Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance was an award presented to recording artists at the Grammy Awards from 1990 to 2011.
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. Jethro Tull won that award for the album Crest of a Knave, beating Metallica, who were expected to win with the album ...And Justice for All. 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. In response, the academy created the categories Best Hard Rock Performance and Best Metal Performance, separating the genres.
The band Living Colour was presented the first award for Best Hard Rock Performance in 1990. From 1992 to 1994, the award was presented as the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance with Vocal. The bands Foo Fighters, Living Colour, and the Smashing Pumpkins share the record for the most wins, with two each. American artists were presented with the award more than any other nationality, though it was also presented to musicians or groups originating from Australia twice and from the United Kingdom once. Alice in Chains holds the record for the most nominations without a win, with eight.
The award was discontinued in 2012 due to a major overhaul of Grammy categories. In 2012 and 2013, quality hard rock performances were honored in the Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance category. However, in 2014, the category was split, returning the stand-alone Best Metal Performance category and recognizing quality hard rock performances in the Best Rock Performance category. According to the Recording Academy, "It was determined that metal has a very distinctive sound, and hard rock more closely aligns with rock and can exist comfortably as one end of the rock spectrum."
Recipients
Image:Chris Cornell Montreux Jazz Festival 2005.jpg|right|upright|thumb|alt=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 2005Image:Billy Corgan pic.jpg|right|upright|thumb|alt=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
Image:Robert Plant.jpg|right|upright|thumb|alt=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
Image:Metallica at The O2 Arena London 2008.jpg|right|upright|thumb|alt=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
Image:Mike Shinoda, Mr. Hahn & Chester Bennington, Linkin Park @ Sonisphere.jpg|right|upright|thumb|alt=|Linkin Park, the 2002 award-winning band
Image:Foo Fighters Live 21.jpg|right|upright|thumb|alt=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
Image:Wolfmother closeup.JPG|right|upright|thumb|alt=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
Image:The Mars Volta.jpg|right|upright|thumb|alt=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
Each year is linked to the article about the Grammy Awards held that year.
Multiple wins
;2 winsMultiple nominations
;8 nominations;5 nominations
;4 nominations
;3 nominations
- Foo Fighters
- Guns N' Roses
- Living Colour
- Mötley Crüe
- Nine Inch Nails
- The Smashing Pumpkins
- Soundgarden
- System of a Down