Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Performance

The Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Performance is an award presented by the Recording Academy to honor quality alternative music performances in any given year. The award was presented for the first time on 5 February 2023 at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards, is a companion category to the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album and the first new category in the alternative genre field since the field's creation in 1991.

Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Performance
"This Is Why" by Paramore is the most recent recipient
Awarded for	Quality vocal or instrumental alternative recordings (tracks or singles only)
Presented by	National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
First awarded	2023
Currently held by	Paramore — This Is Why (2024)
Website	grammy.com

The Academy stated that the award goes to "a track or single performance that recognizes the best recordings in an alternative performance by a solo artist, collaborating artists, established duo, or established group."^[1]

Background

In 1991, and from 1994 to 1999, the award for Best Alternative Music Album was known as Best Alternative Music Performance.^[2] In this time, it was won by Sinéad O'Connor, U2, Green Day, Nirvana, Beck, Radiohead and Beastie Boys.

The category was one of five new categories announced in June 2022 alongside Best Americana Performance, Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media, Best Spoken Word Poetry Album and Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical.

Winners and nominees

 

Inaugural winners Wet Leg

Year^[I]	Performing artist(s)	Work	Nominees	Ref.
2023	Wet Leg	"Chaise Longue"	Arctic Monkeys – "There'd Better Be a Mirrorball" Big Thief – "Certainty" Florence and the Machine – "King" Yeah Yeah Yeahs featuring Perfume Genius – "Spitting Off the Edge of the World"	^[3]
2024	Paramore	"This Is Why"	Alvvays – "Belinda Says" Arctic Monkeys – "Body Paint" Boygenius – "Cool About It" Lana Del Rey – "A&W"	^[4]

^{^[I]} Each year is linked to the article about the Grammy Awards held that year.

References

1. "New Categories For The 2023 GRAMMYs Announced: Songwriter Of The Year, Best Video Game Soundtrack, Best Song For Social Change & More Changes". Grammy. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
2. Popkin, Helen A.S. (January 24, 2006). "Alternative to what?". TODAY. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
3. "2023 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Complete Nominees List". Grammy. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
4. "2024 Grammy Nominations: See The Full Nominees List". The Recording Academy. 10 November 2023. from the original on 10 November 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.