Juno Award for Alternative Album of the Year

The Juno Award for Alternative Album of the Year is presented annually at Canada's Juno Awards to honour the best album of the year in the alternative rock and/or indie rock genres. The award was first presented in 1995 under the name Best Alternative Album, and adopted its current name in 2003.

Achievements Arcade Fire and July Talk have won the award three times to date, while Broken Social Scene, Metric, Alvvays and Rufus Wainwright have won the award twice each. In addition to Broken Social Scene's wins as a band, three members have also won the award for separate projects — Emily Haines and James Shaw have also won the award twice with their band Metric, and Leslie Feist has won for a solo album. Arcade Fire have been nominated for the award four times overall, while July Talk, Broken Social Scene, Metric, Alvvays, Stars, Chad VanGaalen, and Tegan and Sara have received three nominations each.

Only two French-language albums have ever been nominated (Malajube's Trompe-l'œil and Karkwa's Les Chemins de verre) and none has ever won.

Recipients

Best Alternative Album (1995–2002) Year Winner(s) Album Nominees Ref.1995Rose ChroniclesShiver Smilin' Buddha Cabaret – 54-40 Forever Again – Eric's Trip Project Twinkle – King Cobb Steelie Naveed – Our Lady Peace Twice Removed – Sloan1996Art BergmannWhat Fresh Hell Is This? Somebody Spoke – The Hardship Post Kombinator – The Inbreds Fluke – Rusty Mock Up, Scale Down – The Super Friendz1997SloanOne Chord to Another Purple Blue – Eric's Trip It's Sydney or the Bush – The Inbreds Limblifter – Limblifter Self Title – Treble Charger1998Bran Van 3000Glee Love Story – Copyright Stuff – Holly McNarland Get Outta Dodge – Huevos Rancheros Maybe It's Me – Treble Charger1999Rufus WainwrightRufus Wainwright Bring Yourself Up – Bodega BTK – BTK Breath from Another – Esthero The Closer I Get – Hayden2000Julie Doiron and Wooden StarsJulie Doiron and the Wooden Stars My Love Is Bold – Danko Jones You Can't Stop the Bum Rush – Len Clayton Park – Thrush Hermit Sometimes I Cry – Tricky Woo2001The New PornographersMass Romantic Carpal Tunnel Syndrome – Kid Koala Mayday – King Cobb Steelie The East Infection – Ramasutra Left and Leaving – The Weakerthans2002Rufus WainwrightPoses Constantines – Constantines (Last Night We Were) The Delicious Wolves – Hawksley Workman Down at the Khyber – Joel Plaskett Emergency Night of the Shooting Stars – Rheostatics

Alternative Album of the Year (2003–present) Year Winner(s) Album Nominees Ref.2003Broken Social SceneYou Forgot It in People Square – Buck 65 Make Up the Breakdown – Hot Hot Heat The New Deal – The New Deal Alone at the Microphone – Royal City2004Buck 65Talkin' Honky Blues Shine a Light – Constantines Truthfully Truthfully – Joel Plaskett Heart – Stars Reconstruction Site – The Weakerthans2005FeistLet It Die The Slow Wonder – A.C. Newman Funeral – Arcade Fire Now, More Than Ever – Jim Guthrie Set Yourself on Fire – Stars2006Broken Social SceneBroken Social Scene Elevator – Hot Hot Heat Live It Out – Metric Twin Cinema – The New Pornographers So Jealous – Tegan and Sara2007City and ColourSometimes Skelliconnection – Chad VanGaalen Return to the Sea – Islands Trompe-l'œil – Malajube Not Saying/Just Saying – Shout Out Out Out Out2008Arcade FireNeon Bible LP – Holy Fuck Close to Paradise – Patrick Watson The Con – Tegan and Sara Welcome to the Night Sky – Wintersleep2009The StillsOceans Will Rise In the Future – Black Mountain Soft Airplane – Chad VanGaalen The Chemistry of Common Life – Fucked Up Parc Avenue – Plants and Animals2010MetricFantasies Face Control – Handsome Furs Post-Nothing – Japandroids I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day – Julie Doiron Sainthood – Tegan and Sara2011Arcade FireThe Suburbs Forgiveness Rock Record – Broken Social Scene Les Chemins de verre – Karkwa Heartland – Owen Pallett Champ – Tokyo Police Club2012Dan ManganOh Fortune Native Speaker – Braids Kaputt – Destroyer David Comes to Life – Fucked Up Creep on Creepin' On – Timber Timbre2013MetricSynthetica Hannah Georgas – Hannah Georgas Celebration Rock – Japandroids Little Mountain – Said the Whale The North – Stars2014Arcade FireReflektor The Poet's Dead – Rah Rah Today We're Believers – Royal Canoe Warring – The Darcys UZU – Yamantaka // Sonic Titan2015July TalkJuly Talk Alvvays – Alvvays Shrink Dust – Chad VanGaalen Animism – Tanya Tagaq Hot Dreams – Timber Timbre2016BRAIDSDeep in the Iris Poison Season – Destroyer Are You Alone? – Majical Cloudz Half Free – U.S. Girls Viet Cong – Viet Cong2017July TalkTouch IV – Black Mountain Sore – Dilly Dally Art Angels – Grimes Weaves – Weaves"Juno Awards: Drake, The Weeknd and Shawn Mendes Lead With Five Noms Each". The Hollywood Reporter, February 8, 2017.2018AlvvaysAntisocialites Everything Now – Arcade Fire Life After Youth – Land of Talk Retribution – Tanya Tagaq Wide Open – Weaves"Arcade Fire and Daniel Caesar lead 2018 Juno Award nominations" . CBC Music, February 6, 2018. 2019 Dizzy Baby Teeth Ken – Destroyer Dose Your Dreams – Fucked Up TPC – Tokyo Police Club In a Poem Unlimited – U.S. Girls"Shawn Mendes and the Weeknd lead the 2019 Juno nominations". CBC Music, January 29, 2019.2020PUP Morbid StuffDestroyer – Black Mountain Foxwarren – Foxwarren Here Comes the Cowboy – Mac DeMarco Pony – Orville Peck Melody Lau, "Alessia Cara and Tory Lanez lead the 2020 Juno nominations". CBC Music, January 28, 2020.2021 July Talk Pray for ItHeavy Light — U.S. Girls Pity Party — Curtis Waters The Sun and Her Scorch — Dizzy This Place Sucks Ass — PUPHolly Gordon and Andrea Warner, "Here are the 2021 Juno Award winners". CBC Music, June 4, 2021.2022 MustafaWhen Smoke RisesDeath of an Optimist — Grandson The Fool — SATE Hope for Sale — Chiiild If It Comes Down to It — Ruby WatersHolly Gordon, "Here are all the 2022 Juno Award winners". CBC Music, May 14, 2022.2023 Alvvays Blue RevDuality — Luna Li Sewn Back Together — OMBIIGIZI Tongues — Tanya Tagaq The Unraveling of PUPTheBand — PUP Jenna Benchetrit and Arti Patel, "The Weeknd picks up 4 wins on Junos 2023 opening night". CBC News, March 11, 2023.2024 Aysanabee Here and NowDizzy, Dizzy Leith Ross, To Learn Softcult, See You in the Dark TALK, Lord of the Flies & Birds & Bees "Junos 2024: full list of winners". CBC Music, March 23, 2024.2025 Nemahsis VerbathimLuna Li, When a Thought Grows Wings Peach Pit, Magpie Ruby Waters, What's the Point Valley, Water the Flowers, Pray for a Garden "Junos 2025: full list of winners". CBC Music, March 30, 2025.2026 Aysanabee Edge of the Earth Saya Gray, Saya Yves Jarvis, All Cylinders The OBGMs, Sorry, It's Over PUP, Who Will Look After the Dogs? Natalie Harmsen, Melody Lau, Holly Gordon and Kelsey Adams, "Here are all the 2026 Juno nominees". CBC Music, March 28, 2026.

References