Tough guy hardcore

It makes use of groove-driven, palm muted guitar riffs, breakdowns, lyrics discussing hatred, personal struggles, unity, and a vocal style influenced by hip hop and oi!.

The genre received a revived interest in the 2000s through acts including No Warning, Death Before Dishonor and Terror, and into the 2010s and 2020s with Trapped Under Ice, Backtrack, Speed and Pain of Truth.

[7] According to writer Brian J. Kochan, the genre "embraces the mystique of the gritty and hard working class lives of those in America's big cities".

[8] NoEcho writer Chris Suffer defined the genre as "Lyrics fueled by hatred and personal struggles bred some of the most violent live shows in the world turning clubs... into battlegrounds for a few hours.

Tiernan believed the genre hypermasculinity and socially mandatory mosh pits caused exclusion when the scene was initially intended to be about individuality and inclusion.

[2][12] By 1984, the Washington, D.C. and Boston scenes had largely began to distance themselves from this way of thinking, leaving New York bands Agnostic Front, the Cro-Mags, Murphy's Law and Warzone to continue it unchallenged.

[13] This was prominent enough within the band's sound that AllMusic writer Patrick Kennedy called their 1986 debut album the Age of Quarrel the "finest hour... [of] tough-guy hardcore".

[2] The Big Takeover noted Detroit band Negative Approach as "building a template for... tough guy hardcore", cited them as creating "the loudest, meanest, nastiest, harshest noise in existence then".

[26] Biohazard's merger of hip hop and tough guy hardcore, in particular, was widely successful,[27] with their 1992 single "Punishment" gaining significant airplay on MTV.

[43] The genre quickly developed a subgenre slam death metal, which put a greater emphasis on the elements of New York–style hardcore[44] with notable groups including Internal Bleeding,[45] Devourment[46] and Cephalotripsy.

[25] During this period, some bands the embraced influence of the genre, but subverted its tough guy ethos by merging the sound with more upbeat and melodic elements, including Turnstile,[72] High Vis[73] and Higher Power.