Gene Simmons has long said “rock is dead,” and MTV seems to agree. After decades of recognizing the genre, the onetime music channel has dropped the long-running “Best Rock” category from the upcoming 2026 edition of its annual Video Music Awards (VMAs).
The MTV channel itself has long abandoned all music, as it mostly consists of Ridiculousness re-runs with an occasional new episode of Jersey Shore: Family Vacation or Caught in the Act: Unfaithful. But the annual VMAs have always served as a nostalgic nod to MTV’s past glory.
Now, the VMAs have removed “Best Rock” from its awards lineup, instead sticking with “Best Alternative” as the only field that somewhat represents anything rock related. The 2026 nominees in that category include Geese (“Taxes”), mgk & Fred Durst (“FIX UR FACE”), Noah Kahan (“The Great Divide”), Olivia Rodrigo (“the cure”), SOMBR (“Homewrecker”), Tame Impala (“Dracula”), and Twenty One Pilots (“Drag Path”).
The VMAs first recognized hard-rocking music in 1989 with the introduction of the “Best Heavy Metal Video” category. Over the years, that evolved to “Best Metal/Hard Rock Video” and “Best Hard Rock Video” before officially becoming “Best Rock Video” in 1997, and simplified to “Best Rock” in recent years.
The move to drop rock from the awards comes just one year after the VMAs honored the late Ozzy Osbourne with a musical tribute featuring Yungblud and members of Aerosmith.
The 2026 MTV VMAs take place Sunday, September 27th, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, airing live on MTV and CBS beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET/ 4:30 p.m. PT.
