Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album facts for kids

The Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album is an award given to recording artists for quality albums in the alternative rock genre at the Grammy Awards. The Grammy Awards were established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors in several categories are presented at the ceremony each year by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".

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". According to the Academy, the award is presented to "vocal or instrumental alternative music albums containing at least 51% playing time of newly recorded music". The Academy defines "alternative" as a "non-traditional" genre that exists "outside of the mainstream music consciousness". In 1991, and from 1994 to 1999, the award was known as Best Alternative Music Performance. Beginning in 2001, award recipients included the producers, engineers, and/or mixers associated with the nominated work in addition to the recording artists.

As of 2011, Radiohead and The White Stripes share the record for the most wins in this category, having won three times each. Radiohead's lead singer, Thom Yorke, was also nominated for the 2007 award for his solo album. Beck and Coldplay have each received the award twice, the latter being the only group to win two years in a row. 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 once. Female musicians Tori Amos and Björk hold the record for the most nominations without a win, with five each.

Recipients

Thom Yorke of the three-time award-winning band Radiohead

1999 award winner, Beastie Boys

Chris Martin of the two-time award-winning band Coldplay

Jack White and Meg White of the three-time award-winning band The White Stripes

2005 award winner, Wilco

Danger Mouse and Cee Lo Green of Gnarls Barkley

Year	Performing artist(s)	Nationality	Work	Nominees	Ref.
1991	O'Connor, SinéadSinéad O'Connor	Ireland	I Do Not Want Have I Haven't Got I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got	Laurie Anderson – Strange Angels Kate Bush – The Sensual World The Replacements – All Shook Down World Party – Goodbye Jumbo
1992	R.E.M.	United States	Out of Time Out of Time	Elvis Costello – Mighty Like a Rose Jesus Jones – Doubt Nirvana – Nevermind Richard Thompson – Rumor and Sigh
1993	Waits, TomTom Waits	United States	Bone Machine Bone Machine	The B-52s – Good Stuff The Cure – Wish Morrissey – Your Arsenal XTC – Nonsuch
1994	U2	Ireland	Zooropa Zooropa	Belly – Star Nirvana – In Utero R.E.M. – Automatic for the People The Smashing Pumpkins – Siamese Dream
1995	Green Day	United States	Dookie Dookie	Tori Amos – Under the Pink Crash Test Dummies – God Shuffled His Feet Sarah McLachlan – Fumbling Towards Ecstasy Nine Inch Nails – The Downward Spiral
1996	Nirvana	United States	MTV Unplugged in New York MTV Unplugged in New York	Björk – Post Foo Fighters – Foo Fighters PJ Harvey – To Bring You My Love The Presidents of the United States of America – The Presidents of the United States of America
1997	Beck	United States	Odelay Odelay	Tori Amos – Boys for Pele Tracy Bonham – The Burdens of Being Upright R.E.M. – New Adventures in Hi-Fi The Smashing Pumpkins – Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
1998	Radiohead	United Kingdom	OK Computer OK Computer	Björk – Homogenic David Bowie – Earthling The Chemical Brothers – Dig Your Own Hole The Prodigy – The Fat of the Land
1999	Beastie Boys	United States	Hello Nasty Hello Nasty	Tori Amos – From the Choirgirl Hotel PJ Harvey – Is This Desire? Radiohead – Airbag / How Am I Driving? The Smashing Pumpkins – Adore
2000	Beck	United States	Mutations Mutations	Tori Amos – To Venus and Back Fatboy Slim – You've Come a Long Way, Baby Moby – Play Nine Inch Nails – The Fragile
2001	Radiohead	United Kingdom	Kid A Kid A	Fiona Apple – When the Pawn… Beck – Midnite Vultures The Cure – Bloodflowers Paul McCartney – Liverpool Sound Collage
2002	Coldplay	United Kingdom	Parachutes Parachutes	Tori Amos – Strange Little Girls Björk – Vespertine Fatboy Slim – Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars Radiohead – Amnesiac
2003	Coldplay	United Kingdom	A Rush of Blood to the Head A Rush of Blood to the Head	Beck – Sea Change Clinic – Walking with Thee Elvis Costello and the Imposters – Cruel Smile The Soundtrack of Our Lives – Behind the Music
2004	The White Stripes	United States	Elephant Elephant	The Flaming Lips – Fight Test Radiohead – Hail to the Thief Sigur Rós – ( ) Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Fever to Tell
2005	Wilco	United States	A Ghost Is Born A Ghost Is Born	Björk – Medúlla Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand PJ Harvey – Uh Huh Her Modest Mouse – Good News for People Who Love Bad News
2006	The White Stripes	United States	Get Behind Me Satan Get Behind Me Satan	Arcade Fire – Funeral Beck – Guero Death Cab for Cutie – Plans Franz Ferdinand – You Could Have It So Much Better
2007	Gnarls Barkley	United States	St. Elsewhere St. Elsewhere	Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not The Flaming Lips – At War with the Mystics Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Show Your Bones Thom Yorke – The Eraser
2008	The White Stripes	United States	Icky Thump Icky Thump	Lily Allen – Alright, Still Arcade Fire – Neon Bible Björk – Volta The Shins – Wincing the Night Away
2009	Radiohead	United Kingdom	In Rainbows In Rainbows	Beck – Modern Guilt Death Cab for Cutie – Narrow Stairs Gnarls Barkley – The Odd Couple My Morning Jacket – Evil Urges
2010	Phoenix	France	Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix	David Byrne and Brian Eno – Everything That Happens Will Happen Today Death Cab for Cutie – The Open Door EP Depeche Mode – Sounds of the Universe Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It's Blitz!
2011	The Black Keys	United States	Brothers Brothers	Arcade Fire – The Suburbs Band of Horses – Infinite Arms Broken Bells – Broken Bells Vampire Weekend – Contra

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

General

Note: User must select the "Alternative" category as the genre under the search feature.

Specific

Images for kids

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  Sinéad O'Connor (pictured in 2013) was the inaugural winner in 1991

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  St. Vincent (pictured in 2018) was the second female recipient when she won in 2015

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  Matt Berninger of 2018 award winner The National (pictured in 2014)