MTV Video Music Awards 2025 Highlights: Top 5 Unforgettable Moments

On the evening of Sunday, September 7, New York City was alive with the excitement of the MTV Video Music Awards, which celebrated its 42nd edition at the UBS Arena in Elmont. The event was a vibrant affair featuring performances by a host of artists before the awards for each of the 30 categories were handed out.

The standout singers of the night were undoubtedly Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga: Grande took home the awards for Video of the Year and Best Pop Song for her track Brighter Days Ahead, while Gaga was honored as Artist of the Year and also won Best Collaboration for her duet with Bruno Mars on Die With a Smile.

Other notable awards included Song of the Year, which went to Rosé and Bruno Mars for Apt, Best Hip-Hop Song awarded to Doechii for Anxiety, Best Alternative Song to Sombr for Back to Friends, and the Song of the Summer to Tate McRae for Just Keep Watching, among other accolades.

Sabrina Carpenter Advocates for Transgender Rights

Winning both Best Pop Artist and Best Album for Short n’ Sweet, Sabrina Carpenter made a dramatic entrance at the UBS Arena emerging from a mock sewer cover to start her dazzling performance. The American singer performed Tears, surrounded by drag queens and dancers holding signs that read “Protect trans rights,” “Support local drags,” and “Dolls dolls dolls,” a term from the 1980s ballroom culture referring to transgender women.

Lady Gaga Delivers a Spectacular Performance

With 12 nominations, Lady Gaga performed Abracadabra from her latest album released in March, Mayhem, and The Dead Dance, her new single for the Netflix series Wednesday. True to form, the artist showcased an elaborate staging and costume design, accompanied by her dancers, in a performance that was both immense and delightfully gothic.

Yungblud and Aerosmith Pay Tribute to Ozzy Osbourne

As an heir to Ozzy Osbourne and a former close admirer of the rock star, Yungblud paid tribute with two songs on Sunday night. He first performed Crazy Train with his regular guitarist, Nuno Bettencourt, before being joined by Aerosmith’s vocalist Steven Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry. Together, they performed Mama, I’m Coming Home, to the cheers of the audience, nearly two months after Osbourne’s death in July at the age of 76.

Ariana Grande Thanks “her psychologist” and “the gay community”

Overwhelmed with emotion after winning two awards (Video of the Year and Best Pop Song for Brighter Days Ahead), Ariana Grande delivered her acceptance speech with a trembling voice. She first admitted to being “nervous” before pausing and adding, “I’m going to cry!”. Grande then thanked her fans, “who are fiercely loving and supportive.” “Thank you for growing with me and for being so understanding towards me as a human being,” she continued. She also expressed gratitude to her father, who agreed to appear in her music video for the first time, and concluded her speech by thanking her psychologist and the gay community.