MTV VMAs 2025: Winners, Highlights & Biggest Moments

Bet you thought this post would come from Northcon’s resident DJs, Fiona or Chino a.k.a. Parker Young. Nope, it’s just me.😄 I may not spin tracks, but I love music enough to write about it.🎶 In fact, over on the blog I share with O, I used to do Music Monday, where I share a music video to reflect how I want the rest of the week to go, because Mondays are usually the start of the work week, I did it for like years and years until it wasn’t a thing anymore. Hmm, I should bring it back…🤔

Anyway, before I get sidetracked, the first week of September, in New York City, the MTV Video Music Awards or the MTV VMAs were held at the UBS Arena and were broadcast on CBS and available to stream on Paramount+ and MTV.

MTV VMAs Through the Years

I remember when the MTV VMAs were a huuuge thing; like I would wake up so early on a Saturday morning, where they are usually aired here in the Philippines, because it was LIVE in the US on a Friday. I mean, who can forget Lady Gaga’s meat dress at the 2010 MTV VMAs? This is going further back, but I can’t ever forget Paul McCartney presenting Video of the Year in 1999 to “some guy called Laurence Hill”, who is supposed to be Lauryn Hill.😅 or that time when Eminem got angry at Sacha Baron Cohen for landing his butt on Eminem’s face during his performance at the 2009 MTV VMAs? or that time when Madonna, Britney Spears and Christina Aguillera shared a kiss on stage after their performance at the 2003 MTV VMAs? If you’ve forgotten those moments, I bet you haven’t forgotten about that 2009 incident where Kanye West (he now goes by just ‘Ye’), interrupted Taylor Swift as she was getting her award for Best Female Video of that year. That sparked their feud, and honestly, Ye was just a jerk. He could’ve reserved his comments for after the show, but he had to ruin her moment. But like, whatever, look at where he is now and look where she is now. Can’t wait for October 3rd, iykyk!🤭 There are so many more iconic MTV VMA moments, but these are just a few that I can think of at the top of my head. But if you think of anything that I failed to mention, the comment section is your friend!

📷: Photos from the Web, no copyright infringement intended

MTV VMAs 2025: Glam, Legends, and the Pop Takeover

The MTV Video Music Awards aren’t just about who walks away clutching a Moon Person. They’re about the spectacle, the cultural reset buttons, and the performances we’ll pick apart on social media for the next month like unpaid music critics. The 2025 VMAs at UBS Arena in New York might not have been the most chaotic in VMA history — no meat dresses, no Kanye interruptions — but they still served up a mix of glitz, nostalgia, and pop dominance that reminded us why this show refuses to fade into irrelevance.

What made this year interesting was the balance. The VMAs have always thrived on shock value, but 2025 leaned more into substance. Instead of relying solely on viral moments (though Gaga gave us plenty to meme), the show was packed with intentional choices: from honouring icons like Mariah Carey and Ricky Martin to spotlighting chart rulers like Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter. It wasn’t a circus; it was a statement.😎

And that’s the thing, the VMAs still manage to feel like a mirror to where music culture stands. This year, it reflected a pop landscape dominated by powerhouse women, a music industry blurring genre lines faster than Spotify can make playlists, and a broadcast that finally admitted MTV’s cable-only days are long gone. The result? A show that may not have shocked us into chaos, but definitely gave us plenty to talk about.

Who Ran the Show?

LL Cool J was our host for the night, and while he didn’t reinvent the wheel, he kept the energy steady and sprinkled in just enough cool to remind us why he’s still an industry OG. The real shakeup wasn’t who was holding the mic — it was where the show was airing. For the first time, the VMAs were simulcast on CBS and streamed live on Paramount+. MTV finally admitted what we’ve all known for years: nobody’s waiting around on cable anymore. If you want viewers, you have to go where the people are — and the people are streaming.

MTV also expanded the playing field with two new fan-voted categories: Best Country Video and Best Pop Artist. A small move, but a telling one. Pop and country aren’t side dishes anymore; they’re the main course of today’s charts. And, it’s about damn time.

Winners Who Defined the Night

Let’s be real — some artists just own the VMAs, and 2025 was no exception.

Lady Gaga: With 12 nominations and 4 wins, she didn’t just show up — she dominated. Gaga took Artist of the Year and teamed up with Bruno Mars for Best Collaboration on Die With A Smile. Honestly, the Moon Person might as well have had her name engraved in advance.
Ariana Grande: Her short film–style “Brighter Days Ahead” nabbed Video of the Year and Best Pop Video. Ariana’s officially in her auteur era — big visuals, big vocals, big wins.
Sabrina Carpenter: Snatched Album of the Year with Short n’ Sweet and added Best Pop Artist to her trophy case. From Disney star to industry heavyweight, Sabrina’s glow-up is complete. In her acceptance speech (for Best Album, Short n’ Sweet), she didn’t shy away from being bold: she addressed criticism of her newer work, dropped a mild expletive when emphasising that “the world is your f—in’ oyster”, and strongly acknowledged her queer/trans fans.
Mariah Carey: The moment we’ve all been waiting for — she finally got her well-earned Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. Her medley performance reminded us all why she’s still untouchable. She also took home Best R&B Video for Type Dangerous.
Busta Rhymes: Walked away with the inaugural Rock the Bells Visionary Award, and his emotional speech was pure heart.
Ricky Martin: Received the first-ever Latin Icon Award. Two words: about time.

📷: Photos from the Web, no copyright infringement intended

Winners Who Owned the Night

Here are the other winners of the night who took home their Moon Person.

Alex Warren: Took home the award for Best New Artist.
Rosé: BlackPink’s Rosé took home the awards for Song of the Year and Best K-Pop Video for APT. This song was on a loop in our household for a few months after it was released because of our 6-year-old!🤭
Ice Spice: She takes home Best Hip-Hop Video for This Is New York.
Sombr: Won Best Alternative Video for Back to Friends. I learned about them from my 6-year-old, and I must say, Back to Friends is one of the most played songs in my playlist.
The Killers: Bagged the Moon Person for Best Rock Video for Nobody Prays for the Dead.
Megan Moroney: Am I Okay? won Best Country Video that night.
Rauw Alejandro & Rosalia: They took home the Moon Person for Best Latin Video for the song Mueve.
Tems: Won Best Afrobeat Video for Love Me Jeje.

Performances That Stole the Show

Lady Gaga did what Gaga does best — delivered a fever dream of a performance. Between “Abracadabra” and “The Dead Dance,” she gave us costumes, theatrics, and just the right amount of weird.
Mariah Carey hit us with a nostalgia-soaked medley — Fantasy, We Belong Together — with fresh tracks woven in. The high notes are still there, the presence still undeniable.
Ariana Grande’s Fendi look deserves its own award. A polka-dot ensemble that somehow screamed playful and iconic at the same time.
Sabrina Carpenter performed her new single Tears from the album Man’s Best Friend. This was her second time on the main VMAs stage; last year was her first, where she performed a medley of her songs Espresso, Please Please Please, and Taste. This year’s performance was high-concept, theatrical. Sabrina didn’t just perform for show — she used the VMAs stage to make a statement. The “Protect Trans Rights” signs, the drag performers, the ballroom representation: it was activism woven into art, not tacked on. The visual vibe paid homage to pop history. Her outfit changed mid-show: sparkly fringed silver poncho top → sequined bra + tights in a rain effect, is a clear nod to Britney Spears’s iconic water stage moments.

The performances weren’t chaotic, but they were polished and memorable — proof that not every VMA moment has to rely on shock value to land.

The Bigger Picture

The VMAs have always been a cultural barometer, and 2025’s show made a few things crystal clear:

Women are leading the charge. From legacy queens like Mariah to pop powerhouses like Gaga, Ariana, and Sabrina, female artists didn’t just participate — they ran the night.
Genre is dead. Country, pop, Latin, hip-hop — it’s all blending together, and the VMAs finally stopped pretending otherwise. The new categories were just confirmation.
MTV is done being stubborn. The CBS simulcast and Paramount+ stream were an acknowledgement that clinging to cable is like clinging to your old iPod Nano. Cute, but outdated.

What Fell Flat

Some big names skipped the show entirely, which always leaves a hole in the red carpet drama.
The pacing was uneven. A few awards dragged, while others felt like MTV rushed to fit them in before commercial breaks.
Aside from Gaga and Mariah, there weren’t many genuine “holy sht” moments. And let’s be honest, the VMAs live for holy sht moments.🤭

My Thoughts

The MTV VMAs 2025 didn’t reinvent the wheel, but they didn’t need to. Instead of chasing chaos for chaos’ sake, the show leaned into celebrating icons, spotlighting rising stars, and proving that music videos still deserve their own night in the spotlight. Or maybe that’s just me, and I appreciated it because I’m at that age…

It wasn’t the wildest VMAs we’ve ever seen, but it was one of the most balanced, and maybe that’s exactly what MTV needed this year. And really, we’ve already seen enough chaos happening in the world right now; it’s nice that the entertainment scene isn’t as dramatic and is just chill.

At the end of the day, the VMAs aren’t about perfection. They’re about the mix of spectacle and substance that keeps us watching, tweeting, and arguing long after the last confetti cannon has gone off.