Sacramento's Dementia started out in the stoner and heavy metal tradition before pivoting toward nu-metal as their sound evolved over the years. Formed in 2013, they represent the California underground's tendency to absorb and recombine influences across metal's many stylistic eras.

A brand-new act out of Berkeley, Early Demise formed in 2025 at the meeting point of groove metal's chug and nu-metal's attitude, bringing the Bay Area's characteristic edge to a revival-minded heaviness.

Orlando thrash metal project from the Florida underground.

Devastating Death Metal (early); Deathcore (mid); Alternative Rock / Nu-Metal (later) from Arlington.

Appleton, Wisconsin's Evoked blend the sludgy groove and hip-hop-inflected rhythms of nu-metal with heavy metal's structural muscle and hard rock's melodic instincts, forming in 2014. Their sound bridges the mid-2000s crossover appeal that made heavy music accessible to mainstream rock audiences, reimagined for a modern midwest setting.

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.

Nashua, New Hampshire's Psychosis began in groove metal territory before incorporating nu-metal's groove and vocal dynamics into their approach — a product of the late-2010s American underground where those genre lines remained genuinely blurred.

Wichita, Kansas groove and nu-metal act Shiva formed in 2023, tapping into the heavy, mid-paced groove sensibilities of the genre while adding the abrasive, hook-driven elements that defined nu-metal's crossover appeal — an unexpected entry from the Kansas underground.

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.