The Best, Worst and Everything in Between at the 2026 Grammy Awards

The 68th annual Grammy Awards celebrated some of the hottest — and messiest — stars in music today. Staff writers Andrew Quinn and Kevin Stovich highlighted some of the strangely memorable moments that filled the evening of Feb. 1.

The Best

Bad Bunny’s winning streak

Winning three Grammys — including Album of the Year — Bad Bunny used his acceptance speeches to denounce the Trump administration’s tireless assault on immigrants in the United States.

“ICE out,” the Puerto Rican said bluntly at the beginning of his speech, prompting an extended bout of applause. “We’re not savage. We’re not animals. We’re not aliens. We are humans and we are Americans.”

Twiglets rejoice

After nearly one and a half decades of churning out experimental classic after experimental classic, FKA twigs won her first golden gramophone in the Best Dance/Electronic Album category for her 2024 project “EUSEXUA.”

Even though it wasn’t a part of the televised broadcast, seeing twigs’ ethereal aesthetic accepting the award was a highlight of the night for an artist often overlooked.

“Jesus was a carpenter”

After six nominations including Best Pop Vocal Album and Record of the Year, Sabrina Carpenter was denied the chance to strut down the carpet with a glowing Grammy in hand. Some might call it stupid, slow or useless, but the “Man’s Best Friend” singer packed a punch with a short and sweet performance to remember.

Boasting her signature showgirl style, powerhouse vocal agility and an airport-inspired set to boot, the pop-country princess predictably dazzled with one of the most solid stage showings of the evening. 

The Worst

Lola Young’s “Messy” presence 

English singer-songwriter Lola Young faltered with an ill-performed piano ballad rendition of her hit song “Messy,” its emotions rivaling that of a Jardiance commercial. To make matters worse, the song went on to snag the Grammy for Best Pop Solo Performance, beating out the worthier Chappell Roan and Carpenter for “The Subway” and “Manchild,” respectively. 

Addison Rae’s not-so “High Fashion”

Former TikTok star Addison Rae launched straight from her fifteen minutes of “Fame Is a Gun” into an exquisitely sub-par red carpet look that served as an unexpected ode to Marilyn Monroe’s “The Seven Year Itch” dress. 

Complete with a long, sagging frontside and a ruffled mini-skirt in the back, the dress was more reminiscent of a twisted bedsheet than an iconic model from the ‘50s. As far as the chalky, white coloring goes, the look may have done well with a “Diet Pepsi” stain or two.

The In-Between

Cher’s six minutes of screentime

As the old idiom goes: if you give Cher a soap box, she’ll definitely make a statement. From arriving to the show in a torn leather mess — I mean dress — to mindlessly rambling in her Lifetime Achievement acceptance speech and walking off-stage before announcing Record of the Year and mistakenly awarding Luther Vandross instead of Kendrick Lamar and SZA, Cher continues to leave the masses scratching their heads. 

Billie Eilish’s Song of the Year win

In yet another example of the Recording Academy praising siblings Billie Eilish and FINNEAS in any way possible, the pair took home the Song of the Year award for “WILDFLOWER,” a track that’s been out since May 2024. It’s by no means a bad song, but let’s just say I’m hoping for a Michael Jackson Best New Artist win in 2027.

Harry Styles says “Goodnight” to the Grammys

Following the announcement of his fourth studio album “Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally,” English pop singer Harry Styles presented the highly coveted closing award for Album of the Year — an honor he won in 2023 for his album “Harry’s House.” Despite announcing his 2026 “Together Tour,” it’s unfortunately true that the live broadcast is the closest many fans will ever get to the British heartthrob without spending thousands of dollars on one-way plane tickets to New York City.

The 68th Grammy Awards ceremony is available to stream on Paramount+.