<Tr> <Th> Past members </Th> <Td> <Ul> <Li> Mark Wakefield </Li> <Li> Kyle Christner </Li> <Li> Chester Bennington </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Ul> <Li> Mark Wakefield </Li> <Li> Kyle Christner </Li> <Li> Chester Bennington </Li> </Ul> <P> Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California . Formed in 1996, the band rose to international fame with their debut album Hybrid Theory (2000), which was certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2005 and multi-Platinum in several other countries . Their following studio album Meteora continued the band's success, topping the Billboard 200 album chart in 2003, and was followed by extensive touring and charity work . </P> <P> Having adapted nu metal and rap metal to a radio - friendly yet densely layered style in Hybrid Theory and Meteora, the band explored other genres on their next studio album, Minutes to Midnight (2007). The album topped the Billboard charts and had the third - best debut week of any album that year . The band continued to explore a wider variation of musical types in their fourth album, A Thousand Suns (2010), layering their music with more electronic sounds . Their fifth album, Living Things (2012), combines musical elements from all of their previous records . Their sixth album, The Hunting Party (2014), returned to a heavier rock sound . Their seventh album One More Light, a more electronic and pop - oriented record, was released on May 19, 2017 . </P>

When did linkin park release their first album