Des Moines's Second Side have been navigating the space between thrash aggression, groove-metal momentum, and alternative metal experimentation since 2015. The Iowa trio's approach resists easy categorization — the thrash instincts keep things sharp and forward-moving, while the alternative influences introduce texture and dynamics that prevent the sound from calcifying into formula. They're a product of the Midwest DIY underground where versatility is a survival trait.

Shortie was a nu metal and alternative metal band from Sacramento, California, formed in 1998 and signed to Earache Records. The band released two studio albums—Watching You Drown and Wipe Your Eyes—during the peak years of the nu metal era before disbanding in 2006. They remained a fixture of the underground California nu metal scene without achieving significant mainstream commercial traction.

Sicksense is an American nu metal and alternative metal band from Phoenix, Arizona, formed in 2021 by vocalist Vicky Psarakis, formerly of The Agonist, and guitarist and rapper Robby J. Fonts of Stuck Mojo. The band's sound draws from 1990s and early 2000s nu metal with contemporary production, addressing themes of mental health and personal struggle. Their debut releases including Kings Today and Fools Tomorrow and the 2025 album Cross Me Twice established them as one of the more prominent acts in the nu metal revival scene.

Slabb are a Bloomington, Indiana groove and alternative metal band formed in 2024, occupying the heavy, riff-forward space where arena-ready hooks meet down-tuned, mid-paced crunch. Their approach favors groove over technicality, built for the live room.

Stellar Circuits formed in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in 2015, combining progressive metal complexity with the rhythmic precision of djent and the melodic accessibility of alternative metal. The band's debut EP (2015) was followed by the full-length Ways We Haunt (2018) and Sight to Sound on Nuclear Blast Records, the latter expanding the band's reach significantly within the progressive metal community. Their album Phantom : : Phoenix continued the pattern of groove-forward progressive metal with clean vocals and layered dynamics. Stellar Circuits represent one of the more technically accomplished acts to emerge from the American Southeast's progressive metal underground.

Boston alternative and progressive metal band formed in 2020, blending the angular songwriting of alternative metal with the extended compositions and tonal exploration of progressive metal.