Rock + Metal Largely Shut Out of 2024 MTV Video Music Award Nominations

The MTV Video Music Awards nominations for 2024 have been revealed, and they are largely lacking in representation of modern rock and metal acts.

When the nominees were announced Tuesday (Aug. 6), it was probably no surprise to see pop icons such as Taylor Swift leading the way with 10 nominations, and artists such as Post Malone, Ariana Grande, Eminem and Sabrina Carpenter serving as her biggest challengers. But what was surprising was how little many of today's most prominent rock and metal acts were represented, even in the categories assigned for rock.

There were zero rock nominees included in the big four categories of Video of the Year, Artist of the Year, Song of the Year and Best New Artist. So which rock and metal artists did actually receive nominations?

Who Got Nominated in the MTV VMA Rock Categories?

The nominees for MTV's Best Rock VMA read like a list of elder statesmen, with all of the acts having been around since the early 2000s. They include Bon Jovi for "Legendary," Coldplay for "feelslikeimfallinginlove," Green Day for "Dilemma," Kings of Leon for "Mustang," Lenny Kravitz for "Human" and U2 for "Atomic City."

The other rock centric category was Best Alternative where Benson Boone's "Beautiful Things," Bleachers' "Tiny Moves," Hozier's "Too Sweet," Imagine Dragons' "Eyes Closed," Linkin Park's "Friendly Fire" and Teddy Swims' "Lose Control (Live)" at least had a closer tie to what has been faring well for alternative rock radio.

BEST ALTERNATIVE

Benson Boone – “Beautiful Things” – Night Street Records, Inc. / Warner Records
Bleachers – “Tiny Moves” – Dirty Hit
Hozier – “Too Sweet” – Columbia Records
Imagine Dragons – “Eyes Closed” – KIDinaKorner / Interscope Records
Linkin Park – “Friendly Fire” – This Compilation / Warner Records
Teddy Swims – “Lose Control (Live)” – Warner Records

BEST ROCK

Bon Jovi – “Legendary” – Island
Coldplay – “feelslikeimfallinginlove” – Atlantic Records
Green Day – “Dilemma” – Reprise Records / Warner Records
Kings of Leon – “Mustang” – Capitol Records
Lenny Kravitz – “Human” – ℗© 2024 Roxie Records Inc. under exclusive license to BMG Rights Management GmbH
U2 – “Atomic City” – Interscope Records

Outside of those two categories, it's pretty bleak for rock fans. Coldplay got a "Video for Good" nomination and Bleachers received Best Direction and Best Choreography nominations. Meanwhile, The Warning's "Automatic Sun," which was featured by the network in July, is up for the MTV Push Performance of the Year.

Who's Up for the Big Awards?

As previously stated, pop rules! Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Eminem, Post Malone and others are well represented in the bigger categories. A listing of the nominees for the top four categories can be seen below.

VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Ariana Grande – “we can’t be friends (wait for your love)” – Republic Records
Billie Eilish – “LUNCH” – Darkroom / Interscope Records
Doja Cat – “Paint The Town Red” – Kemosabe Records / RCA Records
Eminem – “Houdini” – Shady / Aftermath / Interscope Records
SZA – “Snooze” – Top Dawg Entertainment / RCA Records
Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone – “Fortnight” – Republic Records

ARTIST OF THE YEAR 

Ariana Grande – Republic Records
Bad Bunny – Rimas Entertainment
Eminem – Shady / Aftermath / Interscope Records
Sabrina Carpenter – Island
SZA – Top Dawg Entertainment / RCA Records
Taylor Swift – Republic Records

SONG OF THE YEAR

Beyoncé – “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM” – Parkwood Entertainment / Columbia Records
Jack Harlow – “Lovin On Me” – Generation Now / Atlantic Records
Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us” – pgLang, under exclusive license to Interscope Records
Sabrina Carpenter – “Espresso” – Island
Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone – “Fortnight” – Republic Records
Teddy Swims – “Lose Control” – Warner Records

BEST NEW ARTIST

Benson Boone – Night Street Records, Inc. / Warner Records
Chappell Roan – Island
Gracie Abrams – Interscope Records
Shaboozey – American Dogwood / EMPIRE
Teddy Swims – Warner Records
Tyla – Epic Records

About the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards

The 2024 MTV VMAs will take place Tuesday, Sept. 10 at 8PM ET / PT live from New York's UBS Arena. Voting in all categories is now open. You can make your selections through the MTV VMAs website.