The 2022 Grammy nominations have been announced and Machine Gun Kelly was notable by his absence. 

His latest album, 2020’s Tickets to My Downfall, was eligible – his first pop punk album after fleeing hip hop, it could have secured a nomination in several rock categories.

When the nominees were announced though, MGK was nowhere to be seen. AC/DC (Power Up), Black Pumas (Capitol Cuts), Chris Cornell (No One Sings Like You Anymore, Vol. 1), Foo Fighters (Medicine at Midnight), and Paul McCartney (McCartney III) were instead nominated for Best Rock Album.

MGK clearly wasn’t impressed at the snub. “Wtf is wrong with the grammys,” the man christened recently as Squirt Gun Smelly tweeted after the nominees were revealed.

Life comes at you fast though: “I read a headline that said the age of the rock star is dead but looks pretty alive to me,” MGK said onstage at the American Music Awards while cockily looking himself up and down this weekend; now, he’s been deemed inferior to the 18th solo album by a Beatle, a posthumous cover album, and the 17th studio album by ageing Aussie rockers.

It doesn’t speak much to the Grammys’ knowledge of today’s rock music though, to be fair to MGK. Those Best Rock Album nominees, while no one is denying the quality of bands like AC/DC and Foo Fighters, scream laziness.

It ignores excellent releases from contemporary artists such as Black Midi (Cavalcade), Black Country, New Road (For the First Time), Iceage (Seek Shelter), Turnstile (Glow On), and Amyl and the Sniffers (Comfort to Me). The Grammys have never had their finger on the pulse.

Love Emo?

Get the latest Emo news, features, updates and giveaways straight to your inbox Learn more

You can check out the full list of Grammy nominees here. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert bandleader Jon Batiste leads the list with 11 nominations.

For more on this topic, follow the Emo Observer.

Get unlimited access to the coverage that shapes our culture.
to Rolling Stone magazine
to Rolling Stone magazine