47 of the best albums in history that weren't nominated for album of the year at the Grammys

The Weeknd in "Heartless."The Weeknd/YouTube

• The most prestigious category at the Grammys is album of the year (AOTY).
• Some of the most beloved albums in history, however, weren't even nominated for the award.

As you'll often hear artists proclaim, it's an honor just to be nominated for a Grammy.

If true, then an even greater honor is to be nominated for album of the year (often abbreviated as AOTY), which is widely seen as the ceremony's most prestigious category. As the Washington Post notes, it's "a prize whose responsibility to bottle the zeitgeist is right there in its name."

At the 67th annual Grammy Awards in February, eight albums will compete for the night's top honor, including hits like "Cowboy Carter" by Beyoncé, "Brat" by Charli XCX, "Hit Me Hard and Soft" by Billie Eilish, and "The Tortured Poets Department" by Taylor Swift.

Some of the most beloved albums in history, however, didn't simply lose the award — a shocking number weren't even up for it.

We rounded up 47 of the best albums that weren't nominated for AOTY. They're listed below in reverse chronological order.

Note: This post has been updated since its original publish date.