Metalcore

Metalcore formed at the crossing of hardcore punk and melodic death metal, first in the United States in the 1990s and then on a global scale. Its structural signature is the breakdown — the sudden drop in tempo that opens space for a heavy, syncopated riff — along with the alternation of screamed verses and clean melodic choruses.

It was the subgenre that dominated the turn of the 2000s, when Killswitch Engage and others carried the formula onto American radio and festival stages. From there it unfolded in several directions: the more melodic, emotional side of bands like A Day to Remember, the theatricality of Ice Nine Kills, the experimental turn of Bring Me the Horizon. It is now one of the most common entry points for younger audiences, and the one that comes closest to pop in its production.