Is Nickelback really that bad?

[RedHeadAngel]

The question is simple. Do you think Nickelback is the worst band ever?

 

While I'm not a Nickelback fan, I don't think the band is the worst. Chad Kroger is a decent singer, and the other band members are competent in their abilities. My issue is that their music all sounds the same, which is because they make music solely to make a profit. They don't actually care about making music that's personal or meaningful. In the CliffNotes version, they're just a bunch of sellouts. However, this doesn't change the fact that the band has skill. It's just a shame that it was wasted to make millions selling mediocre albums.

[jfraser]

No, they're fine. People just like to pile on things for the fun of it.

[belegost]

What's Nickelback?

[VenomousOuroboros]

I feel like it's a case of one person/collective's opinion being just that - an opinion - and yet having enough validity that other people consider that their own take might be wrong.

 

Think about a time when you watched an actor or heard a musician, liked their performances, and later was told about all of the errors in their art (i.e. "He doesn't pace his lines properly" or "she doesn't harmonize with the band").  It wasn't a problem to you until you were told it was.

 

That's Nickelback.  I don't shit on them, I just tend to regard them as, for many millennials especially, the Little Tike's "My First Rock Band".

[Guest]

4 hours ago, belegost said:

What's Nickelback?

I like them, they were just an easy target.

Something in Your Mouth - Nickelback

Spoiler

 

 

Edited September 10, 2025 by Caveman 74

[Reginald_001]

A Finnish researcher actually did a scientific paper on this. It was released as part of the metal music studies.

 

She boils it down to these reasons:

- Their songs are edgy but too safe compared to other genre artists

- They sound like other genre artists but are more polished and viewed as a material band where image and 'being attractive' is more important than the underlying rebellious nature of grunge, which rebelled against consumerism (but was ultimately subsumed by it). They were considered 'sell outs' by the standards of the 90's.

- They are objectively musically boring (an in depth analysis was done regarding lyrics, tone, text, etc..)

- And according to the study they appealed to woman too much, compared to other bands (see reason 2)

 

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/78221/scientific-explanation-why-everyone-hates-nickelback

 

Link to the actual paper: https://intellectdiscover.com/content/journals/10.1386/mms.2.1.39_1

 

Of course all of that ls utter fucking bullshit. 

Art is subjective, and if you love it and it speaks to you on a primal level, let NOBODY tell you otherwise, for whatever reason.

Edited September 10, 2025 by Reginald_001

[Count Chocula]

The answer is "It is if you think it is," which just reiterates already-posted sentiments of "Art is subjective."

[porkybork]

On 8/31/2025 at 9:54 PM, RedHeadAngel said:

Do you think Nickelback is the worst band ever?

I don't like their music at all, but anyone who says that Nickelback is the worst band ever just tells me that they don't listen to a lot of music. There's so much worse shit out there that makes Nickelback look like Led friggin Zeppelin.

Edited September 11, 2025 by porkybork

[Count Chocula]

54 minutes ago, porkybork said:

I don't like their music at all, but anyone who says that Nickelback is the worst band ever just tells me that they don't listen to a lot of music. There's so much worse shit out there that makes Nickelback look like Led friggin Zeppelin.

You're saying Led Zepplin is good, apparently. Just as subjective as "Nickelback is bad."

[RedHeadAngel]

1 hour ago, Count Chocula said:

You're saying Led Zepplin is good, apparently. Just as subjective as "Nickelback is bad."

People are allowed to have their opinion.

 

2 hours ago, porkybork said:

I don't like their music at all, but anyone who says that Nickelback is the worst band ever just tells me that they don't listen to a lot of music. There's so much worse shit out there that makes Nickelback look like Led friggin Zeppelin.

If you ask me, Crazy Town is the worst band ever.

[Count Chocula]

7 hours ago, RedHeadAngel said:

People are allowed to have their opinion.

Has anyone said otherwise? That's a rhetorical question. The answer is "No."

[RedHeadAngel]

10 hours ago, Count Chocula said:

Has anyone said otherwise? That's a rhetorical question. The answer is "No."

If you’re going to be a jerk, then go somewhere else. I wasn’t even saying that what you said was bad. I was agreeing with you.

Edited September 11, 2025 by RedHeadAngel

[Zorai]

I use to listen to them as a kid back in the day, but as I got older I started paying more attention to the lyrics, rather then the beat of it. And I ended up finding them pretty bad when compared to other musicians and bands. That, and I learned a lot of bad shit about the lead singer and it didn't help a lot of the lyrics in their songs weren't the best around either.

 

Are they the worst band? No, there's absolutely worst out there. Do I like them? Not at all, as I find their music to be generic and boring for the most part now and there's just better bands out there, like Killswitch, A7X, Metallica, and dozen of good indie musicians. And that's just my opinion. You can even like a song from a band you don't like as a one off thing. I like Fall Out Boy's "We didn't start the fire" cover, but I don't like any of their other songs.

 

Like some others said, they're just easy targets. They're boring at best, but not that bad. But that's just my opinion.

 

On 9/10/2025 at 5:31 AM, Reginald_001 said:

A Finnish researcher actually did a scientific paper on this. It was released as part of the metal music studies.

 

She boils it down to these reasons:

- Their songs are edgy but too safe compared to other genre artists

- They sound like other genre artists but are more polished and viewed as a material band where image and 'being attractive' is more important than the underlying rebellious nature of grunge, which rebelled against consumerism (but was ultimately subsumed by it). They were considered 'sell outs' by the standards of the 90's.

- They are objectively musically boring (an in depth analysis was done regarding lyrics, tone, text, etc..)

- And according to the study they appealed to woman too much, compared to other bands (see reason 2)

 

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/78221/scientific-explanation-why-everyone-hates-nickelback

 

Link to the actual paper: https://intellectdiscover.com/content/journals/10.1386/mms.2.1.39_1

 

Of course all of that ls utter fucking bullshit. 

Art is subjective, and if you love it and it speaks to you on a primal level, let NOBODY tell you otherwise, for whatever reason.

 

I also agree with this too. As it highlights a lot of the reasons as to why I personally stopped liking them, and why you shouldn't let the opinions of others sway you from music you like and enjoy.

[woodsman30]

Never really gave a shit what people thought I listen to them they are a good band. In all fairness I never got caught up in the whatever was considered cool for the day. I have always enjoyed all spectrum's of music from classical to heavy metal and all points in between.

[belegost]

On 9/10/2025 at 1:56 PM, Caveman 74 said:

Something in Your Mouth - Nickelback

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

Never seen this before, but it looks and sounds like every other generic rock band I have seen or heard in the past 40 years.

[RedHeadAngel]

9 hours ago, belegost said:

sounds like every other generic rock band

That's pretty much my issue with Nickelback in a nutshell.