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 | | Vocalist Paul McCoy, bassist Kevin Dorr, guitarist Eric Weaver, and drummer Aaron Gainer were mostly still in their teens when they formed 12 Stones in the small New Orleans suburb of Mandeville, Louisiana. |
 | | Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins and guitarist Mike Lewis grew up together in the Cardiff satellite town of Pontypridd. |
 | | Though its members individually boast a wide range of tastes (from jazz to folk to hardcore), it was a common love of mid-'90s alternative rock acts like Pearl Jam and Soundgarden that brought together Flagstaff, AZ-based Mercy Fall in the early 2000s. |
 | | Contemporary Christian pop group Hyland were formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, led by singer, guitarist, and songwriter Jon Lewis along with guitarists Matt Lennander and Tim Neff, bassist Lee Carter, and drummer Steve Weigel. |
 | | The raucous alternative rock foursome the Prom Kings features Chris Carney (vocals), Joey Hollearn (guitar), Mauricio Brandao (bass), and Luke Pickerill. |
 | | Led by powerhouse vocalist Cassadee Pope, Hey Monday debuted their fizzy emo-pop sound with 2008's Hold on Tight. |
 | | Formed in 2005 in White House, TN, Framing Hanley initially played a blend of post-grunge and stylish hard rock under the name Embers Fade. |
 | | Toronto modern hard rock quintet Evans Blue came together around 2003 after its members found each other by chance through a local musician's message board. |
 | | Evanescence filled a niche few knew existed upon their arrival in 2003: the need for operatic goth-pop, soul-baring introspection paired with churning metallic guitars. |
 | | Based in Los Angeles but originally from Enterprise, AL, Course of Nature are an American post-grunge and alternative pop/rock band along the lines of 3 Doors Down, Nickelback, and Creed. |
 | | Vancouver's Default fit the definition of straight-ahead hard rock in the early years of the 21st century: the guitar textures and melodic bent of grunge; the dark, brooding earnestness of post-grunge; and the deep, thick-sounding production (but not the rap influences) of new alternative metal. |
 | | Cavo's four members -- frontman Casey Walker, guitarist Chris Hobbs, drummer Chad La Roy, and bassist Brian Smith -- champion a mix of hard rock muscle and alt-pop melodies. |
 | | Hailing from Orlando, Florida, Anberlin formed from the ashes of various other area projects. Led by the soaring vocals of Stephen Christian, the positive-thinking Anberlin also included Joseph Milligan (guitar), Nathan Young (drums), Joey Bruce (guitar), and Deon Rexroat (bass), and presented an alternative pop/rock sound that, while inflected with the earnestness of emo, was closer to the mature stylings of Third Eye Blind. |
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 | | Smile Empty Soul was a heavy alternative trio formed while its three members were still in Santa Clarita, California high schools. |
 | | Formed in 1998 by frontman Jared Leto and his older brother, 30 Seconds to Mars found success in the 2000s with a mix of post-grunge, screamo, and hard rock. |
 | | Formed in 2006 as an audio accompaniment to Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx's autobiography The Heroin Diaries, hard rock band Sixx: A. |
 | | The members of alternative metal outfit Finger Eleven grew up in Burlington, Ontario, and came together in high school as a funk-styled band named Rainbow Butt Monkeys. |
 | | One of the few screamo bands to land a Top 40 pop hit, the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus formed in 2003 in Middleburg, Florida. |
 | | Punky emo-pop quintet Hawthorne Heights came to life in the summer of 2001. Originally called A Day in the Life, the Ohio-based band saw numerous lineup changes and shifting musical styles before settling on a permanent formation. |
 | | It has been suggested that nostalgia tends to run on 15- to 20-year cycles. If that's the case, then the Los Angeles alternative rock outfit Operator are right on schedule, because their blend of booming, full-throated vocals and punk- and metal-influenced guitar riffs calls back strongly to the grunge rock sound of 1992, when Soundgarden and Pearl Jam were first hitting the musical mainstream. |
 | | With a name like Sick Puppies, you wouldn't think hugs would play a major role in the gutsy indie crew's rise to fame, but they do, along with malls and YouTube. |
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 | | It isn't unheard of for a post-baby boomer rock band to have some baby boomer influences, either direct or indirect. |
 | | Simple Plan is one of Canada's most successful punk-pop acts, featuring a lineup comprised of former high school pals Pierre Bouvier (vocals), Jeff Stinco (guitar), David Desrosiers (bass), Sebastien Lefebvre (guitar), and Chuck Comeau (drums). |
 | | Alter Bridge resurrected the music-making portion of Creed. After that band's 2004 dissolution, guitarist Mark Tremonti and drummer Scott Phillips tapped ousted bassist Brian Marshall for the new project. |
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 | | Hollywood Undead hail (unsurprisingly) from the streets of Hollywood, California, mixing brash hip-hop, rock, and minor metalcore touches with cocky posturing and thug attitudes. |
 | | Justin Holman (vocals), Robert Davis (guitar), Nathaniel Cox (guitar), Bob Thiemann (bass), and David Piribauer (drums) comprise the infectious post-grunge sounds of Revis. |
 | | Memphis, TN-based rock quartet Breaking Point included Brett Erickson (vocals/guitar), Justin Rimer (guitar), Jody Abbott (drums), and Greg Edmondson (bass). |
 | | Texas hard rock/alternative metal quintet Submersed blend heavy volume with heavy issues that reflect their rugged individualism and ambition to be a "positive force for change. |
 | | Based in Memphis and named after one of its roads, hard rock group Egypt Central were formed by lead singer John T. |
 | | The Exies came together in 1997, emerging from the Los Angeles rock scene with Scott Stevens (vocals/guitar), Freddy Herrera (bass), and Thom Sullivan (drums). |
 | | One of Canada’s more explosive hard rock acts, Vancouver-based five-piece Art of Dying's raucous blend of ardent post-grunge and blistering, three-part, harmony-laden alt-metal falls somewhere in between Pearl Jam, Incubus, and Hinder. |
 | | Beginning in 2006, upon signing to Flicker Records after a couple independent releases, Fireflight became one of the most popular bands on Christian rock radio. |
 | | While the heavy alternative sounds of Tool and Alice in Chains were primary influences on Hoobastank's sound, the post-grunge quartet tempered the gloomier elements of such music with a suburban California groove and an eye for accessibility. |
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 | | The post-hardcore/alternative rock outfit A Static Lullaby came together after a casual high-school jam session convinced its participants to quit their existing bands and launch a new group. |
 | | The emo-pop outfit Cute Is What We Aim For emerged from Buffalo, NY, in January 2005. Although originally formed as a quintet, the band ultimately stripped down to four members, with vocalist Shaant Hacikyan, guitarist/pianist Jeff Czum, drummer Tom Falcone, and bassist/guitarist Fred Cimato comprising the lineup. |
 | | Alternative metal outfit Trust Company (also referred to as TRUSTcompany and TRUST*CO) formed in Montgomery, AL, circa 1997 around Kevin Palmer (vocals/guitar) and Jason Singleton (drums). |
 | | Socialburn originated in the mid-'90s around high-school pals Neil Alday (vocals/guitar), Dusty Price (bass), and Brandon Bittner (drums). |
 | | Much like Five for Fighting or Dashboard Confessional, Secondhand Serenade is the project name for a solo artist, singer/songwriter John Vesely. |
 | | Dark New Day formed in early 2005 and was quickly billed as a supergroup for the active rock set, since its membership came from various name-brand acts. |
 | | Hard rock/heavy metal band Crossfade is based in Columbia, SC, where its members reside. The group came together in the late '90s with the merging of singer/guitarist Ed Sloan with bassist/backup singer Mitch James and drummer Brian Geiger as the power trio the Nothing. |
 | | Formed in 2004 by sisters Alexia and Anissa Rodriguez, Arizona's Eyes Set to Kill set out to create their own take on the screamo genre. |
 | | Formed in 1997 under the name Revelation Theory, the hard rock outfit Rev Theory is made up of singer Rich Luzzi, bassist Matty McCloskey, guitarist Julien Jorgensen, and drummer Dave Agoglia. |
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 | | It was after Full Devil Jacket lead singer Josh Brown overdosed on heroin in 2000, upon the conclusion of the band's first tour, that it became clear to him that he needed to change his life or risk death, so instead of completing the next Full Devil Jacket album Brown spent the next few years trying to clean up his life, finding religion in the process. |
