There are three kinds of people: Those who are completely tapped into the popular music of the Grammys; those who use it as a crash course in modern pop; and those who could not care less and will be doing something else on Sunday night.

There are also those who are looking to be outraged about something, but whatever.

If you're tuning in on Sunday, this year's ceremony marks the 68th annual Grammys and there will be a lot more than trophies handed out. The performer list is kept under wraps, but is likely to include such top nominees as Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga, Bad Bunny, Billie Eilish, Bruno Mars and Sabrina Carpenter.

Comedian Trevor Noah will host the show for the sixth consecutive time, and also the last time. The four-time Grammy nominee is also up for best audio book, narration and storytelling for the children's story "Into The Uncut Grass." His competition includes a Supreme Court justice (Ketanji Brown Jackson), the Dalai Lama and a member of Milli Vanilli, so that's a wild one.

A lot of interesting awards — ones with real musicians — are handed out before prime time in the premiere ceremony at 3:30 p.m. ET on the Recording Academy's YouTube channel and on live.grammy.com.

The main show will air live on CBS beginning at 8 p.m. Here's a look at some Grammy storylines:

1. Kendrick's record-breaking run

The rapper leads the field with nine nominations, putting him in a good spot to become the most Grammy-decorated hip-hop artist of all time. Jay-Z currently tops that list with 25 wins, followed by his former friend and collaborator Kanye at 24. The Kanye total, incidentally, hasn't moved since he won best rap song with Jay-Z in 2022 for the single "Jail" and best melodic rap performance for "Hurricane." For whatever reason, Kanye's 2025 single "Heil Hitler" was not nominated.

In November 2024, a few months before headlining the Super Bowl halftime show, Lamar surprise-released a sixth album, "GNX" (named after his 1987 Buick Grand National Experimental), that topped the charts and landed Top 5 in numerous year-end best-of lists.

Last year, he swept all five of the categories he was nominated in, including his first two wins in the top categories of record of the year and song of the year for his Drake diss track "Not Like Us."

2. Album of the year is a wide open

The last 10 winners have been Taylor Swift (thrice), Beyonce, Harry Styles, Jon Batiste, Billie Eilish, Kacey Musgraves, Bruno Mars and Adele.

None of them are in the picture this year in a category where someone is going to win their first album of the year award. Lady Gaga and Kendrick will get their fifth crack at it — Kendrick now having had five consecutive AOTY nominations.

Only two rap albums have won it — Lauryn Hill's "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" (1999) and Outkast's "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below" (2004) — so this would also be the first win for a solo male rapper.

Gaga and Kendrick will compete with Bad Bunny (second time), Justin Bieber (third time), and first-timers Sabrina Carpenter, Tyler, the Creator, Leon Thomas and Clipse (Pusha T & Malice).

3. Gaga watch

Speaking of Gaga, despite her 14 prior Grammys and status as a pop culture icon, she has never scored a win in one of the major categories: album, song or record of the year.

This year, the singer-songwriter is nominated in all three with "Abracadabra" (record and song) and "Mayhem" (album). Her wins, including two with Tony Bennett and three with Bradley Cooper, have all been in the pop and visual media categories.

As a reminder, song of the year is a songwriter's award.

4. Best new artist leans Dean

This once-derided category — it was won by Starland Vocal Band and Milli Vanilli — now belongs to the ladies, who swept the last eight in a row and are likely to make it nine.

The prediction platform Kalshi gives Olivia Dean about a 70% chance of winning, with Leon Thomas and Alex Warren a distant second and third. Dean — a British R&B/neosoul singer who has a touch of Sade to her tone and a maturity beyond her 26 years — released her second album, "The Art of Loving," last year and was in Pittsburgh in October to open for Sabrina Carpenter.

In the unlikely event of a Katseye upset, it would become the first all "girl group" to win the best new artist Grammy.

Also nominated are the Marías, Addison Rae, sombr and Lola Young.

5. K-pop and Spanish breakthroughs

Bad Bunny, who will headline the upcoming Super Bowl halftime show, is in the running for Album ("DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS") Record and Song of the Year ("DTMF") — marking only the second time an all-Spanish-language project has been nominated in these top slots.

Meanwhile, Rosé and "KPop Demon Hunters" are the first K-pop acts nominated in the Grammys' general field categories, with Rosé's collaboration "APT." and the "KPop Demon Hunters" hit "Golden" both in contention for song of the year and record of the year.

6. Let there be rock

No one seems to care about rock anymore — except the people who pack arenas and stadiums.

Unlike the top categories, rock has an interesting blend of young blood (Turnstile, Wet Leg, Yungblud) and grizzled veterans (Nine Inch Nails, the Cure, Deftones).

The Cure, which has never won a Grammy, is nominated for the first time in 24 years, for "Songs of a Lost World" (best alternative album) along with best alternative music performance for "Alone."

Turnstile, one of the best bands to break out this decade, has five nominations and is the first band to be nominated across rock, metal and alternative categories in the same year.

The Kalshi favorite in alternative rock categories is Hayley Williams, the Paramore frontwoman who released her third solo album, "Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party," in 2025.

The site also favors first-time nominee Yungblud to win best rock performance for his cover of "Changes" from the Back to the Beginning concert that honored Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath. It would be a sentimental choice, for sure.

7. Father vs. son

This likely won't get much attention in the broadcast, but there is a father-son showdown in the newly added category best traditional country album.

Willie Nelson is nominated for his 77th album, "Oh What a Beautiful World," and his son Lukas, of Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, is nominated for his solo debut "American Romance."

Asked about being up against his legendary dad, Lukas told the Los Angeles Times, "'Against' is a strong word. 'Alongside' is better. I mean, the Nelsons have a 40% chance of winning, which is pretty good."

The only prior example of a father and son being nominated in the same category for separate projects was in 1998, when Julio Iglesias and his son Enrique Iglesias were both nominated for Best Latin Pop Album.

That Grammy went to Luis Miguel for "Romances."

8. Return of the cover

The other new category is best album cover, which is actually making a comeback.

At the inaugural Grammys in 1959, this award went to the artists behind the moody "Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely."

Then, the Academy made it complicated. From 1962 to 1965, the award split into classical and non-classical albums. Then, from 1966 to 1968, it split into graphic arts and photography subcategories, before going back to best album cover in 1969.

Of all the iconic rock album covers, only three have ever won: The Beatles' "Revolver" and "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club" and "Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits."

In 1974, it became best album packaging — thus de-emphasizing the cover — and in 1994 it became best recording package.

The first to win best album cover since 1973 will be either the artists behind Tyler, the Creator's "CHROMAKOPIA," Bad Bunny's "Debí Tirar Más Fotos," Djo's "The Crux," Perfume Genius' "Glory" or Wet Leg's "Moisturizer."

9. Mac artistry

The '26 Grammy slate is short on Pittsburgh connections. No Dan + Shay, no Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, no Code Orange (still on hiatus) and no Mac Miller.

Sort of.

There are two competing nominees in best recording package related to the late Pittsburgh rap star: art directors Bráulio Amado and Alim Smith are nominated for the posthumous release "Balloonerism"; and Mac's brother, Miller McCormick, is up for "The Spins" (Picture Disc Vinyl).

Mac was nominated for one Grammy for a project he worked on personally, for 2018's "Swimming," but never won one. It would be pretty wild if his brother did.

10. People you know

The main categories have a lot of young star power. It's in the Lifetime Achievement Awards where the legends get some stage time.

The Grammys will be honoring Paul Simon (a 16-time Grammy winner), Carlos Santana (a 10-time winner), Chaka Khan (10), Cher (1) and the late Whitney Houston (6) and Fela Kuti, the first African musician to win a Lifetime Achievement Grammy.

They will also honor Pharrell Williams, who began his career in 1992 as part of the production team The Neptunes, with the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award. Black Music Icon Awards will go to Brandy and Kirk Franklin.

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