Photo by Andy Ford
taking over the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards were celebrated as some of the biggest names across hip hop, pop, country and rock all convened to celebrate the best of the best.
Featuring performances from the likes of Alex Warren, Landmark Award recipient Ludacris, RAYE, Kehlani, TLC and more, the ceremony also included an ICON Award presentation to legendary rock music songwriter, John Cougar Mellencamp and Innovator Awards winner, Miley Cyrus.
While award show mainstays like Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar and Bad Bunny all took home hardware as the year's dominant names, the rock world offered some interesting takeaways with some unexpected winners walking with the honors.
Linkin Park would repeat as winners, earning best in show in the 'Best Rock Song' category with "Heavy Is the Crown". The band won in 2025 for their From Zero full length. Shinedown also repeated as winners, this time taking the prize for 'Rock Artist of the Year' following their 2025 win for rock song of the year with “A Symptom Of Human Being“.
Scoring big for 'Rock Album of the Year' Sleep Token completed a triumphant year with with their campaign for Even In Arcadia, while Sleep Theory took top honors for their breakout year as 'Best New Rock Artist' edging out a confusing field that included pretty established names like Poppy, Spiritbox and metalcore veterans, Architects.
A complete list of winners from the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards can be found - HERE
