Thesis Format

Monograph

Follow the Leader: Genre Formation and Gendered Reception of Nu Metal Music

Author

Clare L. King, Western UniversityFollow

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy

Program

Music

Supervisor

Coates, Norma

2nd Supervisor

Shadrack, Jasmine Hazel

Co-Supervisor

Abstract

The formation, peak popularity, decline, and future of nu metal and its contradictory reception as both massively popular and widely despised, raises important unexplored areas of research. This dissertation identifies issues pertaining to genre formation and gendered receptions of nu metal, applying an interdisciplinary framework to facilitate the investigation. Three case studies demonstrate how cultural gatekeepers received nu metal from its inception, as inadequately masculine to qualify as a metal music subgenre, whilst simultaneously financially and culturally out-performing other more canonically accepted subgenres. The exclusion of nu metal from the heavy metal canon is investigated through genre and gender theory, then examined using reception theory and musical analyses.

Each chapter outlines a genre theory and a gender theory approach before using historical reception data to contextualize the subgenre’s cultural history. Finally, the dissertation extends these frameworks and context into music analyses of each case study band: Korn, Deftones, Limp Bizkit, Kittie and Otep. Stressing the multi-faceted theory of iterative genre formation of David Brackett (2016) and the important theory of masculinity posited by R.W. Connell (2005), this dissertation shows how the gendered reception of popular music styles influences hegemonic ideals of authenticity and gender performance in metal music culture. Through these case studies, the formation, rise, and fall of nu metal popularity is contextualized within metal culture and popular music culture more broadly. Ultimately, nu metal’s place outside of metal canon is fundamental to the ongoing reification of the metal meta-genre.

Summary for Lay Audience

The formation, peak popularity, decline, and future of nu metal and its contradictory reception as both massively popular and widely despised, raises important unexplored areas of research. This dissertation identifies issues pertaining to genre formation and gendered receptions of nu metal, applying an interdisciplinary framework to facilitate the investigation. Three case studies demonstrate how cultural gatekeepers received nu metal from its inception, as inadequately masculine to qualify as a metal music subgenre, whilst simultaneously financially and culturally out-performing other more canonically accepted subgenres.

The exclusion of nu metal from the heavy metal canon is investigated through genre and gender theory, then examined using reception theory before using historical reception data to contextualize the subgenre’s cultural history. Finally, the dissertation extends these frameworks and context into music analyses of each case study band. Stressing the multi-faceted theory of iterative genre formation of David Brackett (2016) and the important theory of masculinity posited by R.W. Connell (2005), this dissertation shows how the gendered reception of popular music styles influences hegemonic ideals of authenticity and gender performance in metal music culture. Through three case studies, the formation, rise, and fall of nu metal popularity is contextualized within metal culture and popular music culture more broadly.

In the first case study, Korn and Deftones are analyzed as central bands around whom the subgenre formed. The fusion of musical elements, lack of virtuosic guitar solos, and vulnerability of the male subjects of the lyrics made this subgenre challenge the established expectations for a heavy metal style. The second chapter explores the popularization of Limp Bizkit and makes clear the band’s role in how the disastrous Woodstock ’99 festival impacted nu metal reception. The final case study examines the music and experiences of two women-led bands, Kittie and Otep. Despite a contemporary increase in women’s participation in heavy genres, these bands are still received as curiosities within a male dominated genre. Ultimately, nu metal’s place outside of metal canon is fundamental to the ongoing reification of the metal meta-genre.

Recommended Citation

King, Clare L., "Follow the Leader: Genre Formation and Gendered Reception of Nu Metal Music" (2024). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 10162.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/10162