Linkin Park's members would go through a series of name changes in the late 90s before finally emerging as Linkin Park in 1999. Friends Mike Shinoda, Rob Bourdon, and Brad Delson met at high school in southern California, and starting writing music. Chester Bennington arrived a little later, at which point the band was signed to Warner Brothers. Their debut album, taken from the name of one of their previous incarnations, Hybrid Theory, was an instant smash. Noted for their successful formula of combining electronic rock with hip hop, the group was catapulted to fame thanks in equal part to their stylish videos and the strength of their towering radio hits "One Step Closer" and "Crawling," the latter of which would win a Grammy for "Best Hard Rock Performance." They followed their album up with 2003's Meteora, which featured the hit "Somewhere I Belong." A remix collaboration with Jay-Z followed suit, as well as a live album, Live in Texas.
Grunge rock made a huge comeback a few years back, and leading the pack was Linkin Park, who was able to almost single-handedly forge a new style (dubbed 'nu-metal') which blended the best hard rock sensibilities of the past with the cutting edge electronic enhancements of today. "Crawling" and "One Step Closer" might have been the hits, but fans know there's plenty more where those came from. The band's ability to infuse hip hop/rap sensibilities with their music has paid off in spades, resulting in amazing tracks like the intense "In the End" and the nimble musical prowess of "Breaking the Habit," both of which are far stronger on melody than many similar songs among the group's peers. As long as there are innovators like Linkin Park around, nu-metal will not become 'old-metal' for a longtime.