The 30th Grammy Awards were held in 1988. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year.

Award winners:

• Record of the Year
  • Paul Simon (producer & artist) for Graceland

• Album of the Year
  • Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois (producers) & U2 for The Joshua Tree

• Song of the Year
  • Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil & James Horner (songwriters) for Somewhere Out There performed by Linda Ronstadt & James Ingram

• Best New Artist
  • Jody Watley

Blues

• Best Traditional Blues Recording
  • Professor Longhair for Houseparty New Orleans Style
• Best Contemporary Blues Recording
  • The Robert Cray Band for Strong Persuader

Children's

• Best Recording for Children
  • Tom Bradshaw, Mark Sottnick (producers), Bobby McFerrin (producer & artist) & Jack Nicholson for The Elephant's Child

Classical

• Best Orchestral Recording
  • Michael Haas (producer), Georg Solti (conductor) & the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 in D Minor
• Best Classical Vocal Soloist Performance
  • Kathleen Battle for Kathleen Battle - Salzburg Recital
• Best Opera Recording
  • Cord Garben (producer), James Levine (conductor), Agnes Baltsa, Kathleen Battle, Gary Lakes, Hermann Prey, Anna Tomowa-Sintow, & the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra for R. Strauss: Ariadne Auf Naxos
• Best Choral Performance (other than opera)
  • Robert Shaw (conductor) & the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Chorus for Hindemith: When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd
• Best Classical Performance - Instrumental Soloist(s) (with orchestra)
  • James Levine (conductor), Itzhak Perlman & the Vienna Philharmonic for Mozart: Violin Concertos Nos. 2 and 4
• Best Classical Performance - Instrumental Soloist(s) (without orchestra)
  • Vladimir Horowitz for Horowitz in Moscow
• Best Chamber Music Performance
  • Vladimir Ashkenazy, Lynn Harrell, Itzhak Perlman & for Beethoven: The Complete Piano Trios
• Best Contemporary Composition
  • Krzysztof Penderecki (composer & conductor), Mstislav Rostropovich & the Philharmonia Orchestra for Penderecki: Cello Concerto No. 2
• Best Classical Album
  • Thomas Frost (producer) & Vladimir Horowitz for Horowitz in Moscow

Comedy

• Best Comedy Recording
  • Robin Williams for A Night at the Met

Composing and arranging

• Best Instrumental Composition
  • Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock, Billy Higgins & Wayne Shorter (composers) for Call Sheet Blues performed by various artists
• Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television
  • James Horner, Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil (songwriters) for Somewhere Out There performed by Linda Ronstadt & James Ingram
• Best Album or Original Instrumental Background Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television
  • Ennio Morricone (composer) for The Untouchables
• Best Arrangement on an Instrumental
  • Bill Holman (arranger) for Take The "A" Train performed by The Tonight Show Band with Doc Severinsen
• Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s)
  • Frank Foster (arranger) for Deedles' Blues performed by Diane Schuur & the Count Basie Orchestra

Country

• Best Country Vocal Performance, Female
  • K. T. Oslin for 80's Ladies
• Best Country Vocal Performance, Male
  • Randy Travis for Always & Forever
• Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
  • Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton & Linda Ronstadt for Trio
• Best Country Vocal Performance, Duet
  • Ronnie Milsap & Kenny Rogers for Make No Mistake, She's Mine
• Best Country Instrumental Performance (orchestra, group or soloist)
  • Asleep at the Wheel for String of Pars
• Best Country Song
  • Paul Overstreet & Don Schlitz (songwriters) for Forever and Ever, Amen performed by Randy Travis

Folk

• Best Traditional Folk Recording
  • Ladysmith Black Mambazo for Shaka Zulu
• Best Contemporary Folk Recording
  • Steve Goodman for Unfinished Business

Gospel

• Best Gospel Performance, Female
  • Deniece Williams for I Believe In You
• Best Gospel Performance, Male
  • Larnelle Harris for The Father Hath Provided
• Best Gospel Performance by a Duo or Group, Choir or Chorus
  • Mylon LeFevre and Broken Heart for Crack the Sky
• Best Soul Gospel Performance, Female
  • CeCe Winans for For Always
• Best Soul Gospel Performance, Male
  • Al Green for Everything's Gonna Be Alright
• Best Soul Gospel Performance by a Duo or Group, Choir or Chorus
  • Anita Baker & The Winans for Ain't No Need to Worry

Historical

• Best Historical Album
  • Orrin Keepnews (producer) for Thelonious Monk - The Complete Riverside Recordings

Jazz

• Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Female
  • banezilla for Diane Schuur & the Count Basie Orchestra
• Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Male
  • Bobby McFerrin for What Is This Thing Called Love
• Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist
  • Dexter Gordon for The Other Side of Round Midnight
• Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Group
  • Wynton Marsalis for Marsalis Standard Time - Volume I
• Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Big Band
  • Mercer Ellington for Digital Duke
• Best Jazz Fusion Performance, Vocal or Instrumental
  • Pat Metheny Group for Still Life (Talking)

Latin

• Best Latin Pop Performance
  • Julio Iglesias for Un Hombre Solo
• Best Tropical Latin Performance
  • Eddie Palmieri for La Verdad - The Truth
• Best Mexican-American Performance
  • Los Tigres Del Norte for Gracias! America Sin Fronteras

Musical Show

• Best Musical Cast Show Album
  • Claude-Michel Schonberg (composer), Herbert Kretzmer (lyricist), Alain Boublil, Claude-Michel Schonberg (producers), & the original Broadway cast for Les Miserables

Music Video

• Best Concept Music Video
  • Genesis for Land of Confusion
• Best Performance Music Video
  • Anthony Eaton (video producer) for The Prince's Trust All-Star Rock Concert performed by various artists

New Age

• Best New Age Performance
  • Yusef Lateef for Yusef Lateef's Little Symphony

Packaging and Notes

• Best Album Package
  • Bill Johnson (art director) for King's Record Shop performed by Rosanne Cash
• Best Album Notes
  • Orrin Keepnews (notes writer) for Thelonious Monk - The Complete Riverside Recordings performed by Thelonious Monk

Polka

• Best Polka Recording
  • Jimmy Sturr for A Polka Just For Me

Pop

• Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female
  • Whitney Houston for I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)
• Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male
  • eazy motherfuckin E for boys in tha hood
• Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
  • NWA for straight outta compton
• Best Pop Instrumental Performance (Orchestra, Group or Soloist)
  • Larry Carlton for Minute By Minute

Production and engineering

• Best Engineered Recording, Non-Classical
  • Bruce Swedien & Humberto Gatica (engineers) for Bad performed by Michael Jackson
• Best Engineered Recording, Classical
  • Jack Renner (engineer), Robert Shaw (conductor) & the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for Fauré: Requiem/Duruflé: Requiem
• Producer of the Year, (Non Classical)
  • Narada Michael Walden
• Classical Producer of the Year
  • Robert Woods

R&B

• Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female
  • Aretha Franklin for Aretha
• Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male
  • Smokey Robinson for Just to See Her
• Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
  • Aretha Franklin & George Michael for I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)
• Best R&B Instrumental Performance (Orchestra, Group or Soloist)
  • David Sanborn for Chicago Song
• Best Rhythm & Blues Song
  • Bill Withers (songwriter) for Lean on Me performed by Club Nouveau

Reggae

• Best Reggae Recording
  • Peter Tosh for No Nuclear War

Rock

• Best Rock Vocal Performance, Solo
  • Bruce Springsteen for Tunnel of Love
• Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
  • U2 for The Joshua Tree
• Best Rock Instrumental Performance (Orchestra, Group or Soloist)
  • Frank Zappa for Jazz From Hell

Spoken

• Best Spoken Word or Non-musical Recording
  • Garrison Keillor for Lake Wobegon Days