Paramore / Photo by Jason Wilder

Joining the likes of Death Cab for Cutie and Wolfmother before them, Franklin, TN's punk mavens Paramore were honored last night (March 27) at Hard Rock's state-of-the-art flagship venue in Orlando, FL with the rock'n'roll establishment's highest respect: The Hard Rock Artist of the Year Award.

As 2008's recipient of the esteemed prize, Paramore were presented with a glass-encased photo of the band on the cover of this year's Hard Rock Annual, courtesy of Hard Rock president and CEO Hamish Dodds. In thanks, Paramore offered a smashed guitar and microphone to Hard Rock's memorabilia collection, both which will be displayed at the Hard Rock Cafe in Nashville.

Once the formalities were said and done, it was time to celebrate; after a slice of cake, Paramore, led by pixie-like frontwoman Hayley Williams, stormed the stage and busted out a set of tunes off the band's latest album, Riot!, to a packed-to-capacity crowd of over 3,000. And as fans sang along to each and every word, it was proof-positive that Paramore certainly deserved the revered nod.

Photographs by Jason Wilder