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A visual history · Grammys

The winners who defined Hard Rock.

22 ceremonies, 1990–2011. 19 different winners. The longest run belongs to Living Colour, with 2 straight wins.

Who won most recently?
Them Crooked Vultures in 2011 for New Fang.
Who has won the most?
Foo Fighters, Living Colour and The Smashing Pumpkins, tied on 2 wins each.
  1. New FangThem Crooked Vultures
  2. War MachineAC/DC
  3. Wax SimulacraThe Mars Volta
  4. The PretenderFoo Fighters
  5. WomanWolfmother
  6. B.Y.O.B.System of a Down
Years explored
1990–2011
Different winners
19
Category leader
Foo Fighters · 2
About this record

Best Hard Rock Performance was first awarded in 1990, so it does not run the full 1959–2025 window.

It was awarded for the last time in 2011.

From 2012 the Grammys awarded Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance instead.

2000–2011

12 ceremonies

19902011

01 / The reigns

11 winners shaped this category.

The timeline turns the 2000–2011 record into a sequence of reigns. Longer bands reveal sustained runs; color shows the credited label.

  1. 01
    Foo Fighters2 wins
One band per year, because no winner has gone back-to-back in the years on record. Colored by label; scroll sideways for the full run.
Metallica'00
Rage Against the Machine'01
Linkin Park'02
Foo Fighters'03
Evanescence & Paul McCoy'04
Velvet Revolver'05
System of a Down'06
Wolfmother'07
Foo Fighters'08
The Mars Volta'09
AC/DC'10
Them Crooked Vultures'11

02 / The power map

Who stood behind the winners?

Sony leads the recorded label credits with 4 wins, 2000–2011. The full distribution shows whether power was concentrated or shared.

Sony4 wins
Warner4 wins
American1 win
Independent1 win
Modular1 win
Universal1 win
Wins by label
  1. Sony433%
  2. Warner433%
  3. American18%
  4. Independent18%
  5. Modular18%
  6. Universal18%

03 / The near misses

The names that kept coming back without the ending they wanted.

Counting nominations in this category only, 2000–2011.

Most nominated, never won this award

  1. 01
    Queens of the Stone Age
    4 noms
  2. 02
    Alice in Chains
    3 noms
  3. 03
    Audioslave
    2 noms
  4. 04
    Buckcherry
    2 noms
  5. 05
    Godsmack
    2 noms
  6. 06
    Kid Rock
    2 noms

Most losses in this category

  1. 01
    Queens of the Stone Age
    4L · 0W
  2. 02
    Alice in Chains
    3L · 0W
  3. 03
    Audioslave
    2L · 0W
  4. 04
    Buckcherry
    2L · 0W
  5. 05
    Godsmack
    2L · 0W
  6. 06
    Kid Rock
    2L · 0W

04 / The archive

Every year.
Every winner.

The complete reference behind the story, showing 2000–2011. Open any year to see the rest of the field when nominee records are available.

YearWinnerLabel
2011Them Crooked Vultures (New Fang)
beat 4 others
  • Alice in Chains (A Looking in View)
  • Ozzy Osbourne (Let Me Hear You Scream)
  • Soundgarden (Black Rain)
  • Stone Temple Pilots (Between the Lines)
Sony BMG/DGC/Interscope/Columbia
2010AC/DC (War Machine)
beat 4 others
  • Alice in Chains (Check My Brain)
  • Linkin Park (What I've Done (live))
  • Metallica (The Unforgiven III)
  • Nickelback (Burn It to the Ground)
Columbia
2009The Mars Volta (Wax Simulacra)
beat 4 others
  • Disturbed (Inside the Fire)
  • Judas Priest (Visions)
  • Mötley Crüe (Saints of Los Angeles)
  • Rob Zombie (The Lords of Salem)
Universal
2008Foo Fighters (The Pretender)
beat 4 others
  • Evanescence (Sweet Sacrifice)
  • Ozzy Osbourne (I Don't Wanna Stop)
  • Queens of the Stone Age (Sick, Sick, Sick)
  • Tool (The Pot)
Roswell/RCA
2007Wolfmother (Woman)
beat 4 others
  • Buckcherry (Crazy Bitch)
  • Nine Inch Nails (Every Day Is Exactly the Same)
  • System of a Down (Lonely Day)
  • Tool (Vicarious)
Modular
2006System of a Down (B.Y.O.B.)
beat 4 others
  • Audioslave (Doesn't Remind Me)
  • Nine Inch Nails (The Hand That Feeds)
  • Robert Plant (Tin Pan Valley)
  • Queens of the Stone Age (Little Sister)
American/Columbia
2005Velvet Revolver (Slither)
beat 4 others
  • Incubus (Megalomaniac)
  • Metallica (Some Kind of Monster)
  • Nickelback (Feelin' Way Too Damn Good)
  • Slipknot (Duality)
RCA/BMG
2004Evanescence & Paul McCoy (Bring Me to Life)
beat 4 others
  • Audioslave (Like a Stone)
  • Godsmack (Straight Out of Line)
  • Jane's Addiction (Just Because)
  • Queens of the Stone Age (Go with the Flow)
Wind-up
2003Foo Fighters (All My Life)
beat 4 others
  • Godsmack (I Stand Alone)
  • P.O.D. (Youth of the Nation)
  • Queens of the Stone Age (No One Knows)
  • System of a Down (Aerials)
Roswell/RCA
2002Linkin Park (Crawling)
beat 4 others
  • Alien Ant Farm (Smooth Criminal)
  • P.O.D. (Alive)
  • Rage Against the Machine (Renegades of Funk)
  • Saliva (Your Disease)
Warner Bros.
2001Rage Against the Machine (Guerrilla Radio)
beat 4 others
  • Kid Rock (American Bad Ass)
  • Limp Bizkit (Take a Look Around)
  • Pearl Jam (Grievance)
  • Stone Temple Pilots (Down)
Epic
2000Metallica (Whiskey in the Jar)
beat 5 others
  • Alice in Chains (Get Born Again)
  • Buckcherry (Lit Up)
  • Kid Rock (Bawitdaba)
  • Korn (Freak on a Leash)
  • Limp Bizkit (Nookie)
Elektra