The Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album has been awarded since 1991. From 2001 to 2003, the award recipients included the producers and engineers as well as the artists. In 1990, and from 1994 to 1999, the award was known as Best Alternative Music Performance.
The White Stripes and Radiohead share the record for wins in the Best Alternative Music Album category, having won this Grammy three times each. Beck has two wins, and 4 other nominations. Radiohead's front man, Thom Yorke was also nominated for his solo album. Coldplay is the only act to win two consecutive years. Björk and Tori Amos hold the record for most nominations without a win, totaling five.

Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for music released in the previous year. This is the only category in the Grammy alternative music field.

1990s

2000s

{| class="wikitable"
|- align="center" bgcolor="lavender"
!width=1%|Year
!width=50%|Winner
!width=49%|Nominations
|-
|2000
|Beck for Mutations
|Tori Amos for To Venus And BackFatboy Slim for You've Come A Long Way, BabyMoby for PlayNine Inch Nails for The Fragile
|-
|2001
|Radiohead for Kid A
|Fiona Apple for When the Pawn...Beck for Midnite VulturesThe Cure for BloodflowersPaul McCartney for Liverpool Sound Collage
|-
|2002
|Coldplay for Parachutes
|Tori Amos for Strange Little GirlsBjörk for VespertineFatboy Slim for Halfway Between the Gutter and the StarsRadiohead for Amnesiac
|-
|2003
|Coldplay for A Rush of Blood to the Head
|Beck for Sea ChangeClinic for Walking With TheeElvis Costello and the Imposters for Cruel SmileThe Soundtrack Of Our Lives for Behind The Music
|-
|2004
|The White Stripes for Elephant
|The Flaming Lips for Fight TestRadiohead for Hail to the ThiefSigur Rós for ( )Yeah Yeah Yeahs for Fever to Tell
|-
|2005
|Wilco for A Ghost Is Born
|Björk for MedúllaFranz Ferdinand for Franz FerdinandPJ Harvey for Uh Huh HerModest Mouse for Good News for People Who Love Bad News
|-
|2006
|The White Stripes for Get Behind Me Satan
|Arcade Fire for FuneralBeck for GueroDeath Cab for Cutie for PlansFranz Ferdinand for You Could Have It So Much Better
|-
|2007
|Gnarls Barkley for St. Elsewhere
|Arctic Monkeys for Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm NotThe Flaming Lips for At War with the MysticsYeah Yeah Yeahs for Show Your BonesThom Yorke for The Eraser
|-
|2008
|The White Stripes for Icky Thump
|Lily Allen for Alright, StillArcade Fire for Neon BibleBjörk for VoltaThe Shins for Wincing the Night Away
|-
|2009
|Radiohead for In Rainbows
|Beck for Modern GuiltDeath Cab for Cutie for Narrow StairsGnarls Barkley for The Odd CoupleMy Morning Jacket for Evil Urges''Category:Grammy Awardssimple:Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album