Knocked Loose’s performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Tuesday, November 26 – along with special guest Poppy – has ignited a wildfire of social media complaints amongst the show’s regular viewership, ranging from the absurd to downright comical. Several outraged viewers shared their grievances on Facebook, painting the performance as a horrifying assault on their senses.
According to Metal Injection, one particularly dramatic Facebook user recounted the show’s impact on their teenage son, writing “I was sitting on the couch with my son who is an ADOLESCENT waiting to see the musical guest because we like the nice music the show usually books. By the third or fourth ‘JUNT’ from the guitars my son was in tears. He doesn’t like scary things and quite frankly I think the Kimmel show and its staff should make a formal apology.”
Another critic echoed the age-old metal critique: the lyrics were unintelligible and the screaming was unbearable. “If I have to read the lyrics I’ll just read them and not listen to someone yell them.” Another frustrated commenter expressed contempt for the chaotic energy, saying “This what not enjoyable. And you can’t understand more than 5% of the lyrics. Moshing doesn’t not equal dancing.” The double negative with their typo indicates they may have enjoyed the performance more than they let on.
A self-proclaimed music expert went on to say it wasn’t even music: “How do I sing along with this??? Lol sounds just like a screaming frenzy to me!! Actually starting to hurt my ears!! People who listen to this have no room to complain about crying babies or screaming two-year-olds taking a tantrum!! Ha ha unreal!!! They call this music Jimmy??”
As one can imagine, many took to X (formerly Twitter) to reflect their opinions from the other side of the spectrum. Users praised the moment as a significant moment for heavy music on national television. One fan highlighted the potential impact on young viewers, tweeting, “Some kid is gonna be up late tonight casually watching Jimmy Kimmel and hear Knocked Loose for the first time and they’re gonna say, ‘I wanna start a fucking band like that’ and change their whole life. That’s how important this is.”
One YouTube commenter summed it up when saying: “I’m an old guy. I don’t listen to this style of music. But I can appreciate the primal emotion it takes to make it. Haters are losers. These kids rocked it.”
Knocked Loose’s performance on Kimmel comes amongst a wave of recognition for the band. Weeks ago, “Suffocate” earned nomination for the 2025 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance, putting the band in the same category as heavyweights such as Metallica, Gojira and Spiritbox. The winner will be revealed at the February 2 ceremony in Los Angeles.
Watch Knocked Loose and Poppy’s performance below:
Photo Credit: Mehreen Rizvi
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