The 60th annual Grammy Awards opened with a striking conceptual performance by Kendrick Lamar and by Bono and the Edge of U2, with Dave Chappelle serving as a one-man Greek chorus. It walked a fine line between confrontational political commentary and grounding comedy.

Mr. Lamar began surrounded by phalanxes of soldiers in camouflage fatigues as he began his song “Bleep” with images of American flag waving behind him on digital screens. After the words “This is a satire by Kendrick Lamar” flashed behind him, and a brief appearance by Bono and the Edge, the camera cut to Mr. Chappelle, who said: “The only thing more frightening than watching a black man be honest in America is being an honest black man in America.”

The show then alternated again between Mr. Lamar and Mr. Chappelle, before ending with Mr. Lamar standing among men in red hoodies who were gunned down one by one.

Lady Gaga then took the stage to sing her ballads “Joanne” and “Million Reasons” at a white piano draped with the wings of a bird or an angel. “Time’s up,” she said.

Mr. Lamar then took the first prize of the night, for best rap/sung performance, for “LOYALTY.,” featuring Rihanna, who told him: “Congrats. You deserve this, man.”

Accepting the award for best rap album, Mr. Lamar delivered a paean to hip-hop itself, which, he said, had “showed me the true definition of what an artist was.”

“From the jump I thought it was about the accolades, and the cars and the clothes,” Mr. Lamar said. “But it’s really about expressing yourself, putting that paint on the canvas for the world to evolve for the next listener, the next generation after that.”

Then he paid tribute to his artistic heroes, including Jay-Z, Nas and Puff Daddy, and added, as the ultimate obeisance: “Jay for president.”

Song of the Year: “That’s What I Like” — Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Ray Charles McCullough II, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus and Jonathan Yip (Bruno Mars)

Song of the year — a prize for songwriters — went to the eight writers of Bruno Mars’s “That’s What I Like,” a slice of 1980s-throwback funk. Accepting the award, Mr. Mars was surrounded by what looked like an entourage, but they were the credited writers of the song, reflecting the new production model of pop music in which huge teams of specialized writers collaborate.

“I’ve been knowing these guys for over a decade,” Mr. Mars said. “All the music-businesses horror stories you;’ve seen in the movies, we’ve been through all of them.”

“It’s an honour to share this with you all tonight,” he told them. In addition to Mr. Mars, the winners were Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Philip Lawrence, Ray Charles McCullough II, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus and Jonathan Yip.

Best New Artist: Alessia Cara

Best Pop Solo Performance: “Shape of You” — Ed Sheeran

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance: “Feel It Still” — Portugal. The Man

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album: “Tony Bennett Celebrates 90” — Various Artists; Dae Bennett, producer

Best Pop Vocal Album: “÷” — Ed Sheeran

Best Dance Recording: “Tonite” — LCD Soundsystem

Best Dance/Electronic Album: “3-D The Catalogue” — Kraftwerk

Best Contemporary Instrumental Album: “Prototype” — Jeff Lorber Fusion

Best Rock Performance: “You Want It Darker” — Leonard Cohen

Best Metal Performance: “Sultan’s Curse” — Mastodon

Best Rock Song: “Run” — Foo Fighters

Best Rock Album: “A Deeper Understanding” — The War on Drugs

Best Alternative Music Album: “Sleep Well Beast” — The National

Best R&B Performance: “That’s What I Like” — Bruno Mars

Best Traditional R&B Performance: “Redbone” — Childish Gambino

Best R&B Song: “That’s What I Like” — Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Ray Charles McCullough II, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus and Jonathan Yip, songwriters (Bruno Mars)

Elton John is to perform with Miley Cyrus during the show. Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

Best Urban Contemporary Album: “Starboy” — The Weeknd

Best R&B Album: “24K Magic” — Bruno Mars

Best Rap Performance: “HUMBLE.” — Kendrick Lamar