!!YMMV tropes for the band:
* AccidentalNightmareFuel: Chris's grin can be a little off-putting for some people, a possible reason why he's rarely ever seen smiling.
* SugarWiki/AwesomeArt: Damn near every single one of their album covers.
** ''Origin of Symmetry'' has the simple, but iconic desert full of giant tuning forks under a yellow (or [[InconsistentColoring orange]][[note]]This depends on the scanner, which seems to always pick up a slightly different shade of warm yellow. On digital releases like Spotify, it's definitely orange.[[/note]]) sky. Even more so is the [[AnimationBump XX anniversary version]].
** ''Absolution'' and its weird, apocalyptic, spiritual, and vague image with the shadows. It helps that both this and the cover for ''Black Holes and Revelations'' are designed by the late and legendary Storm Thurgeson, who also designed covers for the likes of Music/PinkFloyd, particularly Music/WishYouWereHere.
** ''The Resistance'' and the colorful, spiraling image of a man ascending a staircase to possibly Heaven that resembles a futuristic stained-glass image. It's based on Jon Lomberg's "Astroengineering".
** ''Simulation Theory'' and the glorious photorealistic ''hand-drawn'' image filled with loads of cool neon blue and pink lines, {{Cyberpunk}} imagery, and lots of juxtaposition that looks like a movie poster straight out of TheEighties.
** ''Will of the People'' has amazing music videos blending large amounts of UncannyValley [[MediumBlending CGI and live-action]] and great sets.
* BizarroEpisode:
** "Unintended" from ''Showbiz'' album has no distorted guitar, intense drumming, unorthodox bassline, complicated chords, or even thought-provoking lyrics. The only thing that makes this song "sound like Muse" is Bellamy's voice and falsetto singing.
** The entirety of ''Simulation Theory'' when compared to the rest of the band's discography due to its much lighter and more simplistic soundscape.
* BrokenBase: The band set a relatively straightforward treasure hunt for the fanbase in which they gradually unlocked the song "United States Of Eurasia" in seven chunks by visiting stations across Europe and Asia (and one in New York). However, half of the fanbase was convinced that by "resisting" the desire to activate the seventh station, the band would release something better than the final part of the song. The station was eventually activated after the deadline was extended, to the chagrin of some and delight of others.
** On a wider level, the post-''Black Holes & Revelations'' — created something of a BrokenBase within Muse's own fandom over whether or not they had abandoned their rock roots to become a gimmick band.
** Should "Fury" or "The Small Print" have been on the standard release of ''Absolution''? Both songs are fan favorites, and a debate on which song should have been on the standard release and which one should have been a bonus track will inevitably spark when either song is mentioned.
** Is Matt's habit of loudly inhaling a [[RuleOfCool cool addition that makes their songs even more intense]], or is it just plain annoying?
** The remaster of ''Music/{{Absolution|Album}}'' has fans debating over its quality. Some say it's a genuine improvement that cleaned up the muddy mixing and production of the original. Some say it was just a change that induced the placebo effect, but has enough issues to outweigh the benefits, such as inconsistent volumes of tracks and instruments across the release, especially for the Dolby Atmos version and a a very overpriced $130 boxset despite not having very much bonus content to make up for it.
* CoveredUp: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixjxGnPpV10 Muse and Belgian choir De Betties did a live performance of "Follow Me" that is drastically different from the electronica-filled studio version.]] Could double as a TearJerker.
* CreepyAwesome: "Micro Cuts." Eerie, high-pitched singing and ominous lyrics that stemmed from a particularly disturbing series of nightmares make it extremely creepy. However the singing is a Moment of Awesome in itself and the shredding riffs that form the outro is definitely epic as well.
** To a lesser extent is "Ruled By Secrecy", which feels cold and sinister but also gently uplifting in a rather odd combination.
* EpicRiff: Loads, with Matthew Bellamy widely considered his generation's premier riff-master. Both on guitar and keyboards. 'Plug In Baby' is especially notable for being rated the 13th best riff of all time by Total Guitar magazine.
** Also, "Hysteria" has one of the most memorable bass guitar riffs in a hit song of the last decade that wasn't by Tool.
** "Starlight" has an instantly recognisable alternating drum riff.
*** "Guiding Light" also has a memorable drumbeat.
** Let's just cap off this discussion by saying that Muse is the EpicRiff fully embodied.
*** But not before mentioning the wonder that is the beginning of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfRQXIJ3fEM Assassin]]
** For over fifteen years, they had one in live shows that was only known as "0305030", named after Matt's fret positions for the riff. It was eventually incorporated into "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqLRqzTp6Rk Psycho]]".
** {{Music/Drones}} is full of this, from "Dead Inside"'s bassline, "The Handler", and "Defector" to name a few others.
** "Sunburn"'s piano piece at the beginning.
** "Space Dementia"'s main piano riff.
* EpilepticTrees: The target of "Take a Bow" remains a subject of debate, though UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush and UsefulNotes/TonyBlair are the most popular fan theories.
* EnsembleDarkHorse: A lot of their lesser known songs seem to be more loved by the fanbase, especially their b-sides, which are lauded for being just as high-quality as their a-sides. Also, their [=EPs=], single releases, Japanese bonus tracks, and covers, too. Special mention goes to "Host", "Futurism", "Dead Star", "Fury", and "Eternally Missed". [[RuleOfFunny Also the hidden track]].
* FandomRivalry:
** One with Anime/LoveLive's Mu's, due to them sharing a highly similar name and fans of the latter often liking to say that their band is better than the former.
** There also used to be one with {{Music/Radiohead}} due to this band often being [[FollowTheLeader accused of sounding like them]], though it's more on the latter's side. Since then, both bands' sounds have evolved significantly and it's more of a joke, especially on the former's side. Though the rivalry still lives on as one between creators.
*** Muse respects Radiohead as an influence to this day, but not so on the other end, as Dom has claimed that Thom Yorke looked down upon them and once tried to fight him, making this a one-sided feud.
* FanNickname: "Bellz" for Matt. "The Wolstenbeast" for Chris.
* FranchiseOriginalSin: The band's perceived decline in quality is blamed on an increasing focus on tired, vaguely political themes that don't have the guts to take a side, a sound aiming more at pop-rock and jumping on to various mainstream trends (most notoriously in ''The 2nd Law'' and also ''Simulation Theory''), a growing excess of camp and use of synths. However, these elements were already around in early albums, including the "Big 3" regarded as SacredCow by the fandom. Vague political lyrics existed since ''Black Holes'' and even appeared on previous ones, written in an even vaguer form; the band's shift to a poppier sound in ''Absolution'' was not seen as an issue due to still staying heavy; and things like synths and dramaticness are a large part of ''precisely why'' ''Origin of Symmetry'' is so-well-loved by Musers.
* FriendlyFandoms:
** With Music/PorcupineTree, both being pop-sensible Prog-rock bands with a sound that is very versatile and covers several bases. It helps that both are considered contributors to Prog proving to mainstream listeners that it ''can'' be accessible and good.
** Also with Music/StatusQuo, due to both bands' mutual admiration for each other.
** In recent years, the fandom started to overlap with the Music/QueensOfTheStoneAge and the Music/ArcticMonkeys ones, two other bands who got big by the TurnOfTheMillennium and kept evolving and soldiering on by TheNewTens, despite the band themselves not overlapping much with the other two in terms of connection.
** Fans of the band also respect bands who have been evidently influenced, such as Music/RoyalBlood, {{Music/Chevelle}}, and recently, Dear Sherlock.
* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: While actually greatly popular in the US and their homeland UK, the band enjoys ridiculous levels of popularity in Italy. It definitely shows that they've released a live album on their show in Rome.
** Muse had trouble getting noticed in their home of the UK for their first two albums... but come ''Origin of Symmetry'', while starting to get somewhat popular in the UK, they were MASSIVE in France. Bellamy himself often liked to joke about how jarring it sometimes would be to play "a Parisian arena one night and the back room of a London pub the next".
* HarsherInHindsight: The ''Simulation Theory'' videos are full of moments like this, which is par for the course for the album's broad AwfulTruth themes.
** The concert film's running subplot about TheVirus gets more awkward when you realize the film had its theatrical release in the early months of the [[UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic COVID-19 lockdown]].
** "Pressure" becomes this when we get to its sequel "Algorithm": it is revealed [[spoiler:the high school gets shut down due to the mutant vampire/zombie outbreak at the prom]], and Creator/TerryCrews' lovable school principal [[ConspiracyTheorist becomes a reclusive shut-in obsessed with solving the mystery of how it happened.]]
** "Break It To Me" manages to make both "Pressure" and "Something Human" darker in hindsight: it centers on [[InnocentBystander a nameless student at the prom]] who somehow [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent develops the same lycanthropic traits Matt does]], with more tragic results.
** If we assume "Something Human" happens after the events of "Thought Contagion", then [[spoiler:Dom's policeman character]] is a DeadManWalking.
** The events of "Dig Down" become a ShaggyDogStory when they're revealed to be [[spoiler: [[FictionalVideoGame an in-universe arcade game]]]] in "Thought Contagion". This then enters MindScrew territory when we see [[spoiler: "Thought Contagion" ''itself'' as [[RecursiveReality another arcade game in the same universe]]]].
* HoYay: Matt and Dom are an extremely obvious example. There is also a Ho Yay moment on their Hullaballoo DVD involving [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mthNNJX6YE Dom and Chris showering together]].
-->'''Interviewer:''' What would you do if you are the only man left on earth after the End of The World?
-->'''Matt:''' I'd go looking for a woman...If I wouldn't find any, I think I'll be satisfied with Dominic.
-->'''Q Magazine:''' Dom, you’ve been hit by Matt’s flying guitars before. What measures do you take to protect yourself from his ‘theatrics’?
-->'''Dom:''' My reflexes have become a lot quicker. I had stitches in my eye once after he cut it. And a tetanus injection…
-->'''Matt:''' … In his bum! We came backstage and he was bent over a table, his bum hanging out. That was the main reason I did it. Any excuse to get Dom to bend over and pull his pants down.
* ItsPopularNowItSucks: Some of the fans had this reaction to the band's incorporation into ''Literature/TheTwilightSaga''. Others just chose to hate the ''[[Literature/TheTwilightSaga Twilight]]'' fans and continue loving the band.
** ''The Resistance'' and "Uprising"'s success has sparked this debate even further.
* MemeticMutation: Now with [[{{Memes/Muse}} its own page]]!
* MemeticBadass: Matt for [[TheAce obvious reasons]], and also [[EnsembleDarkHorse Chris]].
* MisaimedFandom: Due to having a large amount of [[ProtestSong protest songs]], the band has attracted a fanbase of [[UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump Trump supporters]], which they don't like and believe misunderstand their lyrics and fit it to their agenda. This is acknowledged subtly in a tongue-in-cheek style in the form of "Will of the People", which is a StealthParody of themselves and these people.
** One particular example is "Verona", which many anti-vaxxers and COVID conspiracy theorists believe is a screed against "tyrannical" lockdown laws keeping people apart, when in fact it is about two lovers being kept apart ''because they are both dying of COVID.''
* SugarWiki/MostWonderfulSound: Matt's voice, especially his signature falsetto. All of their [[EpicRiff Epic Riffs]] listed above count, too.
** And Chris's basslines!
* {{Narm}}:
** Generally, their lyrics can get over-the-top sometimes, [[LargeHam especially their delivery]].
** The line "I have played in every toilet" from "Muscle Museum". It MakesSenseInContext, but is still pretty funny.
** Also, Matt's poorly-done GratuitousFrench in "I Belong To You" and the bizzare lead-up to it.
-->''I've traveled half the world to say...You are my muuuu---oh, oh, oooohhhh...[[MoodWhiplash REEEPONDS AH MAH TONDRESSSEEEE, REEEPONDS AH MAH TONDRESSSEEEE, EHHHHHHHH VERSEEE MWAAAHH]]....''
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mq9zhpBweDk "MAMAMAMAMAMAMAMA MAD-MAD-MAD."]] Can sound seriously jarring as the first thing you hear in the song.
** "Brainwashing our children to be mean" from "Supremacy". The word choice here just seems oddly childish in the midst of a song to kick ass to, particularly in contrast to the rather well-written lyrics preceding this.
** ''Drones'' is often cited as having some of the band's weakest lyrics to date.
*** [[AccidentalInnuendo ''YOUR ASS BELONGS TO ME NOW!'']] off of "Psycho".
*** "Show me your war face! AAAAGH!"
*** "Your mind is green and your blood is blue and your belly is all yel-low" from "Defector".
** [-*slamming on keyboard*-] DDDAARRKKKKSSHIIIINNNNEEEES BRINGING ME ''DOWWWWWWNN'', MAAAAAAKING MY HEART FEEL SORE, 'CUZ IT'S [[{{Mondegreen}} GAAAAAAAAY]], YEAAAAHH...
** ''We Are Fucking Fucked'' has its lyrics, and the title for how brutally honest and jarring it is, but for some, the way Matt pronounces it during the chorus as [[DullSurprise ''We are fuuucking fuuucked'']] doesn't exactly lend him the serious gravitas its message is trying to portray. But then again, [[BlackComedy perhaps this was intentional]].
** Verona: '''CAAAAN WEEEEE KIIIIISS WITH POISON OOOON OUUR LIIIIIPS?!'''
** Basically all of Propaganda's lyrics, namely, the opening "Floosy, you're making me woozy."
*** Also, "[[Literature/HarryPotter You ate my soul just like a ]][[CowboyBebopAtHisComputer Death Eater]]."
** "And we've tried, oh, ''we've tried!'' So hard! To be good! But the world rewards us...when we're bad!" Umm, real subtle, Matt.
** From "Agitated": [[UnusualEuphemism "You do it to me sweetly, to my yeah-yeah."]]
* NarmCharm:
** The Muse single "Uprising" is, by itself, a really catchy Queen-style revolutionary anthem. That is, until you notice that the music video, the CD and the vinyl single artwork all seperately portray teddy bears rising up from a field in revolt. It might've been meant to symbolize the seemingly harmless and ubiquitous masses suddenly proving that they're not so harmless, but the image should still be pure narm. Except that listening to the song and hearing the lyrics as a call for downtrodden teddy bears to rise up in righteous rebellion against their human oppressors just adds a whole new, [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment BLAMmy]] charm to it.
** From the same album, "Guiding Light". It's a full-on '80s Power Ballad, complete with seemingly endless drum reverb (which fits nicely with the missile sound effect segue at the beginning); a Queen-inspired guitar solo is the icing on the cake. For a band that's often accused of taking itself too seriously these days, it's a refreshingly clear-cut "just enjoy this" moment on the album.
** And while we're at it, "Knights of Cydonia" needs a mention, doubly so when you consider the music video. It combines an overt political TakeThat with overly sincere "fight for your right" chants, Wild West imagery, kung fu, unicorns, laser beams, and a heavy dose of Epic Rocking; and the end result is somehow legitimately chilling.
** "YOU MAKE ME FEEL LIKE IT'S HALLOWEEN" is [[Franchise/ScoobyDoo Scooby-Doo-ness]] to audiacious max.
** And in general, a lot of their songs are like this it you're willing to admit it. Cheesy and rather over-the-top lyrics? Of course. But none of that matters when everything else about their songs goes [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic above and beyond]], does it?
* NightmareFuel: Has its [[NightmareFuel/{{Muse}} own page]] now
** Some of their early b-sides such as "Recess", "Yes Please", and "Con-Science".
** ''Origin of Symmetry'' as a whole is plagued by a raw, but very strong and strange vibe throughout its entire runtime and murky lyrics concerning insanity, obsession, and the fear of technology.
*** "Space Dementia" has the aforementioned LastNoteNightmare and superbly creepy lyrics.
*** "Micro Cuts" is just nightmarish, and the indecipherable lyrics and pained falsetto don't help either.
*** "Screenager" is very creepy, not helped when you find out that bones were used for percussion.
*** The lyrics to "Megalomania"'s chorus. "TAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKE! OFF YOOOUUUR DIIIISGUIIIIIIIISE! I KNOOOW THAT UUUNDERNEEAAATH IT'S MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" The OminousPipeOrgan doesn't help. Whether any of this is ''accidental'' is open for debate...
** As noted on the main page, Dead Star as these creepy breathing moments where Matt slurps before screaming his lungs out.
** There's plenty in the new [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqFZGnfMLMw trailer]] for The Second Law. From the people running from...some bladed monstrosity tearing up the street behind them to the creepy newscaster reciting the titular Second Law of Thermodynamics. Special mention goes to when the screen [[JumpScare suddenly turns into]] an evil-looking, [[RedEyesTakeWarning red-eyed]] robot face in a [[JumpScare VERY LOUD]] CreepyMonotone.
* ParanoiaFuel: A few songs such as Micro Cuts and MK Ultra.
* PeripheryDemographic: While their style and topics seem especially counter to the ''[[Literature/TheTwilightSaga Twilight]]'' fandom's expectations, they have a following due to Creator/StephenieMeyer being a large fan herself and mentioning them frequently in her books.
** Older fans of the band roundly despise the fanbase the band got from "Supermassive Black Hole" appearing in ''Twilight'', referring to these people as "Twiheads" or "Twits". These older fans are split down the middle on whether or not the band's new single "Uprising" peaking at #37 on the Billboard Hot 100 due to their performance at the MTV [=VMAs=] is a good thing or not.
*** The fact that a new song from ''The Resistance'', "I Belong to You" is being remade into a completely new version just for the New Moon movie doesn't seem to exactly help that issue.
*** Seeing as the interpretation of that one from the ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'' angle is that it's Winston's views on [[spoiler:Big Brother]], that's a little ironic.
** Though the band isn't metal perse, Matt's love of dark topics and extreme distortion in the early days gave them a significant following of metal fans in their early days - "Hyper Music" and "Dead Star" being two examples. Naturally, these fans are some of the most vocal about the band's change to a poppier direction.
* SacredCow: The "Big 3" albums, AKA ''Origin of Symmetry'', ''Absolution'', and ''Black Holes and Revelations'' are seen as the band's best 3 albums, and maybe the best 3-album run of the 21st century. It's essentially heresy to make any criticisms about them or put them anything under top-tier when ranking albums.
* SampledUp: In a rare case of a band sampling themselves, "Ashamed" is far more well known as a live riff performed after songs such as "Showbiz", "New Born", and "Stockholm Syndrone" in concert than as a song in its own right.
** On a similar note, the band is very fond of the breakdown of the demo "Crazy Days" (a song that was split into "Yes Please" and "Execution Commentary" when studio recorded). Although they haven't performed the song onstage in full for years, they have long enjoyed launching into the riff as a finale to other songs.
* TheScrappy:
** "Guiding Light" is arguably Muse's most hated song, to the point that it's become an inner joke amongst the fandom to screw with setlists on [[http://setlist.fm/ setlist.fm]] and swap music titles with "Guiding Light" and variations. Though it's gradually becoming more loved for its NarmCharm and [[MemeticMutation meme status]].
** "Revolt", from 2015's ''Drones'', is also pretty well-hated in some circles, due to "not sounding Muse enough".
** "Dig Down" also receives this treatment. To those who [[MemeticMutation still believe in Matt Bellamy]], the song was rendered "disappointing", especially due to Bellamy's affirmations that "the new album will have a lot of rock'n'roll". The "Acoustic Gospel" version song is much more well-liked than the original, and is therefore the version played at live shows in place of the original arrangement.
** "Get Up and Fight" makes songs above look like fan favorites. Common criticisms are its very trite, cookie-cutter feel and the annoying sample of a woman vocalizing.
** "Will of the People" is generally treated as the weakest track on its album for the [[BrokenRecord repeated chant]], generic sound, and tone-deaf sampling of "The Beautiful People", especially given the sexual assault allegations that disgraced Music/MarilynManson.
** "Compliance" got a similar reaction on release due to a bland 80's-pop-emulating style, boring verses, and an repetitive chorus. Reception is warming up steadily, but it's still at least lukewarm.
** "Ghosts" is also seen like this to some fans, with it's criticism being a piano ballad that lacks the flair of other piano songs featured in previous albums.
** "Overdue" is one of the few songs from the early days that fans dislike due to being generic and forgettable.
* SignatureSong: "Knights of Cydonia" or "Plug In Baby" for the older fans. "Supermassive Black Hole" or "Uprising" for several newer ones. To a lesser extent for both, "Starlight" and "Hysteria".
* SpecialEffectFailure: The CGI in the band's old music videos is usually good, but they sometimes don't always work, like the werewolf transformation in "Something Human".
* SpiritualLicensee: "Supremacy" is one of the best Film/JamesBond themes out there, even though it isn't in a James Bond movie. According to the band, they were at one point in consideration for the theme for ''Skyfall'' and they submitted Supremacy.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSong: The main riff of the third part of "[[https://youtu.be/4qagaaZfwXA?t=8m25s The Globalist]]" is almost exactly the same as the ending riff to "[[https://youtu.be/Ejwftvv4iU4?t=6m54s Stagnation"]] by {{Music/Genesis|Band}}.
* TearJerker: [[TearJerker/{{Muse}} See here]].
* TheyChangedItNowItSucks:
** While ''Black Holes & Revelations'', judging from the commercial success and the opinions from critics and general population, is considered the greatest thing to ever happen to mainstream society since buttered toast, many of the old fans absolutely despise the album's new direction to a slightly more pop-oriented sound and like to crown it Muse's worst album to date. Fans were even more pissed off after they found out that many of the songs that were performed live pre-release of the album became butchered on the album, most notably their song "Assassin", rumoured by some people to be the [[ExecutiveMeddling work of their then-producer]] Rich Costey.
** The reaction that ''The Resistance'' bestowed upon the fans after release is even more polarising with some people calling it their best album and some their worst.
** Muse fans who've listened to all eight studio albums in their entirety may have a tough time where to rank ''The 2nd Law'' among them. It's almost like a soundtrack to a post-apocalyptic world, darker and more uncertain.
** It seems that this is becoming a pattern with ''every single new release''. With each album, Muse is bound to change up their style and fans often prepare for it these days, but nonetheless, a large amount always seem to be disappointed until the next release makes them come back and appreciate it more. Which is rather ironic, since Muse's whole thing is experimentation to avoid stagnation.
* WinBackTheCrowd: So far, albums like ''Drones'' and ''Will Of The People'' have won fans over with their emphasis on the rock sound after seeing electronic-heavy albums such as ''The 2nd Law'' and ''Simulation Theory''. Fans have demanded that the band go back to the progressive rock/metal sounds of ''Origin of Symmetry'' and ''Absolution'' for quite a while.
** It's an InvokedTrope with ''Will Of The People'', since the band decided to revisit their old styles as opposed to merely making a GreatestHits album like their studio demanded.
* SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome: The band's music videos are consistently filled with some true eye candy.
** "Bliss" is simple but very trippy.
** "Sing for Absolution" is just gorgeous.
** "Uprising" won a VMA award in the special effects department.
** "The Dark Side" has satisfying cinematography and loads of wonderful SceneryPorn.
** The CG-animated ''Will of the People'' videos.