After laying my eyes on the confusing batch of nominees for this year’s Grammy Awards, I can only conclude one thing: Nobody knows what the hell rock and roll is anymore.

Nominated for Best Rock Album this year include watered-down offerings from Blink-182 and Panic! At the Disco as well as Weezer’s latest self-titled release. Cage the Elephant respectfully finds its way in there with their recent solid output Tell Me I’m Pretty (that could very well be your winner, right there) and then there’s Gojira, French heavy metal act who charted their sixth album Magma. Yes, I had to look that up. Best Rock Performance might be even messier: Beyonce, Alabama Shakes, David Bowie, Distrubed and Twenty One Pilots. Yikes.

A hodgepodge bunch indeed and one that further disconnects the Grammys and the mainstream from the genre of rock. Even more perplexing when you consider the nominees for Best Alternative Album, including Bon Iver, David Bowie, PJ Harvey (a past nominee for Best Rock Album), Iggy Pop and Radiohead. All records that certainly embody the ethos of rock and roll far more than the previous list. 

Examining the winners and nominees of the two awards over the last few years reveals a growing misclassification of rock. Best Alternative Album winners include Alabama Shakes with their Sound & Color, which confusingly enough also took home Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song. St. Vincent won in 2015, beating out Jack White’s Lazaretto, Arcade Fire’s Reflektor, Alt-J and Cage the Elephant. Nominees in the rock category included Beck’s Morning Phase (winner), Ryan Adams, The Black Keys, Tom Petty and U2. Deciphering between who belongs in what category is an exercise in masochism. 

The Grammys haven’t done themselves any favors over the years and 2017 is no different. With plenty to choose from (PJ Harvey, Car Seat Headrest, Eric Clapton, Jack White, Bonnie Raitt, Wilco, Nick Cave, etc) they opted for the most watered-down, bland definition of rock that exists in this world. As if Muse’s Drones win last year wasn’t enough to churn your stomach, watching whatever remains of Blink-182 accept the award for Best Rock Album will surely do it. We can only hope the lone saving grace in this group, Cage the Elephant, triumphs in the name of rock and roll. 

The question stands: Is rock music moving away from the mainstream (i.e. turning into “alternative” music) or is it the other way around? Hopefully The Grammys find the answer one of these days.