VMAs 2025: The Night Music and Fashion Declared War on Hate
Sunday’s MTV Video Music Awards delivered pure sartorial theater, darling. Doja Cat’s Max Headroom moment was nothing short of genius—channeling ’80s cyberpunk aesthetics while serving futuristic glamour. Lady Gaga’s Moon Person triumph (12 nominations!) solidified her fashion icon status once again. But the real statement? Sabrina Carpenter’s “Tears” performance, where dancers wielded signs championing trans rights—fashion meets activism at its most powerful. Mariah’s timeless elegance, Ricky Martin’s Latin flair, and that unexpected Yungblud-Aerosmith collaboration honoring Ozzy created a night where vintage met avant-garde. The VMAs proved fashion’s political pulse beats strongest on music’s biggest stage.
Below is a list of nominees in major categories, with the winners are indicated in bold.
VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Ariana Grande – “brighter days ahead” – *WINNER
Billie Eilish – “BIRDS OF A FEATHER”
Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”
Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars – “Die With A Smile”
ROSÉ & Bruno Mars – “APT.”
Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”
The Weeknd, Playboi Carti – “Timeless”
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Bad Bunny
Kendrick Lamar
Lady Gaga – *WINNER
Morgan Wallen
The Weeknd
SONG OF THE YEAR
Alex Warren – “Ordinary”
Billie Eilish – “BIRDS OF A FEATHER”
Doechii – “Anxiety”
Ed Sheeran – “Sapphire”
Gracie Abrams – “I Love You, I’m Sorry”
Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars – “Die With A Smile”
Lorde – “What Was That”
ROSÉ & Bruno Mars – “APT.” – *WINNER
Tate McRae – “Sports Car”
The Weeknd, Playboi Carti – “Timeless”
BEST NEW ARTIST
Alex Warren – *WINNER
Ella Langley
Gigi Perez
Lola Young
sombr
The Marías
BEST POP
Ariana Grande
Charli xcx
Justin Bieber
Lorde
Miley Cyrus
Sabrina Carpenter – *WINNER
Tate McRae
BEST ALBUM
Bad Bunny- “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS”
Kendrick Lamar – “GNX”
Lady Gaga – “Mayhem”
Morgan Wallen – “I’m The Problem”
Sabrina Carpenter – “Short n’ Sweet” – *WINNER
The Weeknd – “Hurry Up Tomorrow”
BEST COLLABORATION
Bailey Zimmerman with Luke Combs – “Backup Plan (Stagecoach Official Music Video)”
Kendrick Lamar & SZA – “luther”
Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars – “Die With A Smile” – *WINNER
Post Malone ft. Blake Shelton – “Pour Me A Drink”
ROSÉ & Bruno Mars – “APT.”
Selena Gomez, benny blanco – “Sunset Blvd”
BEST HIP-HOP
Doechii – “Anxiety” – *WINNER
Drake – “NOKIA”
Eminem ft. Jelly Roll – “Somebody Save Me”
GloRilla ft. Sexyy Red – “WHATCHU KNO ABOUT ME”
Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”
LL COOL J ft. Eminem – “Murdergram Deux”
Travis Scott – “4X4”
BEST R&B
Chris Brown – “Residuals”
Leon Thomas & Freddie Gibbs – “MUTT (REMIX)”
Mariah Carey – “Type Dangerous” – *WINNER
PARTYNEXTDOOR – “N o C h i l l”
Summer Walker – “Heart Of A Woman”
SZA – “Drive”
The Weeknd, Playboi Carti – “Timeless”
BEST COUNTRY
Chris Stapleton, “Think I’m In Love With You”
Cody Johnson with Carrie Underwood, “I’m Gonna Love You”
Jelly Roll, “Liar”
Lainey Wilson, “4x4xU”
Megan Moroney, “Am I Okay?” – *WINNER
Morgan Wallen, “Smile”
BEST K-POP
Aespa, “Whiplash”
Jennie, “Like Jennie”
Jimin, “Who”
Jisoo, “Earthquake”
Lisa ft. Doja Cat & Raye, “Born Again” – *WINNER
Stray Kids, “Chk Chk Boom”
Rosé, “Toxic Till the End”
BEST ALTERNATIVE
Gigi Perez, “Sailor Song”
Imagine Dragons, “Wake Up”
Lola Young, “Messy”
mgk & Jelly Roll, “Lonely Road”
Sombr, “Back to Friends” – *WINNER
The Marías, “Back To Me”
BEST ROCK
Coldplay, “All My Love” – *WINNER
Evanescence, “Afterlife (From the Netflix Series Devil May Cry)”
Green Day, “One Eyed Bastard”
Lenny Kravitz, “Honey”
Linkin Park, “The Emptiness Machine”
Twenty One Pilots, “The Contract”
BEST LATIN
Bad Bunny, “Baile Inolvidable”
J Balvin, “Rio”
Karol G, “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido”
Peso Pluma, “La Patrulla”
Rauw Alejandro & Romeo Santos, “Khé?”
Shakira, “Soltera“ – *WINNER
BEST AFROBEATS
Asake & Travis Scott, “Active”
Burna Boy ft. Travis Scott, “TaTaTa”
Moliy, Silent Addy, Skillibeng & Shenseea, “Shake It To The Max (Fly) (Remix)”
Rema, “Baby (Is It a Crime)”
Tems ft. Asake, “Get It Right”
Tyla, “Push 2 Start” – *WINNER
Wizkid ft. Brent Faiyaz, “Piece Of My Heart”
MTV Push Performance of the Year
August 2024: Shaboozey, “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”
September 2024: Ayra Starr, “Last Heartbreak Song”
October 2024: Mark Ambor, “Belong Together”
November 2024: Lay Bankz, “Graveyard”
December 2024: Dasha, “Bye Bye Bye”
January 2025: KATSEYE, “Touch” – *WINNER
February 2025: Jordan Adetunji, “Kehlani”
March 2025: Leon Thomas, “Yes It Is”
April 2025: Livingston, “Shadow”
May 2025: Damiano David, “Next Summer”
June 2025: Gigi Perez, “Sailor Song”
July 2025: Role Model, “Sally, When The Wine Runs Out”
