Culture 3 min read By Lauren Baxter
MTV VMAs drop Best Rock category after 37 years
The MTV Video Music Awards have removed the Best Rock category from the 2026 ceremony, replacing it with Best Alternative after nearly four decades of honoring rock music.
The MTV Video Music Awards have quietly retired the Best Rock category after 37 years, removing it from the lineup for the 2026 ceremony. Nominations announced Wednesday revealed that the category has been replaced by Best Alternative, which this year recognizes acts including Geese, Tame Impala, Olivia Rodrigo, Sombr, and Noah Kahan.
Rock music has been part of the VMAs since 1989, when the ceremony introduced Best Heavy Metal Video. The category evolved over the years into Best Metal/Hard Rock Video, then Best Hard Rock Video, before officially becoming Best Rock Video in 1997 and eventually shortening to Best Rock. The change arrives just one year after the show honored the late Ozzy Osbourne with a tribute performance featuring Yungblud alongside Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Joe Perry.
This year's ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, September 27, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The show will air live simultaneously on CBS, MTV, and Paramount+.
Madonna leads the field with 11 nominations, including Video of the Year for Confessions II – The Film, which accompanied her latest studio album. She is also in the running for Artist of the Year and Song of the Year for her single Bring Your Love with Sabrina Carpenter, which additionally earned a Best Collaboration nod. The film also appears in categories for Best Dance, Best Direction, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Choreography, and Best Visual Effects.
Taylor Swift follows closely with nine nominations, including Artist of the Year and Video of the Year for The Fate of Ophelia. The video for Opalite is competing for Best Direction. Other Artist of the Year contenders include Ariana Grande, Bruno Mars, and Sabrina Carpenter. The Song of the Year field features BTS with Swim, Olivia Dean with Man I Need, and Raye with Where Is My Husband!
Harry Styles earned a Best Dance nomination for Aperture, while Charli XCX is up for Best Pop and Best Art Direction with SS26. If Swift wins just one award, she will become the most-awarded artist in VMA history. She currently ties with Beyoncé at 30 wins each.
Fan voting for the 2026 ceremony is now open, with the full nominations list available on the official MTV website.
