What were the significant albums that shaped rock and metal back in 2006? It’s hard to believe that 20 years have flown by, but here we are ready to enter 2026, and some of our favorite albums are now 20 years old.
What was happening back in 2006? Facebook transitioned from college campuses to open registration while Twitter was just starting to gain traction. Dexter was the most thrilling new show on TV. Borat was raking in box office profits (very nice), and in the music world, emo was reaching its peak era led by My Chemical Romance’s The Black Parade.
It was a year when Bring Me the Horizon made their debut, sounding much different than they do today. Trivium and Underoath took significant strides in becoming key players for the next decade plus. And Stone Sour emerged from Slipknot’s shadow to become true hard rock heavyweights.
Red Hot Chili Peppers were doubling down with their Stadium Arcadium double album. Muse were rising as one of the hottest bands on the planet. Mastodon released their latest metal masterpiece, and little did we know that Tool would make us miss them for what seemed like 10,000 Days.
The year 2006 was truly a transitional year in the world of rock and metal as nu-metal had all but been phased out, emo was thriving, and metalcore was producing the next big bands left and right.
Let’s take a look back at what was significant in 2006 as we reflect on these 31 Rock + Metal Albums Turning 20 in 2026.
31 Rock + Metal Albums Turning 20 in 2026
What was popular as nu-metal faded and emo exploded? Let’s take a look at the major rock and metal albums from 2006.
Gallery Credit: Chad Childers, Loudwire
31 Rock + Metal Albums Turning 30 in 2026
It was a year with grunge on the way out and nu-metal’s explosion about a year away. Let’s explore the transitional year of rock and metal albums from 1996.
Gallery Credit: Chad Childers, Loudwire
