The term was first used for a review of a 1997 Coal Chamber Concert in Italy. Categorization of specific artists as "nu metal" is difficult, an issue made more prevalent in the online community by traditional metal fans who take offense to the term. Nu metal began as a mix of different genres, so the definition is not solid. Linkin Park's Meteora, for example, is listed as "alternative" on AOL Music Now, and three different genres ("rock", "metal", and "alternative") on Metacritic. Because their style was not clearly defined, nu metal bands were often considered within multiple other genres. For example, Korn cross into Alternative metal, Limp Bizkit and P.O.D. cross into rapcore, Disturbed crosses over into hard rock, and Linkin Park crosses into alternative rock.
While Korn was one of the bands that founded the nu metal genre, they do not want to be placed in this category. In interviews, the band claims that they "... hate the nu metal term," arguing that it "... doesn't mean anything.