The 2026 American Music Awards are almost here. And, yep, it seems like this year’s show is shaping up to be one massive celebration of music fans actually care about. Between the stacked list of nominees, fan voting drama, exciting first-time contenders, and a performance lineup that already looks incredibly fun, the AMAs are officially entering must-watch territory again.
The 52nd annual ceremony will air live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. When? On Monday, May 25, 2026 at 8:00pm ET on CBS, streaming next day on Paramount+. And honestly? Having the show take over Vegas on Memorial Day weekend feels very on brand for the AMAs. Big energy. Big performances. Probably at least one moment that instantly takes over social media.
This year’s ceremony will also be hosted by none other than Queen Latifah, which feels like a genuinely perfect choice. She previously co-hosted the AMAs back in 1995, so this marks a pretty full-circle moment for the legendary performer.
And while more performers are still expected to be announced before showtime, the current lineup already has fans talking.
The 2026 American Music Awards Performance Lineup is Already Packed
Hootie & the Blowfish, KATSEYE, Keith Urban, Riley Green, SOMBR, Teddy Swims, and Twenty One Pilots will all perform during the live broadcast, according to the AMAs Instagram announcements.
That lineup alone covers a pretty wild mix of genres, which honestly has always been part of the AMAs charm. One minute you’re getting country. The next minute it’s alternative rock. Then suddenly there’s a viral pop act performing a song that’s been stuck in everyone’s head for six months straight.
KATSEYE performing is especially exciting considering this marks the group’s first AMA nomination year. Meanwhile, Teddy Swims continues his huge breakout run, and SOMBR’s rapid rise has been impossible to ignore lately.
And let’s be real: Twenty One Pilots on an awards show stage almost always means fans should expect something chaotic in the best possible way.
There’s also a good chance additional surprise performances and collaborations are still being kept under wraps ahead of the ceremony. The AMAs love a last-minute reveal.
Taylor Swift Leads the Nominees
GettyWhen nominations were announced in April 2026, Taylor Swift came out on top with eight nominations overall.
Right behind her are Morgan Wallen, Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Dean, and SOMBR with seven nominations each. Alex Warren and Lady Gaga earned six nominations, while Ella Langley, Fuerza Regida, Leon Thomas, and Zara Larsson each landed five nods.
Honestly, the variety in this year’s nominations feels refreshing. There’s a really strong mix of established superstars and newer artists who completely blew up over the past year.
The first-time nominee list especially stands out. Olivia Dean, SOMBR, Alex Warren, BigXthaPlug, KATSEYE, Leon Thomas, PinkPantheress, RAYE, Role Model, Sienna Spiro, and Tate McRae all earned their first AMA nominations this year.
And yes, fans already have opinions.
Social media has basically turned into one giant AMA prediction thread since nominations dropped. Some fans are campaigning hard for their favorites. Others are already debating who could pull off surprise wins during the live show. That’s kind of the fun of the AMAs though. Because it’s fan-voted, there’s always a little unpredictability built into the night.
For anyone wanting to see the full nominee list and every category, the everything is available at: theamas.com/nominees/2026-nominees.
Here’s How Fans Can Vote For The AMAs
One thing that continues to separate the AMAs from a lot of other awards shows is just how heavily fans are involved in the outcome.
“Voting is officially open worldwide.” And fans can cast votes in two ways:
- through the AMAs website at VoteAMAs.com
- via special pinned Instagram posts labeled “VOTE HERE”
Fans are allowed “30 votes per user, per category, per day, per method (60 on Turbo Days).” Voting for most categories closes on Friday, May 8 at 11:59am PT. While Social Song of the Year and Tour of the Year remain open until May 25 at 5:30pm PT.
Yep, the fanbases are absolutely putting in overtime right now.
The detailed voting rules (including Turbo Days and category-specific timing) are available through the official AMAs voting website.
At the end of the day, the AMAs have always leaned into celebrating what listeners are actually interested in. Streaming, replaying, posting about, and obsessing over in real time. And based on this year’s nominees and performers, it seems like the 2026 show could end up delivering some genuinely memorable moments.
The 2026 American Music Awards air live Monday, May 25, 2026 at 8:00pm ET on CBS, streaming next day on Paramount+.
