January • 9 –
The Protomen released their first studio album in nearly seventeen years,
Act III: This City Made Us, which serves as the conclusion to their three-act
rock opera inspired by the story of the
Mega Man video game franchise. • 16 –
ASAP Rocky released his first studio album in eight years, ''
Don't Be Dumb'', over three years after its original announcement in December 2022. •
Nicholas Galanin released his first album in five years,
Stand on My Shoulders. • 19 –
Jamal Roberts sings the national anthem at the
2026 College Football Playoff National Championship. • 23 –
Megadeth release their
self-titled final album, their first in four years. •
Lina releases her first album in over ten years,
Melodrama. •
Goldfinger release their first studio album in nearly six years,
Nine Lives. •
The Format released their first album in nearly twenty years,
Boycott Heaven. It is also vocalist
Nate Ruess' first album on which he is credited as a primary member in eleven years. • Alec Duckart, under his alias
Searows, released his first studio album in four years,
Death in the Business of Whaling. • 30 –
Joyce Manor released their first album in nearly four years,
I Used to Go to This Bar. •
By Storm, formed from surviving members of
Injury Reserve, released their debut studio album,
My Ghosts Go Ghost. It is the first album in nearly five years for members RiTchie with a T and Parker Corey.
February • 1 – The
68th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the
Crypto.com Arena in
Los Angeles.
Kendrick Lamar won the most awards with five including
Record of the Year, shared with
SZA for "
Luther".
Bad Bunny won
Album of the Year for
Debí Tirar Más Fotos,
Billie Eilish and
Finneas O'Connell won their third
Song of the Year award for "
Wildflower" and English singer-songwriter
Olivia Dean won
Best New Artist. This is last year it will air on
CBS, after making a ten year deal with
ABC. • 5 –
Twisted Sister cancel their upcoming 50th Anniversary tour after lead singer
Dee Snider resigned due to health issues. • 6 –
Puscifer released their first studio album in nearly six years, ''Normal Isn't''. •
J. Cole released his first studio album in five years,
The Fall-Off. •
Silversun Pickups released their first studio album in four years,
Tenterhooks. •
Robert Deeble released his first album in eight years,
The Space Between Us. • 8 –
Charlie Puth performed the national anthem and
Bad Bunny,
Lady Gaga, and
Ricky Martin performed the
halftime show during
Super Bowl LX at the
Levi's Stadium in
Santa Clara, California.
Green Day performed pre-game. • 13 –
Converge released their first studio album in nearly five years,
Love Is Not Enough. It is scheduled to be followed in June, four months later, by their next album,
Hum of Hurt. •
The Bronx, under their moniker Mariachi El Bronx, released their first studio album in five years,
Mariachi El Bronx IV. •
The Lone Bellow released their first studio album in nearly four years,
What a Time to Be Alive. • 20 –
New Found Glory released their first studio album in nearly six years,
Listen Up!. •
Hilary Duff released her first studio album in eleven years,
Luck... or Something. •
Exhumed released their first studio album in four years,
Red Asphalt. • 27 –
Bruno Mars releasesd his first solo studio album in nearly ten years and his first overall in nearly five years,
The Romantic. •
Rob Zombie releasesd his first studio album in five years,
The Great Satan. •
Bill Callahan released his first studio album in four years,
My Days of 58. •
Ritt Momney released his first studio album in five years,
Base. •
A Wilhelm Scream released their first studio album in four years,
Cheap Heat. •
Voxtrot released their first studio album in nineteen years,
Dreamers in Exile.
March • 6 –
Surfbort released their first studio album in five years,
Reality Star. •
Vial release their first studio album in five years,
Hellhound. •
Whiplash release their first studio album in seventeen years,
Thrashquake. • 13 –
Lamb of God released their first studio album in four years,
Into Oblivion. •
The Fray release their first studio album in twelve years,
A Light That Waits. •
Sweet Pill release their first studio album in four years, ''Still There's a Glow''. • 20 –
Exodus release their first studio album in five years,
Goliath. It is the band's first album in sixteen years to feature returning vocalist
Rob Dukes, following
Steve Souza's second departure in 2025. •
Neurosis release their first studio album in ten years,
An Undying Love for a Burning World. It is the band's first album to feature new vocalist/guitarist
Aaron Turner, following former frontman
Scott Kelly's firing in 2019 and subsequent retirement in 2022, their first since drummer
Jason Roeder's touring retirement in 2025 and their first in thirty years to not be produced by
Steve Albini following his death in 2024. •
Tyketto release their first album in ten years,
Closer to the Sun. •
Gladie release their first studio album in four years,
No Need to Be Lonely. •
Poison the Well release their first studio album in seventeen years,
Peace in Place. • 27 –
Black Label Society released their first studio album in five years,
Engines of Demolition. •
Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist
Flea released his debut solo studio album,
Honora. •
The Academy Is... released their first studio album in nearly eighteen years,
Almost There. •
Melissa Etheridge releases her first studio album in five years,
Rise. •
Good Riddance release their first studio album in seven years,
Before the World Caves In. •
Snail Mail releases her first studio album in nearly five years,
Ricochet. •
Paula Kelley releases her first solo studio album in twenty-three years,
Blinking as the Starlight Burns Out. •
Tigers Jaw release their first studio album in five years,
Lost on You.
April • 3 –
Corrosion of Conformity released their first studio album in eight years,
Good God / Baad Man. It is their first album in more than three decades without original bassist
Mike Dean, who was replaced by Bobby Landgraf, and their first in more than two decades with drummer
Stanton Moore, who replaced
Reed Mullin after his death in 2020. •
Sunn O))) released their self-titled studio album, their first in seven years. • 11 –
No Doubt guitarist,
Tom Dumont announced that he had been diagnosed with early-onset
Parkinson's disease but confirmed he will continue to play. • 12 – Australian actress
Ruby Rose alleged in a
Threads post that
Katy Perry sexually assaulted her at Spice Market Nightclub in
Melbourne,
Australia in 2010. A rep for Perry responded with a statement to
Variety: "The allegations being circulated on social media by Ruby Rose about Katy Perry are not only categorically false, they are dangerous reckless lies. Ms. Rose has a well-documented history of making serious public allegations on social media against various individuals, claims that have repeatedly been denied by those named." The
Victoria Police have begun investigating the allegations. • 14 –
Alexia Jayy won the
twenty-ninth season of
The Voice. Liv Ciara was named runner-up. • 17 –
Vanessa Carlton released her first studio album in six years,
Veils. •
Nine Inch Noize, consisting of
Nine Inch Nails and German electronic producer and DJ
Boys Noize, released their collaborative
self-titled studio album. It is Nine Inch Nails' first album not related to members
Trent Reznor and
Atticus Ross' film score work in six years. •
Crimson Glory released their first studio album in twenty-seven years,
Chasing the Hydra. • 21 –
Azealia Banks released her first studio album in twelve years,
Zenzealia. • 24 –
Akon released his first studio album in six and a half years,
Beautiful Day. •
Failure released their first studio album in nearly five years,
Location Lost. •
Noah Kahan released his first studio album in almost four years,
The Great Divide. •
Terror released their first studio album in four years,
Still Suffer.
May • 1 –
Isaiah Rashad released his first studio album in five years, ''It's Been Awful''. •
American Football released their fourth self-titled studio album, their first in seven years. •
Toadies released their first studio album in nine years,
The Charmer. •
Rita Wilson released her first studio album in four years and her first of original material in seven years,
Sound of a Woman. •
Young the Giant released their first studio album in four years,
Victory Garden. • 8 –
Muna will release their first studio album in four years,
Dancing on the Wall. •
Social Distortion will release their first studio album in fifteen years,
Born to Kill. • 15 –
The All-American Rejects will release their first studio album in fourteen years,
Sandbox. •
Kevin Morby will release his first studio album in four years,
Little Wide Open. •
Pro-Pain will release their first studio album in eleven years,
Stone Cold Anger. • 22 –
Armored Saint will release their first studio album in six years,
Emotion Factory Reset. •
Lowertown will release their first studio album in four years,
Ugly Duckling Union. • 25 – The
American Music Awards will take place at the
MGM Grand Garden Arena in
Paradise, Nevada. • 29 –
Kurt Vile will release his first studio album in four years, ''Philadelphia's Been Good to Me''. •
Shinedown will release their first studio album in four years,
Eight.
June • 5 –
Bedouine will release her first studio album in five years,
Neon Summer Skin. •
Lee Brice will release his first studio album in six years,
Sunriser. •
Death Cab for Cutie will release their first studio album in four years,
I Built You a Tower. •
Evanescence will release their first studio album in five years,
Sanctuary. •
Lizzo will release her first studio album in four years,
Bitch. •
Barry Manilow will release his first studio album in six years,
What a Time. •
Modest Mouse will release their first studio album in five years,
An Eraser and a Maze. It is their first album to feature guitarist Simon O'Connor following the departures of
Jim Fairchild and
Lisa Molinaro in 2021 and their first with drummer Damon Cox following the death of
Jeremiah Green in 2022. •
Widowspeak will release their first studio album in four years,
Roses. • 10 –
Baauer will release his first studio album in six years,
U. • 12 –
Dirty Heads will release their first studio album in four years,
7 Seas. •
Sublime will release their first studio album in thirty years,
Until the Sun Explodes. It will be their first album released since the death of original frontman
Bradley Nowell in 1996, with his son,
Jakob, providing lead vocals for this album. •
Sleeping with Sirens will release their first studio album in four years,
An Ending in Itself. •
Khemmis will release their self-titled studio album, their first in five years. •
Kelsey Lu will release her first studio album in seven years,
So Help Me God. •
Genghis Tron will release their first studio album in five years,
Signal Fire. • 26 –
Butthole Surfers will release their first studio album in twenty-five years,
After the Astronaut. Originally intended to be released in 1998, as the successor to 1996's
Electriclarryland, the album was initially canceled in due to record label politics. •
The Strokes will release their first studio album in six years,
Reality Awaits. •
The Pretty Reckless will release their first studio album in five years,
Dear God. •
Some Velvet Sidewalk will release their first studio album in twenty-nine years,
Critters Encore. •
Girl Trouble will release their first studio album in twenty-three years,
As Is. •
Downtown Boys will release their first studio album in nine years,
Public Luxury. •
Junius will release their first studio album in nine years,
Sotera.
July • 3 –
Madonna will release her first studio album in seven years,
Confessions II. • 10 –
The Plot in You will release their
self-titled studio album, their first in five years. •
Eva Under Fire will release their first studio album in four years,
Villainous. • 17 –
DJ Khaled will release his first studio album in four years,
Aalam of God. •
Quicksand will release their first studio album in five years,
Bring on the Physics. •
Tesla will release their first studio album in seven years,
Homage. • 24 –
Cypress Hill will release their first studio album in four years and their first Spanish-language album,
Dios Bendiga.
August • 28 –
Everlast will release his first studio album in eight years,
Embers to Ashes.
Second quarter •
The Ataris will release their first studio album in nineteen years. •
Blondie will release their first studio album in nine years,
High Noon. It will be their first since the 2025 death of longtime drummer
Clem Burke, who contributed to the album prior to his death. •
D12 will release their first studio album in twenty-two years,
D12 Forever. It will be the group's first album since the murder of member
Proof in 2006 and the departures of former members
Eminem and
Mr. Porter in 2018, being the latter's second departure, and will feature a posthumous appearance from Proof. •
Meliah Rage will release their first studio album in eight years,
Slaves in the Afterlife.
Unknown date •
4 Non Blondes will release their first studio album in thirty-four years. Vocalist
Linda Perry will also release her first solo studio album in eleven years,
Let It Die Here. •
Abysmal Dawn will release their first studio album in six years. •
Adema will release their first studio album in nineteen years,
Cruel Machine. •
American Hi-Fi will release their first studio album in twelve years. •
Anthrax will release their first studio album in ten years. •
Bad Religion will release their first studio album in seven years. •
Lindsey Buckingham will release his first solo studio album in five years. •
Cake will release their first studio album in fifteen years. •
Chiodos will release their first studio album in twelve years. •
Clutch will release their first studio album in four years. •
Cold will release their first studio album in seven years. •
Cro-Mags will release their first studio album in six years. •
Dangerous Toys will release their first studio album in thirty-one years. •
Death Angel will release their first studio album in seven years. •
Down will release their first studio album in nineteen years. •
Drowning Pool will release their first studio album in four years. It will be the band's first album in sixteen years to feature returning vocalist
Ryan McCombs, following Jasen Moreno's departure in 2023. •
Everclear will release their first studio album in eleven years. •
Excel will release their first studio album in thirty-one years. •
Fear Factory will release their first studio album in five years. It will be the band's first album with current lead vocalist Milo Silvestro and current drummer Pete Webber, both of whom joined in 2023. •
Five Finger Death Punch will release their first studio album in four years. •
Forbidden will release their first studio album in sixteen years. It will be the band's first album to feature their new lead vocalist Norman Skinner as the replacement of original vocalist Russ Anderson, who is retired. •
Lita Ford will release her first studio album in ten years and her first of all-new material in fourteen years. •
Guns N' Roses will release their first studio album in eighteen years. It will be the band's first album in thirty-three years, and their first of all-new material in thirty-five years, to feature guitarist
Slash and bassist
Duff McKagan. •
Heathen will release their first studio album in six years. •
Icon will release their first studio album in thirty-seven years. •
Incubus will release their first studio album in nine years,
Something in the Water. •
Korn will release their first studio album in four years. •
Limp Bizkit will release their first studio album in five years. It will be their first since the 2025 death of original bassist
Sam Rivers, who had contributed to new music with the band by the time he died. •
Living Colour will release their first studio album in nine years. •
Murphy's Law will release their first studio album in twenty-five years. •
Stevie Nicks will release her first solo studio album in twelve years, and her first of all-new material in fifteen years. •
Power Trip will release their first studio album in nine years. It will be their first album recorded since the death of original frontman
Riley Gale in 2020, and also their first to feature lead vocals by his replacement, Seth Gilmore. •
Queensrÿche will release their first studio album in four years. •
Red Hot Chili Peppers will release their first studio album in four years. It will be their third album together with guitarist
John Frusciante since his second return to the band in 2019. •
Russian Circles will release their first studio album in four years. •
Sacred Reich will release their first studio album in seven years,
Into the Abyss. •
Savatage will release their first studio album in twenty-five years,
Curtain Call. •
Snot will release their first studio album in twenty-six years. It will be the band's first album to feature their new lead vocalist Andy Knapp as the replacement of original vocalist
Lynn Strait, who died in 1998. •
Soil will release their first studio album in thirteen years. •
Soundgarden will release their first studio album in fourteen years. Intended as their final studio album, it will include the final recordings of frontman
Chris Cornell, who died in 2017. •
Spineshank will release their first studio album in fourteen years. •
Bruce Springsteen will release his first studio album in four years and his first non-archival album of original material in six years. •
Suicidal Tendencies will release their first studio album in eight years, and their first of all-new material in ten years. It will be their first release with guitarist
Ben Weinman and bassist Tye Trujillo (son of former Suicidal Tendencies bassist
Robert Trujillo). •
Symphony X will release their first studio album in eleven years. •
Trivium will release their first studio album in five years. •
Ugly Kid Joe will release their first studio album in four years. •
Vinnie Vincent Invasion will release their first studio album in thirty-eight years,
Judgment Day Guitarmageddon. •
Vio-lence will release their first studio album in thirty-three years. •
Joe Walsh will release his first solo studio album in fourteen years.