# How Ozzfest reinvented metal for the 90s

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/how-ozzfest-reinvented-metal-for-the-90s/
- Published: 2026-11-05T17:00:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-05T17:42:09+00:00
- Original publisher: Louder
- Original article: https://www.loudersound.com/how-ozzfest-reinvented-metal-for-the-90s
- Topics: Entertainment, Music

## Key points

- Ozzfest launched in 1996 with 20,000 fans at its Phoenix show.
- Sharon Osbourne created it after Lollapalooza turned Ozzy down.
- The festival helped metal regain a prominent place in the 1990s.

## Summary

On 25 October 1996, 20,000 people attended the first Ozzfest at an outdoor venue in Phoenix, with a second show in California the following day. Created by Sharon Osbourne after Lollapalooza rejected Ozzy as “too metal”, the festival gave heavy metal a major platform at a time when grunge and alternative rock had pushed it from the mainstream.

The bill brought established acts such as Slayer and Danzig together with newer bands including Sepultura, Fear Factory, Biohazard, Coal Chamber and Powerman 5000. The article presents Ozzfest as a turning point that helped bring new bands and fans into metal, leading to a larger touring festival and what it calls the “Ozzfest Generation”.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.