Limp Bizkit

Limp Bizkit formed in 1994 in Jacksonville, Florida, founded by vocalist Fred Durst and bassist Sam Rivers, soon joined by drummer John Otto and then guitarist Wes Borland; DJ Lethal arrived later on turntables. Durst's signature look—the backwards red Yankees cap—became an icon of the era. Borland was the visual extremist, performing in body paint, elaborate costumes, and custom black contact lenses, sometimes taking the stage nearly bare-bodied with his entire head painted black.

Their 1997 debut Three Dollar Bill, Y'all$ introduced the heavy sound, but it was its cover of George Michael's "Faith"—released as a single in October 1998—that cracked mainstream radio. The arrangement started quietly, then detonated into down-tuned metal with Lethal scratching over the chorus—a bridge by which millions of rock kids arrived at nu-metal. The cover became the radio hit that broke them wide open.

Significant Other arrived in 1999 and hit No. 1. Woodstock '99 in July solidified their dominance: their performance of "Break Stuff" became the festival's most notorious moment, as fans tore plywood from the walls—an image that came to define the festival's collapse. In October 2000, Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water released with over one million US copies sold in its first week (400,000 on day one alone), setting a record for the biggest first week ever for a rock album at the time.

The band owned the MTV/TRL era completely, and their fall was just as fast. Borland quit in October 2001. Results May Vary arrived in 2003 to largely unfavorable reviews despite reaching No. 3 on the Billboard 200. Few acts were so completely of their moment, and few dated quite so fast—which is precisely why they've become such a vivid time capsule.