Nu metal, otherwise known as new metal or nü metal, is a musical genre that emerged in the mid 1990s which fuses influences from grunge and alternative metal with funk music, hip hop and various heavy metal genres, such as thrash metal and groove metal. Nu metal music emphasizes mood, rhythm, and texture over melody and complex instrumentation. Often, nu metal songs use rhythmic, syncopated riffs played on distorted electric guitars with strings detuned to lower pitches to create a darker and thicker sound than other mainstream music.