2026 Grammy Winners Include Golden Soundtrack Song

Music’s biggest night made history last night. The 68th Annual Grammy Awards expanded the scope of what is considered award-winning music. This is especially true for the 2026 Grammy Winners for soundtracks.

The Soundtrack 2026 Grammy Winners include “Golden” from Kpop Demon Hunters. The song became the first K-pop song to win a Grammy, giving the animated movie another award.

The other winners made history this year, too. However, you must continue reading to learn who they are.

“Golden” from Kpop Demon Hunters Among the 2026 Grammy Winners

The 68th Annual Grammy Awards made history on February 2, 2026. Its high-octane performances and profound reflections shattered numerous musical glass ceilings no one thought were possible.

The ceremony brought in new categories and revamped the classics. However, the 2026 Grammy Winners in the soundtrack categories stole the show.

Celebrating Soundtracks as a Musical Genre

Music has been part of films for ages, providing the emotional impact that defines our favorite cinematic, television, and gaming experiences. The Grammys celebrate this interplay between music and film through their Best Soundtrack Song, Best Soundtrack Score, and Best Soundtrack Compilation categories.

For 2026, the Best Score and Compilation categories went to Sinners. Ludwig Göransson accepted the awards for the Ryan Coogler thriller, adding to his collection of golden record players, which includes Black Panther and Oppenheimer.

However, despite being the safe pick, Sinners didn’t grab any post-Grammys headlines. That honor went to the 2026 Soundtrack Song Grammy winner.

K-Pop Breaks Ground as the 2026 Grammy Winner for Soundtrack Song

Kpop Demon Hunters ended the night holding the Soundtrack Song crown for the song “Golden”.

Serving as the soundtrack’s lead single, “Golden” won for bringing fresh energy to the soundtrack scene, as well as for its continued dominance on multiple Billboard music charts.

The win also marked a significant moment in Grammy history, and not just for Huntr/x, the fictional girl band that sings the song in the film. That’s because the song is the first Korean pop (K-pop) song to win a Grammy in the history of the ceremony.

A testament to K-pop’s growing global influence and acceptance, “Golden” shows how soundtracks can transcend language and culture. As a result, we can expect to see more K-pop and Korean-related content in American media in the future.

“Golden” Won Only One Spot on the 2026 Grammy Winners

While “Golden” is unmatched in the Soundtrack Song category, neither it nor Kpop Demon Hunters were lucky in the other categories.

The Kpop Demon Hunters Soundtrack was nominated for five categories in this year’s Grammys. However, it was only the 2026 Grammy winner in one of them. It didn’t even get all of the soundtrack categories.  For instance, it lost to Sinners for Best Soundtrack Compilation as mentioned above.

“Golden” lost every non-soundtrack category it was nominated for, as well:

• The Best Pop Group category went to Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande for their song, “Defying Gravity”.
• The Best Remix category went to Gesaffelstein’s remix of Lady Gaga’s “Abracadabra”.
• The coveted Song of the Year category fell to “WILDFLOWER” by Billie Eilish.

The other soundtrack categories went to the Disney+ documentary Music (for Best Music Film) and Sword of the Sea (for Best Video Game Soundtrack).

Still, a win is a win, and K-pop fans are already dancing in the streets over it. Huntr/x’s little golden record player revealed how much the music genre has grown from a regional product to a global cultural phenomenon.

The Complete List of 2026 Grammy Winners

Here’s the complete list of 2026 Grammy winners for your convenience.

The Best Music of the Year

These were crowned the best music ever. Do you agree?

• Record of the Year – “Luther” (Kendrick Lamar with SZA)
• Album of the Year – DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS (Bad Bunny)
• Song of the Year – “WILDFLOWER” (Billie Eilish)
• Non-Classical Producer of the Year – Cirkut
• Non-Classical Songwriter of The Year – Amy Allen
• Classical Producer of the Year – Elaine Martone

Best Soundtrack 2026 Grammy Winners

Here are the soundtrack winners again for reference:

• Best Visual Media Soundtrack Score – Sinners
• Best Visual Media Soundtrack Compilation Soundtrack – Sinners
• Best Video Game Soundtrack – Sword of the Sea
• Best Soundtrack Song –“Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters (HUNTR/X)

The Best in Rock Winners

These are the best sounds in rock:

• Best Rock Performance- “Changes (Live from Villa Park) Back To The Beginning” (YUNGBLUD)
• Best Rock Song – “As Alive As You Need Me to Be” (Nine Inch Nails)
• Best Rock Album – NEVER ENOUGH(Turnstile)
• Best Alternative Performance – “Alone” (The Cure)
• Best Alternative Album – Songs Of A Lost World(The Cure)
• Best Metal – “BIRDS” (Turnstile)

The Best Pop 2026 Grammy Winners

These were the best in pop music this year:

• Best Pop Solo – “Messy” (Lola Young)
• Best Pop Group – “Defying Gravity” (Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande)
• Best Pop Album – MAYHEM(Lady Gaga)
• Best Traditional Pop Album – A Matter of Time(Laufey)

The Best Dance Tunes

Here are your 2026 Grammy winners in dance:

• Best Dance Electronic – “End Of Summer” (Tame Impala)
• Best Dance Pop – “Abracadabra” (Lady Gaga)
• Best Dance Electronic Album – EUSEXUA (FKA twigs)

The Best Rhythm & Blues Music

Here are your R&B winners:

• Best R&B Performance – “Folded” (Kehlani)
• Best Traditional R&B – “VIBES DON’T LIE” (Leon Thomas)
• Best R&B Song – “Folded” (Kehlani)
• Best Progressive R&B Album – BLOOM (Durand Bernarr)
• Best R&B Album – MUTT(Leon Thomas)

The Best Rap 2026 Grammy Winners

Do you agree that these were the best rappers last year?

• Best Rap Performance – “Chains & Whips” (Clipse, Pusha T & Malice)
• Best Melodic Rap – “Luther” (Kendrick Lamar with SZA)
• Best Rap Song – “tv off” (Kendrick Lamar)
• Best Rap Album – GNX (Kendrick Lamar)

The Best Jazz

Do you agree that these were the best in Jazz?

• Best Jazz Performance – “Windows – Live” (Chick Corea, Christian McBride & Brian Blade)
• Best Jazz Vocal Album – Portrait (Samara Joy)
• Best Jazz Instrumental Album – Southern Nights(Sullivan Fortner)
• Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album – Without Further Ado, Vol 1(Christian McBride Big Band)
• Best Latin Jazz Album – A Tribute to Benny Moré and Nat King Cole (Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Yainer Horta & Joey Calveiro)
• Best Alternative Jazz Album – LIVE-ACTION (Nate Smith)

The Best Country Music 2026 Grammy Winners

Here is the best country music:

• Best Country Solo – “Bad As I Used To Be” from F1 The Movie (Chris Stapleton)
• Best Country Group – “Amen” (Shaboozey & Jelly Roll)
• Best Country Song –“Bitin’ List” (Tyler Childers)
• Best Traditional Country Album – Ain’t In It For My Health (Zach Top)
• Best Contemporary Country Album – Beautifully Broken (Jelly Roll)

The Best Folk Music 2026 Grammy Winners

How about some folk music?

• Best American Roots Performance – “Beautiful Strangers” (Mavis Staples)
• Best Americana Performance – “Godspeed” (Mavis Staples)
• Best American Roots Song – “Ancient Light” (I’m With Her)
• Best Americana Album – BIG MONEY (Jon Batiste)
• Best Folk Album – Wild And Clear And Blue (I’m With Her)
• Best Regional Roots Music Album – A Tribute To The King Of Zydeco

The Best in Christian Rock

Here are the Christian Rock winners:

• Best Gospel Music – “Come Jesus Come” (CeCe Winans)
• Best Contemporary Christian Music – “Hard Fought Hallelujah” (Brandon Lake with Jelly Roll)
• Best Gospel Album – Heart of Mine (Darrel Walls, PJ Morton)
• Best Contemporary Christian Music Album – Coritos Vol. 1(Israel & New Breed)
• Best Roots Gospel Album – I Will Not Be Moved, Live (The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir)

The Best International Music 2026 Grammy Winners

These were the winners in the international music categories:

• Best Latin Pop Album – Cancionera (Natalia Lafourcade)
• Best Música Urbana Album – DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS (Bad Bunny)
• Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album – PAPOTA(CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso)
• Best Música Mexicana Album (Including Tejano) – Palabra De To’s – Seca(Carín León)
• Best Tropical Latin Album – Raíces (Gloria Estefan)
• Best Global Music – “EoO” (Bad Bunny)
• Best African Music – “PUSH 2 START” (Tyla)
• Best Global Music Album – Caetano e Bethânia Ao Vivo(Caetano Veloso and Maria Bethânia)

The Best Classical Music 2026 Grammy Winners

Everyone loves classical music, such as these:

• Best Orchestral Performance – “Messiaen: Turangalîla-Symphonie” (Boston Symphony Orchestra)
• Best Opera – Heggie: Intelligence (Houston Grand Opera; Gene Scheer)
• Best Choral Performance – Ortiz: Yanga (Los Angeles Philharmonic; Los Angeles Master Chorale)
• Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble – “Dennehy: Land of Winter” (Alan Pierson & Alarm Will Sound)
• Best Classical Instrumental Solo – Shostakovich: The Cello Concertos (Boston Symphony Orchestra)
• Best Classical Solo Vocal Album – Telemann: Ino – Opera Arias For Soprano (Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra)
• Best Classical Compendium – Ortiz: Yanga
• Best Contemporary Classical Composition– Ortiz: Dzonot (Alisa Weilerstein, Gustavo Dudamel & Los Angeles Philharmonic)

The Technical Categories

Here are the technical category winners:

• Best Non-Classical Engineered Album – That Wasn’t A Dream (Pino Palladino, Blake Mills)
• Best Classical Engineered Album – Cerrone: Don’t Look Down (Sandbox Percussion)
• Best Instrumental Composition – “First Snow” (Nordkraft Big Band, Remy Le Boeuf & Danielle Wertz)
• Best Instrumental or A Cappella Arrangement – “Super Mario Praise Break” (The 8-Bit Big Band)
• Best Instruments and Vocals Arrangement – “Big Fish” (Nate Smith)
• Best Recording Package – Tracks II: The Lost Albums (Bruce Springsteen)
• Best Album Cover – CHROMAKOPIA  (Tyler, The Creator)
• Best Album Notes – Miles ’55: The Prestige Recordings (Miles Davis)

The Best in Blues

Here are your blues winners:

• Best Bluegrass Album – Highway Prayers(Billy Strings)
• Best Traditional Blues Album – Ain’t Done With The Blues (Buddy Guy)
• Best Contemporary Blues Album – Preacher Kids(Robert Randolph)

The Non-Musical 2026 Grammy Winners

You might not think of these as music, but the recording industry does:

• Best Spoken Word Poetry Album – Words For Days Vol. 1 (Mad Skillz)
• Best Audio Book – Meditations: The Reflections Of His Holiness The Dalai Lama (Dalai Lama)
• Best Comedy Album – Your Friend, Nate Bargatze (Nate Bargatze)

The Other 2026 Grammy Categories

Here are the remaining categories:

• Best Reggae Album – BLXXD & FYAH (Keznamdi)
• Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album – NOMADICA (Carla Patullo)
• Best Children’s Music Album – Harmony (FYÜTCH & Aura V)
• Best New Artist – Olivia Dean
• Best Remix – “Abracadabra – Gesaffelstein Remix” (Lady Gaga, Gesaffelstein)
• Best Contemporary Instrumental Album – Brightside (ARKAI)
• Best Musical Theater Album – Buena Vista Social Club
• Best Music Video – “Anxiety” (Doechii)
• Best Historical Album – Joni Mitchell Archives – Volume 4: The Asylum Years, 1976-1980  (Joni Mitchell)
• Best Immersive Audio Album – Immersed (Justin Gray)
• Best Music Film – Music (John Williams)

Final Thoughts

When we discover new music genres, it’s often through our favorite soundtracks. So, it makes sense that the world’s most prominent music awards ceremony would celebrate them.

This year, the 68th Annual Grammy Awards chose to give that honor to K-pop and the Kpop Demon Hunters soundtrack, bringing animation along for the ride. What this means for the world of music is anyone’s guess, but for now, let’s celebrate this remarkable achievement.

What do you think? Post your thoughts in the forums or the comments below.