Linkin Park took the new millennium by storm when they unleashed their debut album Hybrid Theory in the year 2000. Immediately, they impacted rock radio and sold millions of copies with earnest and hard-hitting hits like “One Step Closer,” “Crawling,” and “In the End.”
Tragically, singer Chester Bennington took his own life in July 2017, leaving fans devastated and effectively ending Linkin Park. The band performed a tribute show that fall, but remained largely inactive until now.
On September 5th, 2024, Linkin Park announced a comeback album and tour, along with unveiling Dead Sara singer Emily Armstrong as their new co-vocalist. It marks a new era for the band, closing a chapter that left a massive legacy.
The dual vocals between Bennington and rapper Mike Shinoda gave Linkin Park their signature sound, backed by a talented crew of bandmates whose instrumentation captured and defined the sound of the era. Call it nu-metal, rap-rock, alternative metal, or whatever you want, but Linkin Park touched music fans like no other rock act in the early 21st century.
The band’s star continued to rise on sophomore album Meteora — another multiplatinum effort that produced such classics as “Numb,” “Breaking the Habit,” and “Faint” — establishing Linkin Park as one of the biggest rock bands on the planet.
Not resting on their laurels, Linkin Park took their music in new directions on subsequent albums like Minutes to Midnight, A Thousand Suns, Living Things, and The Hunting Party, before embracing a pop aesthetic on what now stands as their final LP, 2017’s One More Light.
With Linkin Park’s reunion in full swing, we take a look back at their 10 best songs.