'Alternate' rock came up as a word to describe the bands/songs which took inspiration from the original punk rock, but were still different. Alternate rock itself has many sub genres like BritPop (associated with Coldplay) and Rap Rock among many others. Many people consider Metallica to be Rock. read more
So almost all their albums falling under alternate rock category, they are considered Alternate Rock. Hybrid Theory, Meteora and The Hunting Party is the closest they were to Metal. In fact, Chester has himself said in an interview that he does not consider Linkin Park to be a Metal Band. read more
Linkin Park is an American rock band formed in Agoura Hills, California, in 1996. The members include Chester Bennington (vocals), Mike Shinoda (rapping vocals, pianist), Brad Delson (guitar), Dave "Phoenix" Farrell (bass), Joe Hahn (DJ) and Rob Bourdon (drums). read more