As the Recording Academy continues to reckon (slowly) with the rock and metal soundscape as contenders for recognition, the 2026 Grammy nominations reflect a scene in flux—where genre lines entangle, heavy music dominating festival stages, and artists once deemed “too niche” now command massive cultural gravity. With the Grammy ceremony set to air on February 1—although metal categories will not get airtime beyond an announcement during the red carpet—here are the idobi Radio predictions for best rock, metal, and alternative categories.
Best Rock Performance
YUNGBLUD — Changes (Live From Villa Park) Back To The Beginning
Even before Ozzy Osbourne’s passing, this performance felt heavy. Watching it now, it’s impossible not to feel the gravity of the moment. This was Ozzy’s final performance—a true closing chapter—and YUNGBLUD met it with reverence instead of spectacle. The connection between them was real: mentor, friend, chosen family. There’s no over-singing here, no theatrics, just restraint, respect, and emotion hanging in the air. That YUNGBLUD has continued performing “Changes” in tribute only deepens its meaning.
Best Metal Performance
Turnstile — BIRDS
If you were anywhere near heavy music in 2025—or even just on social media, in general—you heard “BIRDS.” Maybe even against your will at first. The song lit the fuse on what quickly became known as Turnstile summer, a moment where the band fully dominated the conversation without chasing it. “BIRDS” thrives on momentum—on bodies moving, sweat flying, tension snapping—and Turnstile understands that instinctively. It’s visceral, communal, and impossible to sit through without feeling something shift in you.
Best Rock Song
YUNGBLUD — Zombie
“Zombie” doesn’t try to dress itself up. It sits in the ugliness—physical, emotional, internal—and refuses to look away. It’s about deterioration, about shutting people out because you’re terrified of becoming a burden or an embarrassment. Vulnerable doesn’t even begin to cover it. This is an open wound of a song, slow-burning and devastating in its honesty. That this marks YUNGBLUD’s first GRAMMY nomination for an original track feels beyond earned. It’s one of the bravest songs he’s ever released.
Best Rock Album
Turnstile — NEVER ENOUGH
NEVER ENOUGH captures Turnstile at a moment where momentum could’ve flattened them—and instead, they pushed harder. The album sounds alive and confident in its refusal to stay boxed in. It soundtracked a year where the band felt everywhere: festival stages, social feeds, playlists, packed rooms screaming every word back at them. That balance isn’t accidental. While this category is teeming with strong contenders for best rock album of the year, this truly was Turnstile’s year, and this award rightfully belongs to them.
Best Alternative Music Performance
Hayley Williams — Parachute
“Parachute” arrived quietly and then completely took over. Released as part of Hayley Williams’ surprise album drop, the song spread fast and stuck so deeply because of its emotional weight. Bruised and exhausted, “Parachute” feels like someone admitting they’re barely holding it together and not asking for solutions. With no new Paramore music since 2023, the track landed as a reminder of just how singular Williams’ voice remains—capable of leveling a room without raising it.
Best Alternative Music Album
Tyler, The Creator — DON’T TAP THE GLASS
DON’T TAP THE GLASS feels like Tyler, The Creator operating with zero interest in being palatable. The album moves with confidence and discomfort at once, never scattered or ever less than intentional. Tyler bends genre around himself rather than asking for permission, drawing from pop, rap, and experimental corners without smoothing the edges. Sure, you could argue that other nominees fit neatly into the “alternative” box—but that’s exactly why this album should win. Alternative music has always belonged to the rule-breakers. This record remembers that.
