It’s one thing when the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducts R&B artists that cause the internet to melt down, or when the Grammys hands out Rock hardware to a Pop band — we’ve come to expect that. And as perplexing as that still is, news came crashing down this week that MTV has dropped the “Rock Category” from the VMAs.
What?
They dropped a still-thriving genre that was unquestionably one of the most instrumental in making MTV famous? Let’s give New Wave, Pop, and Michael Jackson their flowers, but who can even imagine MTV in the late ’80s and ’90s without: Metallica, Motley Crue, Whitesnake, Guns N’ Roses, Def Leppard, and Headbanger’s Ball?
MTV’s Golden Age
Then came Nirvana, which transformed the channel seemingly overnight. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” played multiple times per hour — more spins per hour than Madonna was getting at Top 40 radio.
The Rock removal ends a 35+ year run of representation at the VMAs. Importantly, there is still “Alternative,” or MTV’s questionable definition of what Alternative is, which is another whole discussion. Ideally, at least there’s faint hope an electric guitar or real drum set might be on the show’s backline rider. (Let’s not hold our breath.)
The Bigger Picture
Certainly, let’s not hate on MTV too much. MTV isn’t a music outlet anymore — it’s a reality-TV network that occasionally cosplays as a music brand once a year. It’s their awards show, so they can do whatever they want with it. However, the bigger questions remain. Why dump Rock when other genres remain? And why won’t they explain it?
It can’t be streaming relevance. Rock remains one of the top global streaming genres. It can’t be touring strength. Rock acts crush touring revenue every year in arenas, stadiums, and festivals. It can’t be broad appeal. According to Luminate, Rock is the #2 most consumed music genre in the United States, beating Pop, Country, Latin, and EDM. The only answer that makes sense is that Rock simply isn’t the audience MTV is going for anymore. Notably, maybe if someone on Jersey Shore were in a rock band, things might be different.
Although MTV and the VMAs don’t carry the cultural punch they once did, I’d rather see the Rock category remain. Fortunately, Rock will be just fine without it. Rock is still everywhere — there’s no shortage of radio stations, streams, and platforms blasting Rock — old and new.
Rock as the Underdog
In fact, isn’t this how the Rock story is supposed to go? Rock is always the underdog. The outsider. The thing that makes its way in, steals the girl, rights the ship, kills the bad guys, and everyone cheers at the end. Perhaps the VMAs are doing Rock a favor? (Don’t blame a guy for trying to find a silver lining.)
I wanted to find out what friends and colleagues thought. Therefore, I reached out to a few for their thoughts.
Expert Voices
“MTV hasn’t had any credibility with rock fans for a very long time. This is unfortunate, but I’m not surprised.”
Ryan Castle — VP of Rock Formats, Audacy
“Seriously, since the VMAs decided to exclude ‘Rock’ from their anachronistic awards program, I’ve actually heard more buzz about the show than I have in years. So, that’s saying something.”
Fred Jacobs — President, Jacobs Media
“If you can name any of the last 3 ‘Best Rock’ Winners without Googling, I’ll give you a dollar. (Answer: Coldplay, Lenny Kravitz, and Maneskin). In fact, can you name any winner of any MTV award from the last 3 years? It’s hard to get too worked up over losing a ‘platform’ that wasn’t doing a whole lot of elevating to begin with.”
Derek Madden — VP of Mainstream Rock Formats, Cumulus Media
“For MTV to drop the Rock category is surprising and feels as if they’re misaligned with how music migrates across formats in an era where streaming is the music leader and has no format borders. The Foo Fighters, Shinedown, Jack White may appear on the Alternative charts, but they’re Rock bands. How do they not warrant their own category?”
Mike McVay — President, McVay Media Consulting
“I loved the rock-fueled years I was at MTV and VH-1. It’s disappointing they dropped the Rock category because there’s certainly enough going on to justify one, or a few. MTV used to create music pop culture, and the VMAs would award it. Today, MTV isn’t in the music game, so dropping the Rock category is probably more about what direction they’re heading in, not an indictment of the music.”
Matt Pinfield — Former MTV/VH-1 VJ, Award Winning Rock Culturalist
The Irony
I heard from many others, and to no surprise, the collective sentiment is clear. It’s not only disappointing and surprising — without any explanation, it comes across as tone deaf or like an embarrassing oversight. Completely ignoring a massive genre that helped get the network to the dance in the first place feels like:
McDonald’s dropping fries
ESPN ditching Sportscenter
TikTok banning dance videos
But really, in one of the oddest twists of irony, it’s all good. MTV’s most played and most popular show these days, by a wide margin, is named Ridiculousness.
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Keith Cunningham is a music industry and Rock/Alternative columnist for Barrett Media and the founder of Black Box Group, a modern-modeled creative & strategic consultancy built for brands that need strategies with teeth. He’s the former Master of Mayhem at 95.5 KLOS-FM in Los Angeles for over a decade, a nationwide consultant, and has been repeatedly voted one of America’s top Program Directors and strategic thinkers. Keith has built his career by taking multi-million-dollar brands from worst to first and leading Marconi & Gracie award winners along the way. A data nerd with a rock-and-roll heart, he is an advisory council member for St. Jude fundraising, a fantasy football champion, and lover of his daughters & dogs. Reach him at keithblackboxgroup@gmail.com or on LinkedIn or X.