How Did Knocked Loose, The Grammy-Nominated Metal Band, Start A Dog Bark Meme?

Hardcore/metalcore band Knocked Loose recently came to the attention of non-metal fans everywhere when they raged, screamed, chugged, palm-muted, and yes, junted their way into homes via "Jimmy Kimmel Live." They played the ultra-downtuned "Suffocate" from their latest album along with musical chameleon Poppy, a song that earned them a 2025 Grammy nomination for best metal performance. Knocked Loose's Kimmel set was the first time in some viewer's lives that they hadn't been exposed to super-slick, super-singable, bubblegum-glossy pop — shudder to think. "By the third or fourth 'JUNT' from the guitars, my son was in tears," the most viral reaction went (per the Mirror). "He doesn't like scary things and quite frankly I think the Kimmel show and its staff should make a formal apology." Cue the cackling and rejoicing from extreme music fans everywhere.

But people who know know. People who were there back before Knocked Loose became last year's big breakout group know that they've been knocking teeth loose for over a decade, right down to their storybook, literal garage band roots at guitarist Isaac Hale's house. Their first full-length album, 2016's "Laugh Tracks," brought the band to instant acclaim in metal/hardcore circles for its explosive energy, brutality, creative tempo and riff change-ups, and of course, breakdowns. Plus, it fostered an excellent meme that circulated amongst the band's fandom and beyond: "Arf, arf." Featured on the short track "Counting Worms," which runs 1 minute and 12 seconds long, the lyrics go, "I wrote a song about getting better / It's a feeling I can't remember / Arf, arf! / Yeah / Counting worms!" Indeed, singer Bryan Garris. Indeed. 

At this point, metal, hardcore, and extreme music have long incorporated all kinds of intense vocalizations (if you're wondering how they scream, it's more complicated than you thought). Such musicians want to push boundaries, try new things, be bigger, badder, heavier, etc. Extreme vocals have taken off in a big way in recent years, and folks like voice coach Elizabeth Zharoff have even kick-started scientific research into extreme vocal techniques to try and decode the whole thing. We've got the pig squeals of Will Ramos from Lorna Shore, the hoarse bellow of Corpsegrinder from Cannibal Corpse, the high-registered Cookie Monster singing of Travis Ryan from Cattle Decapitation, the pitched growl-screams of Joe Duplantier of Gojira, and countless more. But in the end, sometimes you just gotta go "woof woof, bow wow" (respect to Snoop Dogg), "bark bark," or — yep — "arf arf."

But why, "Arf arf"? As singer Bryan Garris told Louder Sound, it's tied to how Knocked Loose writes songs. "I feel like every decision that we make when it comes to writing is based off the live show," he explained. "We have a setlist that is completely built around crowd participation, and where in our songs we can create moments in a live setting." This decision shines through in practically every single one of Knocked Loose's tracks — in the creation of space before something heavy hits, in the shift from ragged aggression to low-tempo grooves, in the calls to action for the crowd, and more. "Arf arf" is one such call to action, and it means one thing: mosh. 

"Arf arf" has long since taken on a life of its own in practically every memeable form in existence. TikToks show Knocked Loose fans at outdoor shows "arf, arfing" across the grass. T-shirts featuring the "Arf, arf" line litter sites like TeePublic, Gearbubble, and even Amazon. Etsy is a veritable warehouse of Knocked Loose merch, memes or otherwise, down to "Arf arf" window decals. And if you want a sticker of the barking dog behind a fence from the band's debut EP, "Pop Culture," Redbubble has you covered. 

Reddit, meanwhile, has loads of "Arf arf" content. The r/Hardcore subreddit features a Venn diagram of "hardcore bands," "furries," and "literal dogs" with "Arf arf" in the center. One thread on r/tattoos features an angry Dobermann barking "Arf arf" with a dog collar that says "Knocked Loose," while another thread on r/traditionaltattoos features a bulldog-looking design. On Instagram, meanwhile, we've got "Arf arf" tattoos on the thighs surrounded by loose teeth. The picture ought to be clear by now: The "Arf arf" meme is not just central to Knocked Loose fans, but those fans are super dedicated to their favorite band.

So now that Knocked Loose has conquered guitarist Isaac Hale's garage, small venues, big festivals, memed up the internet with "Arf arf" quotations, and even woken up a drowsy Jimmy Kimmel audience on network television, what's next? As singer Bryan Garris told Louder Sound, "Honestly, we just want to be the biggest heavy band in the world." To this we say: "Arf, arf," and let loose the dogs of war.