What the 2026 Grammys got right about rock and metal this year - and what they got very wrong

The dust has settled on another blockbuster edition of the Grammys, and as happens every single year, the rock and metal communities are awash with people offering Big Loud Opinions on some of the nominations in this year's heavier categories - and the artists that ultimately walked away with the big wins.

Let's be frank: the Grammys has a piss-poor track record when it comes to treating metal in particular with the respect and reverence that it deserves. Its history is littered with metal-related snafus: Metallica inexplicably losing out to Jethro Tull in '89; Megadeth finally winning a Grammy in 2017 only to have Dave Mustaine played to the stage via a Metallica track (whoops!); those infamous mic issues that screwed up Metallica's own performance with Lady Gaga that same year (why are Metallica always involved with these things?!).

And that's before we get to the awards themselves. The Grammys have found themselves consistently behind the curve when it comes to recognising contemporary metal; legends like Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Megadeth and Motörhead had to wait decades for their first wins. In fact, in the last 15 years, the only band to win for Best Metal Performance to have been around for less than a decade was Ghost in 2016.

That said, there have been signs of life. While it was long overdue, Gojira winning a Grammy last year was cool as hell, and seeing the likes of Spiritbox, Poppy, Knocked Loose, Code Orange and Sleep Token pick up nominations in recent years suggests that someone in the Grammys house is paying attention. With that in mind, here's what the Grammys got absolutely right - and what they got absolutely wrong - at last night's awards in Los Angeles.

What the 2026 Grammys got right

First off, let's be clear: Turnstile are the best thing in rock music right now. Hardcore gatekeepers might sneer, but from last year's incredible, boundary-busting Never Enough album to their incendiary gigs, they are The Moment when it comes to exciting, fearless guitar music. Whether stealing the show at Glasto or producing Tiny Desk Concert's first ever stage dive, they deserve their flowers, so I'm not accepting any complaints about them winning Best Rock Album. Right band, right award.

It was also cool to see The Cure win their first ever Grammys (although surely Hayley Williams or Wet Leg deserved one of those wins, if we're being honest), and the all-star tribute to Ozzy Osbourne featuring Post Malone, Slash, Duff McKagan and Chad Smith was powerful and fitting for an artist so important to heavy music and British pop culture. Good shit.

Despite it being a cover, I'm also struggling to beef with Yungblud getting recognition for his goosebump-inducing take on Black Sabbath classic Changes. I was lucky enough to be at the Back To The Beginning show and his was a genuinely show-stealing turn; few could argue that Yungblud has been the biggest story in contemporary rock music over the last twelve months.

Finally, let's talk about Spiritbox. That one of modern metalcore's very best bands got to play as part of the biggest awards show in music is excellent - the fact that they played one of their heaviest and angriest tracks made it even better. I can only imagine the faces of some of that audience seeing Courtney LaPlante screaming 'YOUR GOD WILL SORT YOU WHEN YOU DIIIIEEEEE!' at the top of her lungs. Lovely stuff. In fact, of the nominations for Best Metal Performance, they'd have been worthy winners. Which brings me to...

What the 2026 Grammys got wrong

Turnstile are the best thing in rock right now. Turnstile are not the best thing in metal right now. In fact, Turnstile aren't metal at all. So why were they even nominated for Best Metal Performance, let alone winning it? The fact that Turnstile were nominated across categories for rock, metal and alternative suggests that The Grammys have no real idea about the different sounds, styles and communities that populate these genres, and it's frustrating.

Some corners of the metal world would be quick to point out that out of this year's nominations, Ghost and Sleep Token aren't exactly the heaviest bands going either. But at least they both came from the metal scene. Ghost sing subversive bangers packed with Satanic reference points and Sleep Token snuck blastbeats and metal screams onto last year's Even In Arcadia album. Turnstile came from punk rock - different world, different reference points.

Again, this isn't a cuss on Turnstile - they were already well and deservedly taken care of in other categories. But following a year where we've seen outstanding releases from the likes of symphonic deathcore mavericks Lorna Shore, US post-black metal faves Deafheaven and Italian doom voyagers Messa, it just feels like a misfire.

Also, as much as I love Nine Inch Nails (and that Tron: Ares soundtrack absolutely slaps, to be fair), I'm not convinced Trent Reznor needs another Grammy right now, especially when, once again, you had Hayley Williams right there, making some of the most interesting and thoughtful music in the rock scene. Or is it the alternative scene? In her case, I think it's probably fair she made it into both categories.

So yeah, while there were some big wins for heavy music at the Grammys this year, can we try actually giving metal awards to metal bands next year?