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Crossover Thrash was a term used in the 1980s to describe the first wave of bands that mixed hardcore punk (or more specifically the part of it called thrashcore) and thrash metal. Today the term "punk metal" is used to describe the genre of music that fuses elements of Punk Rock and heavy metal as well.

One of the first bands to be cited of having mixed predominant elements of hardcore punk and metal could be considered to be Suicidal Tendencies, whose debut album, released in 1983, blurred a line between the two genres. Some of the earliest bands are noted as being D.R.I. (with their albums Dealing With it and Crossover), Corrosion of Conformity (Animosity) and Stormtroopers of Death (Speak English Or Die).

The style went on to include several other bands in the late 1980s, some include Cryptic Slaughter, The Accused, Wehrmacht, Attitude Adjustment, Crumbsuckers, Ludichrist, Nuclear Assault and Hirax. Suicidal Tendencies' second album, Join The Army, also has a much stronger Motörhead influence. No Mercy was another band fronted by Suicidal Tendencies' frontman Mike Muir, No Mercy have a very metal-influenced edge, the band would later break up and its line-up would merge with Suicidal Tendencies. Their release How Will I Laugh Tomorrow If I Can't Even Smile Today? almost fully transformed the band into a thrash metal band. Another transformation was that of California punk band TSOL who, due to vast line up changes, started to resemble that of a hair metal band.

By the early to mid 1990s, several of the bands had broken up. Corrosion of Conformity vastly changed their style and D.R.I. have not released any new material since 1995. In recent years though, there has been somewhat of a comeback in the style, with bands such as Municipal Waste, Holier Than Thou, Destruction's End, What Happens Next, DFA, Bones Brigade, and the now broken up Crucial Unit. As well as the reformation of The Accused, Hirax, and Nuclear Assault.

An interesting note is that several key thrash bands have made songs which may be considered crossover thrash. A few examples of this are:

• Megadeth - "The Disintegrators", from their Cryptic Writings album
• Metallica - "Motorbreath", from their Kill 'Em All album