Lady Gaga, Sabrina Carpenter, Ariana Grande, Rosé and Bruno Mars were among the night’s standouts at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), broadcast live from UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, with LL Cool J hosting.
For the first time, the show aired coast-to-coast on CBS in addition to MTV and streamed live on Paramount+’s premium tier, bringing the VMAs to an even broader audience. Former MTV head Van Toffler’s Gunpowder & Sky produced the telecast alongside Den of Thieves, with the ceremony introducing two new categories this year: Best Pop Artist and Best Country Video.
Ariana Grande claimed Video of the Year for brighter days ahead and finished the night with three trophies overall. Lady Gaga led all winners with four awards, including Artist of the Year. Two days after canceling a Miami concert due to an “extremely strained” voice, she accepted her prize, then left to perform at Madison Square Garden; about 90 minutes later, the broadcast cut to her delivering Abracadabra and The Dead Dance from the stage at MSG.
Sabrina Carpenter also collected three Moon Person trophies, highlighted by Album of the Year for Short n’ Sweet. Rosé took Song of the Year for APT. her collaboration with Bruno Mars, and Mars shared another moment on stage with Gaga as the pair won Best Collaboration for Die With a Smile. KATSEYE earned MTV Push Performance of the Year for Touch, capping a telecast that mixed fan-favorite performances with a steady stream of big-category reveals.
The VMAs also saluted icons across eras. Mariah Carey received the Video Vanguard Award and performed as part of the tribute. At the same time, Busta Rhymes was honored with the inaugural Rock the Bells Visionary Award, and Ricky Martin accepted the inaugural Latin Icon Award—both also taking the stage for celebratory sets that underlined the show’s cross-genre reach.
Complete winners list below:
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
Beyoncé
Kendrick Lamar
Lady Gaga (WINNER)
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.” (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 Artist
Ariana Grande
Charli xcx
Justin Bieber
Lorde
Miley Cyrus
Sabrina Carpenter (WINNER)
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” (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”
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 Pop
Alex Warren, “Ordinary”
Ariana Grande, “Brighter Days Ahead” (WINNER)
Ed Sheeran, “Sapphire”
Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars, “Die With A Smile”
Rosé & Bruno Mars, “APT.”
Sabrina Carpenter, “Manchild”
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 – “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” (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 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 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”
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 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 Longform Video
Ariana Grande, “Brighter Days Ahead” (WINNER)
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”
Best Group
aespa
All Time Low
Backstreet Boys
BLACKPINK (WINNER)
Coldplay
Evanescence
Fuerza Regida
Grupo Frontera
Imagine Dragons
Jonas Brothers
KATSEYE
My Chemical Romance
SEVENTEEN
Stray Kids
The Marías
twenty one pilots
Song of the 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”
HUNTRIX: 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)” (WINNER)
Video for Good
Burna Boy, “Higher”
Charli xcx – “Guess featuring Billie Eilish” (WINNER)
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” (WINNER)
Rosé & Bruno Mars, “APT.”
Sabrina Carpenter, “Manchild”
Best Art Direction
Charli xcx, “Guess featuring Billie Eilish”
Kendrick Lamar, “Not Like Us”
Lady Gaga, “Abracadabra” (WINNER)
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” (WINNER)
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)” (WINNER)
Best Choreography
Doechii, “Anxiety” (WINNER)
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” (WINNER)
Tate McRae, “Just Keep Watching (From F1: The Movie)“
The Weeknd, “Hurry Up Tomorrow”
REELated:
Sabrina Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend TikTok experience lands
