A type of anti-music that became popular in the 1980's and officially died in 1991.
Typical characteristics:
*Women's makeup worn on faces
*Tight, colorful clothing
*Loud, repetive drumbeats
*Guitar has a whiny sound
*High-pitched vocals
*Extreme emphasis on appearance
*Meaningless lyrics about alcoholism, promiscuity, and occasionally substance abuse.
Hair metal is essentially reinvented pop. Whereas metal in the 1960's and 1970's was about various subjects such as politics or personal experiences, hair metal was about hedonism. Hair Metal was the spearhead of teenybopper movement, which was at it's strongest during the 1980's. Were it not for MTV and a legion of gullable fans, hair metal would have never grown into the music-destroying fungus that gave metal a bad name. As it became more synonymous with metal, true metal musicians founded what became known as the trash metal movement, which was shot down in it's initial stages and would re-merge after the death of grunge, which in of itself was a stab at hair metal.
Typical characteristics:
*Women's makeup worn on faces
*Tight, colorful clothing
*Loud, repetive drumbeats
*Guitar has a whiny sound
*High-pitched vocals
*Extreme emphasis on appearance
*Meaningless lyrics about alcoholism, promiscuity, and occasionally substance abuse.
Hair metal is essentially reinvented pop. Whereas metal in the 1960's and 1970's was about various subjects such as politics or personal experiences, hair metal was about hedonism. Hair Metal was the spearhead of teenybopper movement, which was at it's strongest during the 1980's. Were it not for MTV and a legion of gullable fans, hair metal would have never grown into the music-destroying fungus that gave metal a bad name. As it became more synonymous with metal, true metal musicians founded what became known as the trash metal movement, which was shot down in it's initial stages and would re-merge after the death of grunge, which in of itself was a stab at hair metal.
Hair metal is an easy target for anyone with homophobia. Ironically, fans of hair metal are unable to criticize grunge without calling it homosexual.
by SonicSucks February 5, 2010
Get the hair metalmug. N: A Babe, who subscribe to the church of satan worship and headbanging. A hot girl who listens to /plays sludge/death/black/stoner/crusty metal. There are two kinds of metalbabes, the kind with a hulk of a boyfriend who constantly has his arm around her, and luckilly, the kind without a boyfriend.
Babes who listen to metalcore are excluded form this definition
Babes who listen to metalcore are excluded form this definition
by larisita January 4, 2010
Get the Metal Babemug. Also referred to as Pop Metal and Glam Metal, Hair Metal was an accidental sub-genre of corporate bullshit that was force fed to America by both the masses of wannabe badasses with teased out hair who apparently thought that the best way into a woman's pants was by dressing like women themselves, and the corporate suck-fest known as MTV.
Those responsible for this heinous crime against rock n' roll and indeed, humanity itself, include such artists as Quiet Riot, Ratt, Motley Crue, Dokken, Bon Jovi, Great White, Whitesnake, Trixter, Kix, and Cinderella. After the whole movement, by the grace of God, fizzled out for a short time in 1987, this wave was replaced by an even cheesier bunch that included the Bulletboys, LA Guns, Poison, White Lion, Winger, Warrant, and Skid Row.
Thankfully there were some glimpses of authenticity during this dark period like Van Halen, Def Leppard, and Guns N' Roses (who score points not only for authenticity and talent but also for the unique ability to share the stage with a volitile gas such as Axl Rose).
Those responsible for this heinous crime against rock n' roll and indeed, humanity itself, include such artists as Quiet Riot, Ratt, Motley Crue, Dokken, Bon Jovi, Great White, Whitesnake, Trixter, Kix, and Cinderella. After the whole movement, by the grace of God, fizzled out for a short time in 1987, this wave was replaced by an even cheesier bunch that included the Bulletboys, LA Guns, Poison, White Lion, Winger, Warrant, and Skid Row.
Thankfully there were some glimpses of authenticity during this dark period like Van Halen, Def Leppard, and Guns N' Roses (who score points not only for authenticity and talent but also for the unique ability to share the stage with a volitile gas such as Axl Rose).
guy 1: Dear God... what IS that... that THING? Is that a man or a woman?
guy 2: Neither... its a hair metalist.
guy 1: a "hair metalist?"
guy 2: yeah... they're undead creatures trapped in a terrifying demention in which there is no distinction between men and women.
guy 1: you mean Anime?
guy 2: no... worse... they stay alive solely by snorting cocaine and fucking groupies
guy 1: Jesus...
guy 2: no. not even Jesus would enter that realm...
guy 2: Neither... its a hair metalist.
guy 1: a "hair metalist?"
guy 2: yeah... they're undead creatures trapped in a terrifying demention in which there is no distinction between men and women.
guy 1: you mean Anime?
guy 2: no... worse... they stay alive solely by snorting cocaine and fucking groupies
guy 1: Jesus...
guy 2: no. not even Jesus would enter that realm...
by thatguy09 December 9, 2010
Get the Hair Metalmug. The guy above me.
Guy Above Me : "I am a homosexual, and i lick my cat's pussy every night"
Everyone with decent taste in music : "Yes you do."
Shit Metal = Non-existent
Everyone with decent taste in music : "Yes you do."
Shit Metal = Non-existent
by iEatRapShitForBreakfast February 18, 2009
Get the Shit Metalmug. A non-existant genre of music invented by those freaks out there who like both emo and metal music (not me I swear... *feighns innocence*)
Some random: Hey, there's no such genre of music as Emo Metal!! What kind of person likes emo and metal??!!
me: *whistles innocently and walks off in opposite direction*
me: *whistles innocently and walks off in opposite direction*
by baby_in_black December 28, 2005
Get the Emo Metalmug. Monkey strummers with knit caps jumping up and down. Playing only two or three muddy bar chords. NO LEAD. They call this nu-metal? I call it Neutered Metal!
by zilla November 30, 2003
Get the nu-metalmug. Nu Metal is a fusion genre that mixes metal with funk, hip hop, and sometimes Industrial. They're often groove-based and they're guitar and bass is usually tuned very low.
In the late 90s Korn's "Follow The Leader" had gained a massive amount of popular and featured the hit singles Freak on a Leash and Got The Life. This album opened the door for many Nu Metal and Rap Metal bands to become popular. In 1999 Korn's Issues, Limp Bizkit's Significant Other, and Kid Rock's Devil Without a Cause were extremely succesful.
2000 and 2001 was possibly the best time for Nu Metal with Limp Bizkit, Slipknot, Deftones, System of a Down, Disturbed, Godsmack, Staind, Drowning Pool, Static-X, Mudvayne, P.O.D., Mushroomhead, Papa Roach, Soulfly, and Linkin Park (who's debut was the highest selling album of 2001) all having succesful albums.
2002 showed signs of Nu Metal declining. Korn's long awaited 5th album Untouchables and Papa Roach's Lovehatetragedy both sold less than expected.
Some of the reasons behind this is MTV started focusing more on Pop-Punk and Emo-Pop in 2002.
Even though many of these bands have gained criticism Deftones and System of a Down are highly respected among critics and rock fans in general.
Korn are often considered the pioneers of this style of music.
In the late 90s Korn's "Follow The Leader" had gained a massive amount of popular and featured the hit singles Freak on a Leash and Got The Life. This album opened the door for many Nu Metal and Rap Metal bands to become popular. In 1999 Korn's Issues, Limp Bizkit's Significant Other, and Kid Rock's Devil Without a Cause were extremely succesful.
2000 and 2001 was possibly the best time for Nu Metal with Limp Bizkit, Slipknot, Deftones, System of a Down, Disturbed, Godsmack, Staind, Drowning Pool, Static-X, Mudvayne, P.O.D., Mushroomhead, Papa Roach, Soulfly, and Linkin Park (who's debut was the highest selling album of 2001) all having succesful albums.
2002 showed signs of Nu Metal declining. Korn's long awaited 5th album Untouchables and Papa Roach's Lovehatetragedy both sold less than expected.
Some of the reasons behind this is MTV started focusing more on Pop-Punk and Emo-Pop in 2002.
Even though many of these bands have gained criticism Deftones and System of a Down are highly respected among critics and rock fans in general.
Korn are often considered the pioneers of this style of music.
Dan - What is Nu Metal
John - It's basically grooved-based, aggresive modern hard rock. Despite popular belief you do not have to have some sort of rap/hip hop influence to be Nu Metal.
John - It's basically grooved-based, aggresive modern hard rock. Despite popular belief you do not have to have some sort of rap/hip hop influence to be Nu Metal.
by JTP393 January 13, 2010
Get the Nu Metalmug.