Akron's Self Loathing formed in 2018 and operate at the volatile intersection of death metal and hardcore punk, bringing the blunt-force aggression of the latter to the low-end brutality of the former. The band's crossover approach is rooted in the Rust Belt tradition of music that doesn't ask permission — short, crushing, and direct. They're part of a small but committed Ohio underground scene that treats genre boundaries as obstacles to be demolished.

Southern Tongues is an Ohio death metal and hardcore band formed in 2019, bringing the visceral collision of extreme metal and hardcore aggression that defined bands working the boundary between the two genres in the American underground.

Canton, Ohio act founded in 2017 that fuses death metal, thrash, and hardcore into a raw, crossover-influenced style drawing from the Midwest's tradition of no-frills extreme aggression.

Stoneman is a crossover thrash and hardcore band from Cincinnati, Ohio, formed in 2023, merging the frenetic energy of hardcore with the aggressive riff attack of thrash metal.

Painesville, Ohio death/thrash metal and hardcore crossover band formed in 2024, combining the extremity of death metal and thrash with the raw, confrontational energy of hardcore punk.

Columbus, Ohio sludge metal and hardcore band formed in 2009, combining the punishing low-end density of sludge with the blunt velocity of hardcore punk. Active in the fertile Columbus underground, the band has released records on Relapse Records and carved out a reputation for ferocious live performances.