Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance

The academy recognized hard rock music artists for the first time at the 31st Grammy Awards in 1989.

The category was originally presented as Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Vocal or Instrumental, combining two of the most popular music genres of the 1980s.

This choice led to widespread criticism of the academy, as journalists suggested that the music of Jethro Tull did not belong in the hard rock or heavy metal genres.

The band Living Colour was presented the first award for Best Hard Rock Performance in 1990.

The bands Foo Fighters, Living Colour, and the Smashing Pumpkins share the record for the most wins, with two each.

A man wearing a white T-shirt, playing a guitar with his eyes closed while standing behind a microphone stand.
Chris Cornell , lead singer of the 1995 award-winning band Soundgarden , performing in 2005
A man with a shaved head, singing into a microphone with his eyes closed. He is wearing a black shirt with the text "Zero" across the front.
Billy Corgan of the two-time award-winning band The Smashing Pumpkins
A man with long, curly hair wearing a red dress shirt and singing into a microphone on a stand.
1999 award winner, Robert Plant , performing in 2007
Four men in dark clothing on a stage; the man on the left has his arm raised in the air, while the third man from the left has his arms around the second and fourth.
Metallica , the 2000 award-winning band, performing in 2008
Linkin Park , the 2002 award-winning band
A crowd of people standing before a stage lit by four lights from above. On the stage, from left to right, is a man with a guitar, a man dressed in black holding a guitar, and a man sitting behind a drum set.
The two-time award-winning band Foo Fighters
Three men on a stage in front of a crowd; two are holding guitars while the one of the center is sitting behind a drum set. Audio equipment, a drum set, lighting, and other stage fixtures can also be seen in the background.
Wolfmother , the 2007 award-winning band, performing at the Beale Street Music Festival
Three men standing on a stage in front of a crowd; two are holding guitars while the one of the center is holding a microphone. Audio equipment, a drum set, lighting, and other stage props can also be seen in the background.
The 2009 award-winning band, The Mars Volta