I will start off by saying I know the old thread based on this same topic is only one page back, but unfortunately I can't bump it anymore due to it being inactive for too long.
Anyway recently I thought of another guilty pleasure of mine, and that's early 00s bands that are/were a combination of "post grunge" and alt-rock/alt-metal like Puddle of Mudd, Chevelle, Crossfade, and Breaking Benjamin (though BB is one of the few bands in this category that's enjoyed critical acclaim and continued commercial success).
I say this because the genre tends to have a bad reputation for one reason or another. One reason is because bands like Creed and Nickelback are often seen as bands that made post grunge into sort of a "joke," and the genre is hated by grunge and metal purists for not really fitting into the classic definitions of either genre. (Personally I'm actually rather neutral on Nickelback, I've never really liked or hated them, though maybe there's one or two songs from them I found better than expected, though yeah I never cared much for Creed; Alter Bridge is a band formed by three of the four members of Creed, with Scott Stapp being the only member to not return, and it's WAY BETTER because of it as it's clear from listening to Alter Bridge that Stapp was the weak link in Creed)
Some of my favorites in this genre include songs such as these:
Though for Breaking Benjamin I could have used a lot of examples as I enjoy the vast majority of their output, but I figured I'd stick to something from the early 00s to go with the rest of the songs. Also as for "Blurry" by Puddle of Mudd I admit one likely reason for my affinity with the song is because it reminds me a lot of Ace Combat 5 (my favorite in the series), as the song is featured in the game and plays during the credits.