Djent

Djent began as an onomatopoeic description of a tightly muted guitar attack associated with Meshuggah. The word circulated through online guitar forums before becoming a wider label for musicians sharing riffs and recording techniques. In the mid-2000s Periphery, Tesseract and other artists developed distinct music from that shared interest, helped by affordable home recording. A low, strongly compressed guitar tone often moves through syncopated patterns while the drums keep a different pulse. The result can be heavy, melodic, instrumental or vocal-led. Some musicians reject djent as a genre name, and Periphery have repeatedly joked about that dispute. Djent is both a technique and an online movement rather than a traditional local scene.

IDIOTEQ Explore genre story · last updated 31 October 2026