Bands Like Linkin Park: 18 Artists for Fans of Their Heavy, Emotional Sound

If you are looking for bands like Linkin Park, start with From Ashes to New, Bring Me the Horizon, Papa Roach, Breaking Benjamin, Korn, Deftones, Evanescence, System of a Down, I Prevail, Bad Omens, and Starset.

But the best recommendation depends on which version of Linkin Park you love.

If Hybrid Theory and Meteora are your favorites, look for bands mixing metal riffs, hip-hop rhythms, electronics, and emotional vocals. If you prefer Minutes to Midnight or One More Light, alternative rock and melodic bands may work better. Fans of the newer From Zero era may prefer modern alternative-metal groups that move freely between screams, electronics, pop melodies, and heavy guitars. Linkin Park’s own catalog has always resisted staying inside one style, moving through rap-rock, alternative metal, electronics, pop, and other sounds.

Here are 18 bands and projects worth trying.

1. From Ashes to New

Start with: “Through It All,” “Panic,” “Nightmare”

If what you want is the closest modern equivalent to the basic Hybrid Theory formula, From Ashes to New should probably be your first stop.

The band combines rapped verses, clean melodic singing, screamed vocals, electronic textures, and heavy guitar riffs. AllMusic describes the group as a modern rock act whose breakthrough included “Through It All,” and the Linkin Park influence is particularly easy to hear in the contrast between rhythmic vocals and large emotional choruses.

They do not sound exactly like Linkin Park, but they understand the same fundamental tension:

aggression on one side, vulnerability on the other.

That makes them especially good for fans of “Papercut,” “Faint,” and “Somewhere I Belong.”

2. Bring Me the Horizon

Start with: “Teardrops,” “Drown,” “Throne”

Bring Me the Horizon is one of the best recommendations for listeners who love the way Linkin Park kept changing.

The British band began much heavier but gradually incorporated electronic production, alternative metal, pop hooks, and atmospheric songwriting. AllMusic describes their evolution from extreme early material through metalcore and eventually into a more melodic, pop-aware alternative-metal sound.

“Teardrops” is an especially obvious starting point for a Linkin Park fan.

But the deeper similarity is not one particular song.

It is the willingness to ask, “Why should a heavy band have to sound heavy in the same way forever?”

Both bands became more interesting when they stopped respecting that boundary.

3. Papa Roach

Start with: “Last Resort,” “Scars,” “Getting Away with Murder”

Papa Roach came out of the same broad nu-metal explosion that helped make Linkin Park enormous.

“Last Resort” provides the obvious connection: rhythmic vocals, heavy guitars, personal lyrics, and an explosive chorus.

But Papa Roach also changed considerably after that breakthrough.

Songs such as “Scars” reveal a much more melodic alternative-rock side, making the band a good recommendation for listeners who enjoy both aggressive and emotional Linkin Park songs.

AllMusic groups Papa Roach alongside Linkin Park within rap-metal and nu-metal history.

4. Breaking Benjamin

Start with: “The Diary of Jane,” “Breath,” “I Will Not Bow”

Breaking Benjamin leaves out the hip-hop side of Linkin Park but retains something equally important:

the emotional weight.

Benjamin Burnley’s songs are built around dark guitar riffs, melodic choruses, and vocals that can sound controlled one moment and desperate the next.

AllMusic connects Breaking Benjamin’s sound to the darker side of post-grunge, alternative metal, and nu metal.

If your favorite Linkin Park songs are “Numb,” “Leave Out All the Rest,” or “What I’ve Done,” Breaking Benjamin may work better for you than some of the more obvious rap-metal bands.

5. Korn

Start with: “Freak on a Leash,” “Falling Away from Me,” “Here to Stay”

You cannot explore bands like Linkin Park without eventually reaching Korn.

Korn helped establish the nu-metal environment from which Linkin Park emerged. Their music combined unusually low guitar tunings, hip-hop-influenced rhythms, emotional vulnerability, and vocals that could become genuinely unsettling.

AllMusic identifies Korn, Linkin Park, Deftones, and Papa Roach among the major names associated with nu metal.

Korn is usually darker and stranger than Linkin Park.

But fans who connected to Chester Bennington’s ability to turn emotional pain into physical vocal intensity may understand Jonathan Davis almost immediately.

6. Deftones

Start with: “Change (In the House of Flies),” “Be Quiet and Drive,” “My Own Summer”

Deftones is a strong recommendation for the atmospheric side of Linkin Park.

There are heavy riffs, but they are rarely the entire point.

Deftones can move from aggression into dreamlike textures, sensual vocals, and quiet passages without warning.

AllMusic includes both Deftones and Linkin Park among major nu-metal and rap-metal-associated artists, although both eventually developed identities far broader than those labels suggest.

If you like the more atmospheric parts of A Thousand Suns or Living Things, Deftones may be particularly rewarding.

7. Evanescence

Start with: “Bring Me to Life,” “Going Under,” “My Immortal”

Evanescence shares more with Linkin Park than their surface differences initially suggest.

Both broke into mainstream rock during the early 2000s with songs that combined heavy guitars, electronic production, dramatic melodies, and intensely personal emotion.

“Bring Me to Life” is the obvious entry point because its combination of female lead vocals, rap-style male passages, orchestration, and heavy rock sits comfortably beside the genre-crossing music dominating alternative radio at the time.

If what you loved about Linkin Park was the sense that vulnerable emotions could still sound enormous, Evanescence is an easy recommendation.

8. System of a Down

Start with: “Chop Suey!,” “Aerials,” “Toxicity”

System of a Down does not sound very much like Linkin Park in the narrow sense.

That is exactly why it belongs here.

Both bands emerged during the nu-metal era while refusing to remain comfortably inside the genre.

System of a Down could switch from furious metal to strange humor, Armenian musical influences, political commentary, and melodic passages within the same song. The band became one of the major groups associated with the period that also produced Linkin Park, Korn, and Limp Bizkit.

Try them if the constant stylistic changes in Linkin Park are what you enjoy most.

9. I Prevail

Start with: “Hurricane,” “Breaking Down,” “Bow Down”

I Prevail is a useful bridge between Linkin Park and modern metalcore.

The band uses the contrast between clean singing and harsh vocals, but electronic production and large pop-oriented choruses keep the music accessible.

“Hurricane” is the strongest starting point if you prefer melodic Linkin Park.

“Bow Down” is better if you want something much heavier.

The similarity lies less in rap-rock and more in the idea that one song can hold several levels of intensity without feeling like several unrelated songs.

10. Bad Omens

Start with: “Just Pretend,” “Like a Villain,” “Artificial Suicide”

Bad Omens is a particularly good recommendation for listeners interested in where the Linkin Park formula can lead in modern alternative metal.

The band’s music can move between atmospheric electronic production, polished pop vocals, industrial textures, screams, and extremely heavy guitars.

“Just Pretend” emphasizes melody.

“Artificial Suicide” goes in a much more aggressive direction.

That range should feel familiar to anyone who stopped thinking of Linkin Park as simply a nu-metal band years ago.

11. Starset

Start with: “My Demons,” “Monster,” “Ricochet”

Starset is for listeners who want more of Linkin Park’s electronic and cinematic side.

The band combines alternative-metal guitars with synthesizers, electronic production, orchestral textures, and science-fiction concepts.

“My Demons” gives you the immediate combination of heavy rock and electronic atmosphere.

“Ricochet” leans more emotional and cinematic.

If songs such as “Burning in the Skies,” “Waiting for the End,” and “Castle of Glass” are among your Linkin Park favorites, Starset is worth exploring.

12. Limp Bizkit

Start with: “Break Stuff,” “Re-Arranged,” “My Way”

Limp Bizkit is one of the most obvious recommendations if what you specifically want is rap plus heavy guitars.

The similarities stop there fairly quickly.

Fred Durst’s personality is much more confrontational and intentionally obnoxious than Linkin Park’s introspective approach, while Wes Borland’s guitar work gives Limp Bizkit a completely different character.

Still, the band belongs to the same broad era in which hip-hop rhythms and metal instrumentation were being pushed into mainstream rock.

“Re-Arranged” is probably the best starting point for a Linkin Park fan because it shows a moodier side of the group.

13. P.O.D.

Start with: “Alive,” “Youth of the Nation,” “Boom”

P.O.D. combines rap-rock, nu metal, reggae influences, and uplifting melodies.

“Boom” shows the heavier rhythmic side.

“Alive” provides the huge melodic chorus.

“Youth of the Nation” demonstrates that the band could slow down and build a song around storytelling rather than pure aggression.

For listeners who want the early-2000s crossover atmosphere surrounding Hybrid Theory, P.O.D. belongs near the top of the list.

14. Hollywood Undead

Start with: “Undead,” “Hear Me Now,” “Bullet”

Hollywood Undead takes the multiple-vocalist idea in a more chaotic direction.

The group combines rap, rock, electronic production, clean singing, and aggressive vocals, often rotating between several members within one track.

They are generally less restrained than Linkin Park, but fans of Mike Shinoda and Chester Bennington’s vocal contrast may enjoy hearing that idea expanded into an entire group.

Try “Hear Me Now” if you want the emotional side before moving into the more aggressive material.

15. Thousand Foot Krutch

Start with: “Courtesy Call,” “War of Change,” “Phenomenon”

Thousand Foot Krutch combines hard rock, rap-rock, and melodic alternative music.

Their songs often use simple but effective transitions between rhythmic verses and huge choruses.

“Phenomenon” is the closest place to begin for early Linkin Park fans.

“War of Change” demonstrates a more polished, arena-ready sound.

They are a good recommendation when you want something accessible rather than significantly heavier.

16. One OK Rock

Start with: “Mighty Long Fall,” “The Beginning,” “We Are”

Japanese rock band One OK Rock is particularly useful for fans of Linkin Park’s later melodic direction.

Their music has moved between alternative rock, post-hardcore, pop-rock, and polished arena music.

The connection is not accidental at the level of musical community either: One OK Rock participated in Linkin Park’s 2017 memorial concert honoring Chester Bennington, alongside artists from across the rock world.

“The Beginning” is an excellent introduction if you want emotional rock with a large chorus.

17. Fort Minor

Start with: “Remember the Name,” “Where’d You Go,” “Believe Me”

Fort Minor is the obvious recommendation if your favorite part of Linkin Park is Mike Shinoda.

It is not really a band like Linkin Park so much as a chance to isolate one major component of Linkin Park’s sound.

Shinoda created Fort Minor as a hip-hop-focused project, blending rap with electronic and rock elements on The Rising Tied.

“Remember the Name” is the famous track.

But “Where’d You Go” is arguably more useful for Linkin Park fans because it demonstrates Shinoda’s ability to make hip-hop emotionally direct without depending on heavy guitars.

18. Dead by Sunrise

Start with: “Crawl Back In,” “Let Down,” “Fire”

And if Fort Minor isolates Mike Shinoda’s side of Linkin Park, Dead by Sunrise isolates part of Chester Bennington’s.

Bennington formed the project with musicians connected to Julien-K and released Out of Ashes in 2009. AllMusic describes it as a melodic, synth-tinted hard-rock project that moved away from Linkin Park’s more obvious nu-metal characteristics.

“Crawl Back In” provides the rock energy.

“Let Down” is the one to try if what you primarily miss is Chester’s emotional singing.

No recommendation can duplicate what made his voice distinctive, but Dead by Sunrise provides more of that voice outside Linkin Park itself.

What Bands Sound Most Like Early Linkin Park?

If you specifically want something resembling Hybrid Theory and Meteora, begin with:

• From Ashes to New
• Papa Roach
• Korn
• P.O.D.
• Limp Bizkit
• Hollywood Undead
• Thousand Foot Krutch

Early Linkin Park sat at a particularly effective intersection of metal, hip-hop, electronics, and alternative rock. AllMusic describes Hybrid Theory as emerging from nu metal while standing out through its boundary-crossing combination of heavy riffs and hip-hop elements.

From Ashes to New is probably the closest modern starting point if you specifically miss the rapper-plus-singer contrast.

What Bands Are Like Linkin Park but Heavier?

Try:

• Bring Me the Horizon
• I Prevail
• Bad Omens
• Korn
• Deftones
• System of a Down

Bring Me the Horizon is probably the strongest overall recommendation because its career demonstrates the same refusal to stay inside a single heavy genre.

If you want pure aggression, go toward Korn or I Prevail.

If you want heaviness mixed with atmosphere, choose Deftones or Bad Omens.

What Bands Are Like Linkin Park but More Melodic?

Start with:

• Breaking Benjamin
• Starset
• One OK Rock
• Evanescence
• Dead by Sunrise

These bands preserve the emotional payoff without relying as heavily on hip-hop.

Breaking Benjamin is particularly effective if “Numb” and “What I’ve Done” represent your preferred Linkin Park sound.

Starset is better if the electronic side matters just as much as the guitars.

If You Like New Linkin Park, Try These Bands

Linkin Park returned with From Zero in 2024, introducing Emily Armstrong as co-lead vocalist and Colin Brittain on drums. The band’s official discography also lists a deluxe edition released in May 2025, and Linkin Park remained actively touring in 2026.

If that newer era is what brought you to the band, start with:

Bring Me the Horizon, Bad Omens, I Prevail, From Ashes to New, and Starset.

These artists make more sense as modern companions than simply digging through every group labeled nu metal in 2001.

Why Is It So Hard to Find Another Band Exactly Like Linkin Park?

Because Linkin Park’s identity was never based on one ingredient.

Take away Mike Shinoda’s rap verses and you lose something.

Take away Chester Bennington’s melodic and screamed vocals and you lose something else.

Remove Joe Hahn’s electronic textures and samples and the music changes again.

Remove Brad Delson’s guitar approach, the rhythm section, or the band’s willingness to rewrite its own formula, and the resemblance weakens further.

Linkin Park started at the intersection of metal and hip-hop but gradually incorporated punk, atmospheric electronics, pop, and other styles.

That is why no single recommendation works for everyone.

A person whose favorite song is “One Step Closer” is looking for something very different from someone whose favorite is “Waiting for the End.”

And someone who loves “Heavy” may barely care about nu metal at all.

The Bottom Line

If you want bands like Linkin Park, the best place to begin is From Ashes to New for the rap-rock combination, Bring Me the Horizon for genre experimentation, Breaking Benjamin for emotional alternative rock, Korn for darker nu metal, Deftones for atmosphere, and Starset for electronic rock.

Then follow the part of Linkin Park you actually love.

For Hybrid Theory, go toward From Ashes to New, Papa Roach, P.O.D., and Korn.

For Meteora, add Breaking Benjamin and modern From Ashes to New.

For the experimental side of A Thousand Suns, try Deftones, Starset, and Bring Me the Horizon.

For emotional melodic rock, move toward Evanescence, One OK Rock, Breaking Benjamin, and Dead by Sunrise.

And if Mike Shinoda’s rapping is the part you miss most, go directly to Fort Minor.

The goal is not to find another band that perfectly reproduces Linkin Park.

There probably isn’t one.

The better approach is to identify the element that made Linkin Park matter to you—the rap, the screams, the melodies, the electronic production, the heaviness, or the emotional honesty—and follow that sound into something new.