Scene
The nominations for the 68th Annual Grammy Awards have been announced, set to take place on February 1, 2026 in Los Angeles. This remains one of the most important events in the music industry, honouring the best recordings, artists, producers and engineers across 94 categories. Yet despite electronic music’s role as an essential part of the mainstream today, it still occupies only four of those categories.
Electronic music is mainstream – but the Grammys haven’t caught up
It’s true that genres such as jazz and rock have longer histories, but the contemporary electronic music scene has become a global force: from festivals and clubs to TikTok, radio and pop production. Electronic music is no longer a “underground alternative”, it has become a full-fledged competitor among major music industries.Which is why it remains unclear why an institution like the Grammys still offers so little space to a genre that dominates generations, technology and global culture.
When you consider an awards event with 94 categories, the logical question arises: does electronic music really deserve only four? And while those four exist, they are broad enough that even mainstream pop artists can compete in them.
What if the pioneers of electronic music had been recognised?
Modern electronic music exists thanks to generations of producers who built the genre long before it became globally profitable. Imagine a scene today where artists like Paul Kalkbrenner, Jeff Mills, Carl Cox, Four Tet, Richie Hawtin or Laurent Garnier had ever been recognised by the Grammys. That would have meant legitimation for the whole genre, but the Academy has, for years, ignored electronic sound, even when it was revolutionary.
And while many pioneers never received recognition, there were a few electronic artists with underground roots who did break through, but usually only after achieving massive mainstream visibility, or in categories far outside dance music. Fatboy Slim won a Grammy for a music video (“Weapon of Choice”), not for his groundbreaking big-beat productions. The Chemical Brothers, born from UK rave culture, became rare exceptions with multiple wins. Aphex Twin, one of the most experimental and influential electronic producers in history, wasn’t awarded until more than twenty years into his career. Even Skrillex, Diplo, and Daft Punk only received widespread Grammy validation once their sound crossed firmly into the global mainstream.
The Grammys aren’t just ignoring electronic music – they’re ignoring its influence
Electronic music today doesn’t stay confined to its own niche. It appears in pop, hip-hop, R&B, indie and film music. Often, nominations and awards go to pop artists who incorporate dance or electronic elements – which is entirely valid, because modern pop often sounds exactly that way. But at the same time it blurs the space for artists who come from the very heart of the genre. This in no way diminishes the work of artists like Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga, Selena Gomez or Charli XCX, who deserve their dance-pop nominations. On the contrary, it shows how fluid genre boundaries have become. But it also highlights the problem: electronic categories are so broadly defined that they don’t preserve the genre’s identity.
This year’s nominations show the strength and breadth of the scene
Despite everything, this year’s nominations bring a ray of hope. Among the four electronic categories appear names such as Fred again.., RÜFÜS DU SOL and Skrillex, who succeed in bridging club culture with mainstream success, while PinkPantheress represents the new generation whose dance-pop sound is growing via social media, yet unmistakably part of the electronic aesthetic. And then there are Disclosure, KAYTRANADA, FKA twigs and others who bring diversity and width to the genre. These nominations show that the industry does see what is happening – electronic music is an unavoidable part of today’s sound. But as long as the Academy gives only four spots out of 94 categories to electronic music, it’s hard to speak of true parity between genres.
Electronic music, of course, is not waiting for institutional recognition to advance. But perhaps it will be exactly pressure from the audience, and the growing presence of electronic-music artists in mainstream nominations, that will force the Academy to recognize what is obvious to everyone who truly listens to music: the time has come for electronic music to get the space it has long deserved.
List of nominations in electronic music categories:
Best Dance/Electronic Recording
- No Cap – Disclosure & Anderson .Paak
- Victory Lap – Fred again.., Skepta & PlaqueBoyMax
- Space Invader – KAYTRANADA
- Voltage – Skrillex
- End of Summer – Tame Impala
Best Dance Pop Recording
- Bluest Flame – Selena Gomez & Benny Blanco
- Abracadabra – Lady Gaga
- Midnight Sun – Zara Larsson
- Just Keep Watching (From F1® the Movie) – Tate McRae
- Illegal – PinkPantheress
Best Dance/Electronic Album
- EUSEXUA – FKA twigs
- Ten Days – Fred again..
- Fancy That – PinkPantheress
- Inhale / Exhale – RÜFÜS DU SOL
- F— U Skrillex You Think Ur Andy Warhol But Ur Not!! <3 – Skrillex
Best Remixed Recording
- Abracadabra (Gesaffelstein Remix) – Gesaffelstein (remixer) for Lady Gaga
- Don’t Forget About Us (KAYTRANADA Remix) – KAYTRANADA (remixer) for Mariah Carey & KAYTRANADA
- A Dream’s a Dream – Ron Trent Remix – Ron Trent (remixer) for Soul II Soul
- Galvanize (Chris Lake Remix) – Chris Lake (remixer) for The Chemical Brothers & Chris Lake
- Golden – David Guetta Rem/X – David Guetta (remixer) for Huntr/x: Ejae, Audrey Nuna & Rei Ami
Check out all the nominees here.
