Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album

Criteria

While the definition of "alternative" has been debated, the award was first presented in 1991 to recognize non-mainstream rock albums "heavily played on college radio stations". After several updates of the category description, the Grammy organisation issued the following statement for the 2019 Grammy season:

Alternative is defined as a genre of music that embraces attributes of progression and innovation in both the music and attitudes associated with it. It is often a less intense version of rock or a more intense version of pop and is typically regarded as more original, eclectic, or musically challenging. It may embrace a variety of subgenres or any hybrids thereof and may include recordings that don't fit into other genre categories.

History

In 1991, and from 1994 to 1999, the award was known as Best Alternative Music Performance. Before 2001, only the performing artist received a nomination and an award.

As of 2025, Radiohead, The White Stripes, Beck, and St. Vincent share the record for the most wins in this category, having won three times each, with St. Vincent being the first solo female to win the award thrice. Three female solo artists have won the award, Sinéad O'Connor and Fiona Apple; two bands with female members, The White Stripes and Alabama Shakes, have also won the award, as well as two all-female bands, Wet Leg and Boygenius. With nine nominations to date, Björk holds the record for the most nominations in this category; Radiohead singer Thom Yorke was nominated for the 2007 and 2020 awards for his solo albums, making him the most nominated person in this category with 10 total nominations. Björk holds the record for the most nominations for a solo artist, as well as the record for the most nominations without a win. Vampire Weekend and Coldplay have each received the award twice, and Coldplay are the only group to win two years consecutively. American artists have been presented with the award more than any other nationality, though it has been presented to musicians or groups from the United Kingdom five times, from Ireland twice, and from France and Australia once each. Artists from Canada, Iceland, and Sweden have been nominated for the award, but none have won.

Recipients

Each year is linked to the article about the Grammy Awards held that year.

Artists with multiple wins

;3 wins

• Beck
• Radiohead
• The White Stripes
• St. Vincent

;2 wins

• Coldplay
• Vampire Weekend

Artists with multiple nominations

;9 nominations

• Björk

;8 nominations

• Beck
• Radiohead

;6 nominations

• Arcade Fire

;5 nominations

• Tori Amos
• PJ Harvey

;4 nominations

• Bon Iver
• Death Cab for Cutie
• St. Vincent
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs

;3 nominations

• Fiona Apple
• Arctic Monkeys
• The Cure
• My Morning Jacket
• Nine Inch Nails
• Nirvana
• R.E.M.
• The Smashing Pumpkins
• Tame Impala
• Vampire Weekend
• The White Stripes

;2 nominations

• Big Thief
• David Bowie
• David Byrne
• Coldplay
• Elvis Costello
• Fatboy Slim
• The Flaming Lips
• Franz Ferdinand
• Gnarls Barkley
• Gorillaz
• Brittany Howard
• The National
• Thom Yorke
• Tom Waits
• Wet Leg
• Wilco

References

Specific

General

References

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