Merrick, New York's Morbid Curiosity began with death metal and grindcore before expanding into alternative metal and hardcore territory — a restless band formed in 2020 that resists settling into any single extreme subgenre.

My Ruin was formed in Los Angeles, California in 1999 by rapper-turned-metal vocalist Tairrie B and guitarist Mick Murphy, shortly after the dissolution of her previous band Tura Satana. The duo's output blends alternative metal and nu-metal with industrial influences, screamed and melodic vocals, and spoken word, documented across a string of independently released albums on their own Rovena Recordings label. The band built a particularly devoted following in the United Kingdom through consistent touring.

Only Living Witness was a Boston, Massachusetts metal band formed in 1989 from the ashes of thrash act Formicide, developing a sound that grafted modern hardcore heaviness onto alternative and stoner metal frameworks. Their two studio albums — Prone Mortal Form (1993) and Innocents (1996) — appeared at the margins of mainstream recognition before the band dissolved in 1995, with Innocents released posthumously. Their influence on the Massachusetts metalcore scene of the early 2000s, which produced Killswitch Engage, Shadows Fall, and Unearth, has been widely cited by later bands.

OSI (Office of Strategic Influence) was an American progressive rock and metal project formed in 2002 by Fates Warning guitarist Jim Matheos and ex-Dream Theater keyboardist Kevin Moore, who described their aim as bridging progressive metal and electronica — two genres he called 'almost natural enemies.' The project released four studio albums — Office of Strategic Influence (2003), Free (2006), Blood (2009), and Fire Make Thunder (2012, Metal Blade Records) — featuring rotating contributors including Mike Portnoy and Gavin Harrison on drums. OSI operated largely as a remote studio collaboration, with members tracking material independently before coming together for final assembly.

Otep was a Los Angeles nu-metal and alternative metal band formed in November 2000, led throughout its existence by vocalist and poet Otep Shamaya. After being selected by Sharon Osbourne for Ozzfest 2001 and signed to Capitol Records without a demo, the band released two Capitol albums — Sevas Tra (2002) and House of Secrets (2004) — followed by five more through Victory Records and Napalm Records, with the final album The God Slayer appearing in 2023 via Cleopatra Records. Shamaya announced her retirement from music in November 2024, ending the band after a twenty-four-year run.

Oakland's Praying has been trafficking in a heavy, corrosive blend of sludge, doom, and alternative metal since 2015, rooted in the Bay Area's tradition of bands that use sheer heaviness as emotional expression rather than mere spectacle. The alt-metal thread gives their sound an unexpected melodic accessibility that makes the sludge-doom density hit harder by contrast — ugly and abrasive in all the right moments, but never without purpose. Oakland's gritty character bleeds into every note.

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.