guitar), Gene Simmons (vocals, bass guitar), Ace Frehley (lead guitar, vocals), and Peter Criss (drums, vocals).

Known for their face paint and stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid-1970s. Their shock rock-style live performances featured... read more
14 System of a Down System of a Down, formed in 1994, is an Armenian-American alternative metal group from Glendale, California. The band name is sometimes shortened to System or SOAD. They've always been a very political band since their inception. Often being against genocide and war most notably in songs like: Pluck, Holy Mountains, and BYOB (Bring Your Own Bombs). Serj is an active activist who wants to change the world for the better.

The band's current members include Serj Tankian (vocalist, keyboards), Daron Malakian (guitarist, vocalist), Shavo Odadjian (bassist), and John Dolmayan (drummer). ...read more.

Depends on the song.Songs like Chop Suey and Lonely Day are more Alternative sounding while songs like BYOB and Sugar are more Metal sounding

Chop suey isn't that metal...but every other song by them is! What are they even doing here?!

They have some metal songs, but they are not metal for the most part

They're called a metal band because they are one...

15 Hollywood Undead Hollywood Undead is an American rap rock band from Los Angeles, California, United States. They released their debut album, Swan Songs, on September 2, 2008, and their live CD/DVD Desperate Measures, on November 10, 2009. Their second studio album, American Tragedy, was released April 5, 2011. All of the band members use pseudonyms and wear their own unique mask, most of which are based on the common hockey goaltender design.
16 Green Day Green Day are an American pop punk/punk rock band formed in East Bay, California in 1987. The members include Billie Joe Armstrong (vocals and guitar), Mike Dirnt (bass), Tré Cool (drums) and Jason White (guitar). Green Day are associated with punk rock, pop punk and alternative rock. Some of their influences include The Ramones, Sex Pistols, NOFX, and Bad Religion. They are best known for their songs like ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams’, ‘Basket Case’ and their ‘American Idiot’ & ‘Dookie’ albums. American Idiot sold 6 million copies in the U.S. and won a Grammy Award for "Best Rock Album". Green Day have sold over 75 million records worldwide and have won 5 Grammy Awards. They ...read more.

People called Green Day metal?

17 DragonForce DragonForce are a British power metal band based in London, England. Formed in 1999, the group are known for their long and fast guitar solos, fantasy-themed lyrics, and electronic sounds in their music to add to their retro video game-influenced sound.

They're power metal, why is this on here

They are metal though...

18 Def Leppard Def Leppard are an English hard rock band formed in 1977 in Sheffield as part of the new wave of British heavy metal movement.

Great hard rock band, now probably just a pure rock band. Never a heavy metal band, not even the first two albums. They certainly don't class themselves as a metal band and never have.

Their First Two Albums are Metal...

19 Nonpoint Nonpoint is an American nu-metal band from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The band currently consists of vocalist Elias Soriano, drummer Robb Rivera, rhythm guitarist Rasheed Thomas, bassist Adam Woloszyn, and lead guitarist Bradley Kochmit.

No Nonpoint is definitely metal, there's the signature metal screams and some fantastic metal-sounding solos. See the Miracle album for example. Also what are Disturbed and Bullet For My Valentine doing here? They're also very much metal, even if nu-metal.

Not a metal band, period.

20 Bring Me the Horizon Bring Me the Horizon is a British rock band from Sheffield, Yorkshire. Formed in 2004, the group currently consists of vocalist Oliver Sykes, guitarist Lee Malia, bassist Matt Kean, drummer Matt Nicholls, and keyboardist Jordan Fish. They are signed to RCA Records globally and Columbia Records exclusively in the US. The style of their early work, including their debut album Count Your Blessings, has primarily been described as deathcore, but they started to adopt a more eclectic style of metalcore on subsequent albums. Furthermore, their latest album That's the Spirit marked a shift in their sound to less aggressive rock music styles. ...read more.
21 Korn Korn is an American nu-metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The band's current lineup includes founding members Jonathan Davis, James "Munky" Shaffer, Brian "Head" Welch, and Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, with the addition of Ray Luzier, who replaced the band's original member, David Silveria in 2007. Korn was originally formed by three of the members of the band L.A.P.D. ...read more.

Nu Metal is an Alternative sub genre, not really a metal subgenre.

Even Korn themselves don't see their music as metal.

They said themselves that they are not metal

I thought they were the pioneers of Nu Metal?

22 Sodom Sodom is a German thrash metal band from Gelsenkirchen, formed in 1981. They have gone through many line-up changes, leaving bassist vocalist Tom Angelripper as the only constant member.

Um they metal just listen to Tapping the Vein that's Brutal Thrash Metal near Death Metal and also their first album Obsessed by Cruelty is Blackened Thrash Metal so bottom line they are metal and Metal Archives says so as well.

Sodom is a blackened thrash band! That's as metal as it gets

Come on guys... they're clearly R&B.

They are metal...

23 Van Halen Van Halen was an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. From 1974 until 1985, the band consisted of guitarist Eddie Van Halen, vocalist David Lee Roth, drummer Alex Van Halen, and bassist Michael Anthony.
24 AC/DC AC/DC are a Australian hard rock band, formed in November 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young, who continued as members until Malcolm's illness and departure in 2014 . They were fronted by Bon Scott until his untimely death due to alcohol poisoning in 1979, after which they hired Brian Johnson to front the band. Commonly referred to as a hard rock or blues rock band.

They are considered the pioneers of heavy metal though they never had a single metal song.

25 Drowning Pool Drowning Pool is an American Nu-Metal band formed in Dallas, Texas in 1996. The band was named after the film The Drowning Pool.

Actually, Drowning Pool is metal.

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