Lily Huynh/The Cougar
MTV held its Video Music Awards on Sept. 27 at Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles. Awards were handed out during the televised broadcast for a total of six categories out of the complete 23, but this awards season differed from the VMAs of the past. There was an absence of a category that has been a mainstay in this awards ceremony for decades: rock.
The VMAs did not include the rock category in its nominations this year, along with many other categories: Afrobeats, Best Album, Best Pop Artist, Best Group, Best Push Performance of the Year, Video For Good, Best Long-Form Video and Song of the Summer were all left off the ballot this year.
What makes rock so notable?
The VMAs were launched by MTV in 1984. Five years after its inception, the VMAs added Best Heavy Metal Video, a category that would go through plenty of name iterations, from Best Metal/Hard Rock to Best Hard Rock, then Best Rock Video and finally Best Rock.
Over time, some of rock’s biggest names performed at its ceremonies. Guns N’ Roses, the first winner of the category, Aerosmith, Nirvana and Green Day all had performances that were among the best to date.
A lot of the most notable rock artists and bands got their first taste of mainstream exposure through this ceremony. Just like any other category, their nominations showed a snapshot of the current state of the genre.
The VMAs have seen a steady decline in viewership since their record-breaking 2015 show. Rock is a genre that has around 1.5 billion listeners globally.
To eliminate a category with such a huge following in an awards show that has had trouble gaining viewers in recent years, feels ill-advised.
This year also marked plenty of releases from some of the most well-known rock bands. Bands like Weezer, Foo Fighters, The Cure, Nine Inch Nails, U2, The Strokes and The Rolling Stones, four of whom are on the Billboard top 50 rock bands of all time.
The VMAs pulling the rock category means that these huge returns won’t be acknowledged within this sphere, nor will any up-and-coming rock artist who could benefit from the exposure.
Another factor that made the removal strange was this year’s Video Vanguard honoree: Nirvana.
Former members Krist Novoselic, Pat Smear and Dave Grohl all reunited to receive the award. Nirvana is one of the biggest rock bands of all time and has huge ties to MTV. Their music video for “Smells Like Teen Spirit” gained traction from being featured on MTV, which helped push them into the mainstream.
To highlight a band whose category has recently been eliminated is contradictory. The VMAs show that they care about rock and its contributions on one front, but not another.
Fans response
Rock fans were disappointed and confused to see the exclusion of the Best Rock category. Fans were even more upset with the lack of reasoning given by Paramount, MTV’s parent company.
Others felt like this was a long time coming. In recent years, recipients of the Best Rock Music Video Award were artists that were more pop-rock and pop-punk as opposed to traditional rock and heavy metal.
Fans are also discontent with the only potential category for modern rock music at the VMAs being the Best Alternative category.
There was commonly overlap between the two categories, but Best Alternative usually covers music that fits into niche subgenres like ska, shoegaze, lo-fi and Britpop or combines multiple genres, such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers with funk/rock and MGK with rap/rock.
Rock isn’t going anywhere. It’s one of the most listened-to genres in the country; being taken out of the VMAs isn’t likely to be some cataclysmic event.
The biggest concern lies with the principle of the matter.
The VMAs are known for giving fans a say with their voting system, providing a more accurate picture of what fans are listening to. By reducing and deleting categories, it sends the opposite message.
For award ceremonies to remain relevant and be somewhat meaningful to the general public, they have to represent pop culture as a whole. Erasure of genres ignores the people whose opinions the VMAs are supposed to showcase.
opinion@thedailycougar.com
