Neo metal (pronounced[nuˈmɛ.tᵊl] (also known as nü-metal, aggro-metal, neo-metal or new metal) is a kind of metal. It is a fusion genre, which combines metal elements with other genres such as hip-hop and grunge. It is classified as part of alternative metal.
The musical movement took off in the mid-1990s, and was propelled by Korn's eponymous album. Korn, as well as other groups such as Deftones and Limp Bizkit, popularized the genre until the 2000s. Following the death of Kurt Cobain, a member of Nirvana and an icon of the grunge movement, public attention shifted from alternative rock to nascent neo metal and fusion. In the 1990s, neo metal became a commercial phenomenon. Linkin Park's album Hybrid Theory, released in 2000, sold over 24 million copies and the band received a Grammy in 2002 for the song Crawling.
In the mid-2000s, the movement lost momentum, although some of the leading groups of its kind were still popular, such as Papa Roach and Slipknot. Today the majority of these groups have changed their style (Korn, Linkin Park, Deftones, Papa Roach, etc.) and continue their ascent but by turning away from this style. Producer Ross Robinson is sometimes called the "Godfather of neo Metal" for his work on many important albums of the genre, including those of Korn, Deftones and Slipknot. Many fans of extreme metal or heavy metal contest the name of metal for this musical genre, because of its image and commercial success and because of its multiple influences (especially hip-hop).