STARTER PACK: Women In Nu Metal

Lukewarm take of the year here: the term "female-fronted" needs to fuck all the way off.

In the year 2026, we all know when things are being pandered to us, not just merely marketed, and that term is a marketing ploy in plain clothes. That said, anyone who still thinks heavy music is a boys' club only can also fuck off. It was a woman who more or less invented rock n roll, after all, and this far-from-exhaustive list of women in our humble nu world are keeping that tradition going.

Things are bleak for femmes these days, particularly under the current American administration. These women know how to rage, how to stir emotion, and how to keep the spirit alive in the face of it all.

Candice Clot & Rachel Aspe: ETHS

In the history of Eths, few transitions are as revealing as the one between Candice Clot and Rachel Aspe. This is not simply a change in vocalists, but a deeper shift in how the band constructs its identity, its voice, and its relationship with femininity within a scene historically dominated by men. With Clot at the helm, Eths built a sound where the voice did more than perform—it embodied, shaping a language that moved beyond music and into the sensory.

Her lyrics, driven by bodily symbolism, fractured identity, and a constant tension between innocence and violence, turned each song into an experience rather than a narrative. In tracks like “Le Mâle,” “Samantha,” and “Bulimiarexia,” Candice Clot did not develop linear stories, but states—different ways the body, the mind, and the outside world distort and pressure the female experience. In that context, femininity was not framed as a statement, but as a lived reality: the body as a battleground, the mind as a fractured space, childhood as a vulnerable territory. Clot did not aim to explain—she made it felt, transforming anxiety, guilt, and social pressure into a visceral, intransferable language.

Aspe’s arrival reshaped that axis. Without abandoning the intensity that defined the band, Eths adopted a more collective approach, where the voice operates as part of a larger mechanism. On Ankaa, the only full-length album featuring Rachel Aspe—where she is credited as a co-writer—the lyrical focus shifts away from introspection and toward broader concepts. The record leans into mythological and universal imagery, as heard in “Amaterasu,” “Vae Victis,” and the “Alnitak / Alnilam / Mintaka” triad, moving away from the confessional in favor of abstraction. Experience is no longer presented as personal, but as archetypal.

Rather than establishing a hierarchy between these two eras, this duality reveals Eths as a space where two distinct forms of female expression coexist within metal. On one side, the raw exposure of inner experience; on the other, a presence defined by execution, force, and precision. In that intersection, the band does not just evolve—it expands the boundaries from which a woman can inhabit, challenge, and redefine the language of the genre.

- Diego Díaz Orellana

Courtney LaPlante: Spiritbox, ex-iwrestledabearonce

I distinctly remember being worried and heavily closeted between 2014 and 2016, when Hail Mary and Late For Nothing by iwrestledabearonce came out. I considered myself genderfluid (I've since accepted that I'm a trans woman), but I never really shared that outside some of my inner family and close friends. As such, I never had too many femme or female role models in the rock, deathcore and metalcore world.

I remember scrolling through YouTube during class and seeing the music videos for "See You in Shell" and "Danger in the Manger" and thought it was the most awesome shit ever. Krysta Cameron was such a cool, funny frontwoman and a lot of my humor in my own film-making comes from the band's wacky and gross-out music videos. Hell, the band has a feature length horror movie that's partially lost media. To say iwrestledabearonce was my favorite band in my sophomore year of high school was an understatement. Although when I found out they had switched vocalists, while I wasn't negative about it, I thought other people would be. Turns out when it came to new vocalist Courtney Laplante, she was too good for this silly deathcore project. Branching out to Spiritbox just made sense for her and other members on a creative level.

The move was good thinking, as Spiritbox feels like a goldmine in a sea of post-2010s modern metalcore and even nu metal at the time. When everyone was going in a more radio friendly "buttcore" direction, Spiritbox was breaking new ground, balancing the heaviest riffs with groove, and writing more intelligent and meaningful lyrics than most of their peers. They really remind me of what Deftones means to me, the way the grooves and ambience compliments a more introspective disposition of the band and Courtney's character, and the way it shows up in her lyrics and aesthetic. Her work with Spiritbox tackles mental health, womanhood, being queer, and being spiritual when religion is often weaponized against those other aspects of her identity.

While I ultimately think it's lame to call the band female-fronted, I do think the gender identity of Spiritbox is a perfect balance that most bands don't really give mind to. Instead, they offer a look at gender that most metalheads don't pay attention to in their day to day lives, a chance to look inward to what it means to be human. This is what Courtney and Spiritbox bring with introspective lyrics and heavy instrumentation I think if you're gonna give metal a chance or want to delve deeper, give Spiritbox or iwrestledabearonce a go.

-rosiegothicc

Nao Kawakita: Maximum The Hormone

Being a drummer is one thing. Being a drummer that’s also doing vocals is a beast in and of itself, something Maximum The Hormone drummer Nao Kawakita knows a fair bit about. You’re probably familiar with the band from their iconic tracks “Zetsubou Billy” and “What’s Up People?!”, made famous by being the second opening to the Death Note anime series, but you may not know Nao founded the band with main vocalist Daisuke Tsuda and even recruited her younger brother, Ryo Kawakita, to play guitar. Maximum The Hormone’s frenzied sound marches along with her punky drumming style, and her pop-like vocals don’t sound all that out of place either, exemplified on tracks like “ChuChu Lovely” and “Beauty Killosseum”. 

-Cain Borgia

Otep Shamaya: Otep

Otep’s a band that often gets left out of the nu metal conversation, and that’s honestly a massive disappointment. The band’s got a solid number of releases under their belt and saw decent success with tracks like the tongue-in-cheek “Smash the Control Machine”, “Confrontation” and “Fists Fall”, and vocalist/founder Otep Shamaya’s one hell of a performer. As an outspoken feminist and political activist, it’s more than likely that being so unapologetic about wanting to open listeners eyes up to painful realities often led to being dismissed, but doing so likely served as a much needed form of release; the band’s debut album “Sevas Tra” is “Art Saves” backwards. With lyrics that are just as sharp and relentless as her ferocious vocal style, Otep’s more than deserving of her flowers now just as she was back in the day.

– Cain Borgia

Emily Armstrong: Linkin Park, Dead Sara

Linkin Park is arguably the most commercially successful nu metal band of all time, so Emily Armstrong had some gigantic shoes to fill. Not only is it difficult enough being a queer woman in a male-dominated genre, but having to take over the duty once fulfilled by the beloved late Chester Bennington is a singularly daunting task. There had been rumors of a Linkin Park reunion in early 2024, but whether that would just be a tour or a full-blown comeback consisting of new music was undetermined. Then, in August of 2024, Linkin Park posted a countdown to their social media, causing speculation to run rampant. Who could possibly take the reigns and become the successor of Bennington? There had been talks of the band looking for a female singer to assume the role, and Amy Lee of Evanescence had her name thrown around. Eventually, the world at large would be introduced to the new Linkin Park vocalist, Emily Armstrong of Los Angeles rock band Dead Sara, when she made her debut at the special live performance which announced the return of the band with show dates and new music to come.

Since then, she has faced much criticism from fans who felt like Linkin Park should not continue without Bennington. Of course, there were also people who didn't like that a woman stepped into the position. It took some time for Armstrong to become comfortable and confident, but now that some time has passed, she has grown into her role immensely. Linkin Park could have potentially played it safe by choosing a vocalist who tried to replicate Bennington's voice, but they took the chance on a woman who would change the sound of the band as a whole. Armstrong has done a wonderful job of carrying on the legacy left behind by Bennington, as well as carving her own distinct path within the band's history with From Zero. Dropping out of high school to pursue a music career, her talent is evident in her blistering screams, melodious singing, and guitar shredding. Armstrong's range is perfect for a band like Linkin Park whose songs require harmonious singing, the ability to convey emotions such as anguish and aggression through vocals, and intense breath control for long, sustained notes. Linkin Park have found a new lease on life after many years, in part due to the addition of Emily Armstrong.

-Alex Cross

Sandra Nasić - Guano Apes

Known for their breakout international hit, "Open Your Eyes," the lead single off their debut album, 1997's Proud Like A God, Guano Apes became instantly recognizable thanks to their commanding frontwoman, Sandra Nasić. Those of us who were there can vividly remember seeing the music video for "Open Your Eyes" in heavy rotation on MTV2 and the striking, primal energy emanating off Nasić. What's even more impressive is that she recorded "Open Your Eyes" when she was just 20 years old.

By the time the iconic music video for "Open Your Eyes" made its way stateside, the single had already been certified Gold in their homeland of Germany. That it fit in perfectly with the emerging nu metal movement of the early 2000s shows just how ahead of the curve she and the band were. Guano Apes' sound, a canny mix of rap, funk, and rock, already packed a punch, but it was Nasić's undeniable presence and power behind the mic that helped tear down barriers for women in heavy music. Tracks like "Lords of the Boards" and "Dödel Up" as well as Nasić's solo work showcase an uncompromising style and versatility that remains striking to this day. Indeed, much of this list is indebted to the trail she helped blaze.

-Drew Davis

Kittie

Growing up as a black sheep in Bumblefuck, Ohio, I cannot quite verbalize the effect that hearing Kittie's Spit had on me as a teenager. Yes, the original 1999 album and its 2000 re-release are rough on the production front, but that rawness is endearing to a point. It's not popularized or monetized, it's unfiltered rage at the locker room talk and hyper-macho bullshit of the rock scene. Even as their style changed and evolved throughout the 2000s before their hiatus, the band knew what it stood for: the music. It wasn't a gimmick or window dressing, this band just happened to be all women and no one batted an eye. Their Ozzfest 2000 performance is a revelation, to that end, a statement that they're here to stay, and y'all can deal with it.

Having them back with Fire and Spit XXV is a joy, but even those earlier records deserve a revisit now and again, and if that isn't a testament to Kittie's staying power, I'm not sure what is.

-Lucia Z. Liner

Tatiana Shmayluk: Jinjer

Jinjer burst onto the radars of metal fans all over the world after a shoestring budget video of the band performing “Pisces” off their 2016 debut King of Everything, with frontwoman Tatiana Shmayluk stealing a tightly-orchestrated show by bouncing back and forth between assured pop-inflected croons and brutal, unforgettable growls. Of the three singles released for the album, the band wasn’t expecting ”Pisces” of all songs to be the one to break through, but they were just too damn solid, and Shmayluk too damn good of a vocalist, to not break through eventually.

Shmayluk grew up in Horlivka, Ukraine, near the Russian border, absorbing a steady stream of pop culture from the neighboring nation as well as from Europe and North America–among the influences she cites in interviews, Gwen Stefani, Guano Apes, and Otep Shamaya come up the most, with an occasional and inevitably millennial nod to Britney Spears. Jinjer’s more genre-agnostic than most metal bands out there, incorporating elements ranging from folk and progressive rock to djent and even ska, but Shmayluk’s wide pool of influences and undeniable stage presence gives them an additional few layers of depth and stopping power.

As a self-admitted homebody and introvert—“Wallflower” off their 2021 Wallflowers album stands as a candid admission of guilt on this point–Shmayluk takes a memorably angular approach to lyric writing, starting with stream-of-consciousness journal entries in Russian that eventually get translated to English in ways that fit the rhythm of the track. Sometimes, it’s more straightforward, like “Wallflower,” and sometimes it’s something like the grunge-inflected “Vortex” off the same album, which follows the title’s metaphor down a swirling drain into an abstract psychological parable as the band explodes around her.

With five full-length albums under her belt with Jinjer, most recently Duél in February of 2025 (check our our review here), Tatiana Shmayluk shows no signs of slowing down or running out of ideas anytime soon.

-Gabi Brown

Nicole Row: Incubus

Bassist Nicole Row is something of a new edition to the annals of nu metal, having joined veteran act Incubus full-time in 2024 after filling in for Ben Kennedy during his recovery from brain surgery in 2023. While she first made her name touring with the likes of Miley Cyrus and Panic! at the Disco, Row has always had an affinity for the genre, long before its 21st-century resurgence. Her very first concert was seeing Deftones live at California State University, Fresno, at the age of 13. A lover of ska punk with heroes ranging from (Drake's uncle and slap bass pioneer) Larry Graham and Marcus Miller to John Paul Jones, Row's talents are uniquely suited to the wide array of styles that set Incubus apart from their more aggressive counterparts. Row has also shared the stage with everyone from Troye Sivan and Dua Lipa to Fat Joe, Remy Ma, and Ty Dolla $ign.

Though it remains to be seen how she'll impact the band's evolution going forward, fans got a glimpse of Row's unique stylings on Morning View XXIII, the 23rd anniversary re-recording of their smash album Morning View. In particular, her lyrical chordal work in the extended intro to "Nice to Know You" transforms the track, softening the already bittersweet chorus. If the live shows are any indication, Row has a bright future with the boys from Calabasas.

-Drew Davis

Poppy

Poppy, known by the government as Moriah Rose Pereira, has been in the entertainment scene for over a decade between YouTube and music. Her influence and iconic style is impossible to ignore, as evidenced by her being the first female solo artist to ever be nominated for a Grammy for Best Metal Performance.

Poppy’s style and influences are quite varied, literally going between pop and metal. Which is why I would love to highlight “X” off of Am I a Girl? It's a song whose name is short for ecstasy that literally combines pop and metal together, a chaotic mixture of asking for world peace while demanding blood and chaos. I really love how different and experimental Poppy can get, X being proof in one song alone. You also cannot talk about "X" (the song, that is) without highlighting the music video, which has influences from the 1976 film Carrie, stated by Poppy herself to be one of her favorites.

Poppy continues to be an iconic woman in nu metal to the present day with her most recent album Empty Hands, which was released just this January 23rd, debuting at 137 on the US Billboard 200.

-Ducky Ruffing

Maria Brink: In This Moment

In This Moment's brand of pop-metal panache seeped into the mainstream with their 2012 album Blood, before coining the term "hellpop" on the title track of their 2014 effort Black Widow. Their more recent work has seen the New York quintet's work lean heavier into the witchy and metaphysical, with Maria Brink as its supreme. A powerhouse vocalist and unflinching artist, Brink has been one of the most forward voices in modern metal.

As much as a song like "Whore" deserves to be on this list for reclamation of power, "The Purge" off their newest album Godmode is about as nu as they get. Brink fully raps the verses, with the occasional scream jolting the listener awake. Further, the scream she lets out in the bridge/breakdown rivals that of the "Given Up" scream by Chester Bennington, putting Brink's unclean vocals in good company.

-Lucia Z. Liner

Eva Sheldrake: EVILLE

Being an elder Millennial (or early Gen Z, depending on who's asking), I am all for someone who does not look like they would make metal music doing so better than most, regardless of gender, and Eva Sheldrake of EVILLE is disrupting the game in the best way. From the bitch tracks like "No Pictures Please" to the Y2K vibes of "Blow Up!" Sheldrake packs one hell of a punch. She owns her sexuality and her body on songs like "Bikini Top," with all of its pinch harmonic glory.

Long story short, this Brighton brat has range and a relentless attitude, and Sheldrake is making EVILLE one to watch.

-Lucia Z. Liner

Amy Lee: Evanescence

As far as American nu metal goes, Amy Lee might be the frontwoman. She is the flashpoint for 2000s alternative music, and she's proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that her band and her individual career would go beyond just having that dude on the track for what is their biggest single ever. Yes, rock bands were fronted by women before Amy Lee, but the absolute glut of bands that have been since is thanks in part to her spearheading the movement. Nowadays, Evanescence has undergone a resurgence, with the team-up of 2025 that was "End Of You" positioning Lee firmly as the bastion of the old guard, passing the torch to her successors, both of whom have been covered in this very list.

-Lucia Z. Liner