Funk metal is a fusion genre of funk rock and alternative metal which infuses heavy metal music (often thrash metal) with elements of funk and punk rock. Funk metal was part of the alternative metal movement.
Funk metal began in the 1980s with bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers, Living Colour and Faith No More. In the early 1990s, the genre expanded with the start of bands like Primus, Infectious Grooves and Rage Against the Machine. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, funk metal experienced popularity with Living Colour and Faith No More experiencing chart success with their songs and going platinum. Bands like Rage Against the Machine, Primus and Red Hot Chili Peppers also achieved success. Funk metal also paved the way for nu metal, especially bands like Korn and Limp Bizkit, two bands that were extremely mainstream in the late 1990s and early 2000s.