MTV drops dedicated Rock Award in favor of broad Alternative category

Rock music is no longer included in the list of award categories and nominees for the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), which seems to be a significant departure. Even those nominees are somewhat removed from anything loud and heavy that is associated with rock, but alternative still exists. Loudwire has contacted two representatives of Paramount, the parent company of MTV, to enquire about the elimination of the long-standing rock category. Although the question was recognised, no justification was given. The addition of the Best Heavy Metal Video award category to the MTV VM marked the beginning of heavy metal representation.Just a few years after the yearly event began in 1984, as in 1989.

Guns N’ Roses, Aerosmith, Metallica, Korn, Limp Bizkit, Pearl Jam, Linkin Park, and other artists have won this category for almost four decades, but it has been a mainstay of the awards show ever since, despite a few name changes. Many will observe that, since about 2010, the Best Rock category has been dominated by nominees who lean toward the alt-rock and pop-rock genres. Notable nominees include Coldplay and Imagine Dragons, as well as a number of prominent pop-punk groups. For a considerable amount of time, modern hard rock has been largely absent from the list of candidates. The Best Alternative category for 2026 is now the closest rock fans will get.

• Geese – “Taxes” – Partisan Records/Play It Again Sam
• mgk & Fred Durst – “FIX UR FACE” – EST 19XX LLC/Interscope Records
• Noah Kahan – “The Great Divide” – Mercury Records
• Olivia Rodrigo – “the cure” – Geffen Records
• SOMBR – “Homewrecker” – SMB Music/Warner Records
• Tame Impala – “Dracula” – Columbia Records
• twenty one pilots – “Drag Path” – Fueled By Ramen

One of the highlights of the 2025 VM was rock.Yungblud, Aerosmith‘s Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, Extreme‘s Nuno Bettencourt, and long-time Ozzy keyboardist Adam Wakeman led a star-studded homage to Ozzy Osbourne.