The 2025 MTV Video Music Awards just shook up pop culture — and this year’s Moon Person winners are already dominating timelines everywhere.
Hosted by LL Cool J, the show lit up the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, on Sunday, September 7, marking the rapper’s first time holding down the VMAs stage solo. He’s no stranger to the spotlight — in 1997, he became the first hip-hop artist to ever take home the prestigious Video Vanguard Award. Nearly three decades later, the same honor — now officially the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award — went to none other than Mariah Carey, who stunned with a powerhouse career-spanning moment.
And because the VMAs always deliver history-making surprises, Busta Rhymes was honored with the Rock the Bells Visionary Award, while Ricky Martin received the Latin Icon Award — both greeted with thunderous applause.
A Night of Firsts, Legends, and Major Wins
From Sabrina Carpenter turning her breakout year into a moon-person moment … to Kendrick Lamar sweeping key categories with his explosive “Not Like Us,” the 2025 VMAs belonged to artists who defined this year’s soundtracks to our lives.
Fans were treated to jaw-dropping live performances, star-studded red carpet entrances, and viral social media moments that will live rent-free all week. But of course, the real tea everyone’s after? The winners list.
MTV VMAs 2025: Nominees & Winner
(Winners are highlighted in bold)
Ariana Grande – “Brighter Days Ahead”
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
Beyoncé
Kendrick Lamar
Lady Gaga
Morgan Wallen
Taylor Swift
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.”
Tate McRae – “Sports Car”
The Weeknd, Playboi Carti – “Timeless”
Best New Artist
Alex Warren
Ella Langley
Gigi Perez
Lola Young
Sombr
The Marías
Best Pop Artist
Ariana Grande
Charli XCX
Justin Bieber
Lorde
Miley Cyrus
Sabrina Carpenter
Tate McRae
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”
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”
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”
Post Malone ft. Blake Shelton – “Pour Me a Drink”
Rosé & Bruno Mars – “Apt.”
Selena Gomez, Benny Blanco – “Sunset Blvd”
Best Pop
Alex Warren – “Ordinary”
Ariana Grande – “Brighter Days Ahead”
Ed Sheeran – “Sapphire”
Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars – “Die With a Smile”
Rosé & Bruno Mars – “Apt.”
Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”
Best Hip-Hop
Doechii – “Anxiety”
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”
Partynextdoor – “No Chill”
Summer Walker – “Heart of a Woman”
SZA – “Drive”
The Weeknd, Playboi Carti – “Timeless”
Best Alternative
Gigi Perez – “Sailor Song”
Imagine Dragons – “Wake Up”
Lola Young – “Messy”
MGK & Jelly Roll – “Lonely Road”
Sombr – “Back to Friends”
The Marías – “Back to Me”
Best Rock
Coldplay – “All My Love”
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”
Best K-Pop
Aespa – “Whiplash”
Jennie – “Like Jennie”
Jimin – “Who”
Jisoo – “Earthquake”
Lisa ft. Doja Cat & Raye – “Born Again”
Stray Kids – “Chk Chk Boom”
Rosé – “Toxic Till the End”
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”
Wizkid ft. Brent Faiyaz – “Piece of My Heart”
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?”
Morgan Wallen – “Smile”
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
The Weeknd – Hurry Up Tomorrow
Best Long Form Video
Ariana Grande – “Brighter Days Ahead”
Bad Bunny – “Debí Tirar Más Fotos (Short Film)”
Damiano David – “Funny Little Stories”
Mac Miller – “Balloonerism”
Miley Cyrus – “Something Beautiful”
The Weeknd – “Hurry Up Tomorrow”
Video for Good
Burna Boy – “Higher”
Charli XCX – “Guess featuring Billie Eilish”
Doechii – “Anxiety”
Eminem ft. Jelly Roll – “Somebody Save Me”
Selena Gomez, Benny Blanco – “Younger and Hotter Than Me”
Zach Hood ft. Sasha Alex Sloan – “Sleepwalking”
Best Direction
Ariana Grande – “Brighter Days Ahead”
Charli XCX – “Guess featuring Billie Eilish”
Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”
Lady Gaga – “Abracadabra”
Rosé & Bruno Mars – “Apt.”
Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”
Best Art Direction
Charli XCX – “Guess featuring Billie Eilish”
Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”
Lady Gaga – “Abracadabra”
Lorde – “Man of the Year”
Miley Cyrus – “End of the World”
Rosé & Bruno Mars – “Apt.”
Best Cinematography
Ariana Grande – “Brighter Days Ahead”
Ed Sheeran – “Sapphire”
Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”
Lady Gaga – “Abracadabra”
Miley Cyrus – “Easy Lover”
Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”
Best Editing
Charli XCX – “Guess featuring Billie Eilish”
Ed Sheeran – “Sapphire”
Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”
Lady Gaga – “Abracadabra”
Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”
Tate McRae – “Just Keep Watching (From F1® The Movie)”
Best Choreography
Doechii – “Anxiety”
FKA Twigs – “Eusexua”
Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”
Lady Gaga – “Abracadabra”
Tyla – “Push 2 Start”
Zara Larsson – “Pretty Ugly”
Best Visual Effects
Ariana Grande – “Brighter Days Ahead”
Lady Gaga – “Abracadabra”
Rosé & Bruno Mars – “Apt.”
Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”
Tate McRae – “Just Keep Watching (From F1® The Movie)”
The Weeknd – “Hurry Up Tomorrow”
Best Group
Aespa
All Time Low
Backstreet Boys
Blackpink
Coldplay
Evanescence
Fuerza Regida
Grupo Frontera
Imagine Dragons
Jonas Brothers
Katseye
My Chemical Romance
Seventeen
Stray Kids
The Marías
Twenty One Pilots
Song of Summer
Addison Rae – “Headphones On”
Alex Warren – “Ordinary”
Benson Boone – “Mystical Magical”
BigXthaPlug ft. Bailey Zimmerman – “All the Way”
Chappell Roan – “The Subway”
Demi Lovato – “Fast”
Doja Cat – “Jealous Type”
Huntr/x: Ejae, Audrey Nuna & Rei Ami – “Golden”
Jessie Murph – “Blue Strips”
Justin Bieber – “Daisies”
Moliy, Silent Addy, Skillibeng & Shenseea – “Shake It to the Max (Fly) (Remix)”
Morgan Wallen ft. Tate McRae – “What I Want”
Ravyn Lenae ft. Rex Orange County – “Love Me Not”
Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”
Sombr – “12 to 12”
Tate McRae – “Just Keep Watching (From F1® The Movie)”
Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award
Mariah Carey
Rock the Bells Visionary Award
Busta Rhymes
Latin Icon Award
Ricky Martin
Big Takeaways
- Mariah Carey’s Vanguard Award was the emotional highlight of the night — cementing her as the ultimate pop diva.
- Kendrick Lamar officially owned the VMAs, snagging both Artist of the Year and Video of the Year.
- Rosé & Bruno Mars’ collab “Apt.” emerged as a dark-horse winner, proving cross-genre partnerships still run the culture.
- Newcomers like The Marías got their flowers, officially stepping into mainstream spotlight.
Why This Year’s VMAs Mattered
The 2025 VMAs weren’t just about trophies — they marked the first time the ceremony aired live on CBS, broadening its reach to millions of new households. Between the music legends honored, the boundary-pushing performances, and the unpredictable winner pool, the show set the tone for the next year in pop music.
Bottom line: If you missed the VMAs, you missed history.
Who was your biggest winner of the night? Drop your take in the comments — and don’t forget to share this list with your group chat before the debates start flying.
