The American Music Awards are much bigger this year but are they any better?

by

You can say what you want about the American Music Awards, but you definitely can’t say they’re getting smaller. Originally created by Dick Clark Productions to compete with the Grammys, the show is broadcasting its 52nd annual event on Monday, May 25th, and it’s bigger than ever before. Whether it’s actually better is another matter.

The American Music Awards have always been interesting – they usually reflect what’s popular with fans more than the Grammys, but they haven’t quite achieved the same level of prestige with artists or the public.

This year, the show will also be broadcast on television and feature performances by today’s popular artists, including KATSEYE, sombr, Teddy Swims, and Teyana Taylor.

The lineup includes artists like Billy Idol, Busta Rhymes, and Keith Urban, appealing to fans who grew up with their music. New Kids on the Block are also performing, celebrating over four decades since they first became popular. Perhaps the most meaningful part of this year’s event is the special performance by BTS.

American Music Awards add a lot of new categories for 2026

After being out of the spotlight for a while, are they back for good, or are their best days behind them? Their song, Arirang, definitely got people talking when it was released a few months ago, but it hasn’t stayed in the headlines since that first week.

Let’s put the BTS issue aside for now. There’s a lot more to talk about concerning this year’s AMAs, especially the significant increase in new award categories.

The Grammys aren’t quite here yet, and they have a lot of categories – last I checked, around 28,000! Actually, just now the Recording Academy changed things around – they removed eleven categories and added fourteen, so the exact number is a little different now.

The American Music Awards are growing in popularity. Last year, there were 37 awards presented (excluding special honors), and that number is set to increase to 50 this year. Here’s a look at how the awards work and what’s new for the 2026 show.

The American Music Awards, similar to the Grammys, typically honor winners in four major categories: Album, Song, New Artist, and a top Artist award. Last year, Billie Eilish won Album, Song, and Artist, and Gracie Abrams was named Best New Artist.

Following the initial awards, most of the remaining honors are given out by music genre. Categories like Pop, Country, Hip-Hop, R&B, Latin, Rock, Afrobeats, K-Pop, and Dance/Electronic all have their own awards. Recently, Afrobeats, K-Pop, and Dance/Electronic each received a single award for Best Artist.

Rock music has three awards: Artist, Album, and Song. Pop, Hip-Hop, and R&B each have four awards because they give separate awards to male and female artists. Country and Latin music each also get an award specifically for duos or groups, bringing their total to five awards.

I don’t know why, but Pop artists consistently win big at the four major award shows. This allows them to win multiple awards, like when Billie Eilish took home seven last year.

The AMAs also distinguish themselves from the Grammys in a few ways. While both award shows recognize soundtracks and music videos, the AMAs also honor live tours and different song categories. Plus, their award for Best Collaboration is often considered a key prize, ranking among the top four or five awards of the night.

But that was obviously not enough. So here is what they have added for this year.

I noticed a lot of the new awards this year have “Break” in the title. Basically, they added a “Breakthrough [Genre] Artist” award in all the six main music categories, which is pretty cool. It’s a way to highlight up-and-coming artists in each genre.

I follow rock music pretty closely, and I noticed Geese, sombr, and Gigi Perez are all up for a new award: “Breakthrough Rock/Alternative Artist.” I believe the “Alternative” part is new this year, though I might be mistaken – I sometimes get details mixed up!

This year’s awards also include a Breakthrough Album category with nominees Olivia Dean, sombr, and Zara Larsson. The Breakout Tour award features Benson Boone, Kali Uchis, The Marias, Megan Moroney, and Sleep Token as contenders.

I suppose a Megan Moroney/Sleep Token tour would actually be pretty cool to witness.

OK, where were we?

Right – that’s about half the new stuff. The rest is divvied up like this.

A new category, Best Americana/Folk Artist, has been added. I think Noah Kahan will win, although he’s also up for a Rock/Alternative Song award, which is interesting!

Like other music genres, K-Pop recognizes both male and female artists with separate awards. While BTS made a notable appearance, K-Pop doesn’t have an award for duos or groups because most K-Pop acts are groups. This raises a question: how will award shows like the AMAs handle co-ed groups like KARD when nominations come around?

This year, the AMAs added three new awards: Throwback Song, Song of the Summer, and Vocal Performance. I get what the Throwback Song award is for – it recognizes older songs that became popular again this year. The nominees include 4 Non Blondes, Goo Goo Dolls, and the Black-Eyed Peas. As usual, the AMAs are pairing up artists in some unexpected combinations!

So, there are 13 new award categories, but I think only one truly shows whether the American Music Awards are focused on actual musical merit or just selling ad space on TV. That category is Breakthrough Rock/Alternative Artist.

Gigi Perez is a solid choice for nomination. Her songs from At the Beach, In Every Life are good examples of alternative rock. However, I see this as a competition between sombr and Geese. And honestly, if these awards are going to mean anything, Geese should win. I don’t even particularly enjoy their music, but they’ve had a much bigger impact on the evolution of rock than sombr has.

Sombr is gaining a lot of attention and could have a very successful music career. However, his music blends so much with modern pop that it feels more like pop than traditional rock. We already have plenty of rock that sounds like pop, and while enjoyable, this trend isn’t good for the future of rock music.

I’m much more invested in these awards than in other Rock or Alternative awards shows. While I enjoy some artists featured in those other shows – like Noah Kahan, Tame Impala, and past winners 21 Pilots – they often blend into other music genres, making them feel less focused on rock music.

Plus, sombr is up for Song and Album in other rock categories, making them the likely frontrunner for the Breakthrough award over Geese.

Oh well. At least Billy Idol will be on hand to pick up a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow

Read More

2026-05-22 15:01