As divisive today as it was popular during its early 2000s heyday, there can be no doubting that nu metal has been one of the most impactful and widely debated sub genres to ever hit heavy music. It's produced some of metal's most colourful characters, churned out enough one-hit wonders to fill a rock club Saturday night playlist and resulted in the kinds of collaborations we'd have previously never thought possible, but as far as producing music that can spark a real, tangible emotional pull goes, nu metal has often been rather overlooked.
Despite its reputation as a braggadocio, obnoxious corner of the metal scene, however, nu metal is absolutely capable of creating emotional moments, be they amazing covers of classic power ballads, unexpected detours into deeply personal subject matter or team-ups that had us all wiping a tear or two away. Here, then, are ten times nu metal unexpectedly hit us right in the feels.
