After an extraordinary night of music at New York’s UBS Arena, the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards have come to a close, streaming live on CBS for the first time ever.
Lady Gaga was crowned the big winner of the night, taking home four Moonmen, including Artist of the Year and Best Collaboration. Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter followed closely behind with three wins each; Grande received the highly coveted award for Video of the Year. Song of the Year went to “APT,” adding ROSÉ and Bruno Mars to the list of winners.
Complete with stellar performances, this year’s VMAs paid special tribute to several industry icons, honoring the likes of Mariah Carey, Busta Rhymes, and Ricky Martin. Mariah Carey, who was recognized as this year’s Video Vanguard recipient, shone bright (literally) in a medley of her greatest hits. Making history, Busta Rhymes was honored with the first-ever Rock the Bells Visionary Award (presented by host LL Cool J), while Ricky Martin was awarded the first-ever Latin Icon Award for his lasting legacy in the genre. Both artists delivered show-stopping performances of their own – Busta’s spitfire medley included guest appearances from Spliff Star, GloRilla, Joyner Lucas, and Papoose.
A monumental tribute
One of the biggest highlights of the night was a legendary tribute to the late Ozzy Osbourne. The star-studded grouping of Yungblud, Nuno Bettencourt, and Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Joe Perry honored the “Prince of Darkness” with a head-banging medley of his greatest hits. The punk rock vocalist even donned Osborne’s cross necklace on stage, telling E! News that “he’s here with me.”
See the full performance here
Other standout performances included Tate McRae, Sabrina Carpenter, and Lady Gaga. Picking up two wins herself, McRae delivered a captivating performance, complete with showstopping choreography. Meanwhile, Carpenter performed her new song “Tears” for the first time in a sparkling performance that some say mirrors the likes of Britney Spears.
Fans also got a glimpse into the Mayhem Ball, live from Madison Square Garden, as Gaga dazzled in a theatrical, wildly-choreographed performance of her new song “Dead Dance.”
For a full list of this year’s performers, click here.
Winners from this year’s MTV Video Music Awards
The winners of the following 19 fan categories received the most public votes in their respective categories. Voting was cast by fans on the MTV VMAs website.
If you haven’t read my previous article recapping this year’s nominees, click here.
Video of the Year
Presented by LL Cool J.
WINNER: Ariana Grande — “Brighter Days Ahead”
Prediction: Incorrect. I think I severely underestimated Ariana Grande with my predictions this year. Granted, given the strong selection of candidates, this category was tough to choose.
Artist of the Year
Presented by Lenny Kravitz.
WINNER: Lady Gaga
Prediction: Correct. I was beyond stoked to see Lady Gaga take this one home. I mean, who’s more deserving of Artist of the Year than someone who literally booked it from the VMAs to MSG to perform an entire show? No one is doing it like Mother Mayhem.
Song of the Year
Presented by Paris Hilton.
WINNER: ROSÉ & Bruno Mars — “APT.”
Prediction: Incorrect. Ok, ok, I might have been a little biased in picking Billie Eilish for this one. Still, I’m not surprised at all to see ROSÉ & Bruno Mars come out on top. Given how explosive “APT.” was this year, I definitely had it as a strong runner-up.
Best New Artist
WINNER: Alex Warren
Prediction: Half-correct. I figured this one would come down to sombr and Alex Warren. Although I would have loved to see sombr win, Warren was definitely deserving. His moving performance of “Eternity” and “Ordinary” proved that.
Best Pop Artist
WINNER: Sabrina Carpenter
Prediction: Correct. Again, this was no surprise. The success of Short n’ Sweet definitely set her up for this victory. Between her three wins, it’s safe to say that Carpenter had a great night at the 2025 VMAs.
MTV Push Performance of the Year
Presented by Ice Spice and Latto.
WINNER: January 2025 — KATSEYE — “Touch”
Prediction: Correct. Though I haven’t personally seen all of this year’s Push performances, it’s no secret that KATSEYE has seen a huge rise in popularity as of late (especially with “Gnarly.”) I’m happy to see the young group win their first Moonman.
Best Collaboration
Presented by Jessica and Ashlee Simpson.
WINNER: Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars — “Die with a Smile”
Prediction: Correct. Given the accolades “Die with a Smile” has already received, it’s no shocker to see it claim Best Collaboration.
Best Pop
Presented by Ciara.
WINNER: Ariana Grande — “brighter days ahead”
Prediction: Incorrect. Once again, Ariana was not at the forefront of my brain for Best Pop (not to say that it’s not deserved). Given that my pick for this one (“APT.”) went on to win Song of the Year, I guess it’s not surprising that it was snubbed here.
Best Hip-Hop
WINNER: Doechii — “Anxiety”
Prediction: Incorrect. This category wasn’t announced during the show, and, honestly, I was a little shocked when I saw the results. I thought, without a doubt, Best Hip-Hop would go to Kendrick. Still, I’m not upset. I like Doechii, so it’s nice to see her win.
Best R&B
WINNER: Mariah Carey — “Type Dangerous”
Prediction: Incorrect. Although I wasn’t anticipating it, I think it’s fitting for Mariah Carey to claim her first (yes, first) VMA the same night as being recognized for the Video Vanguard Award.
Best Alternative
WINNER: sombr — “back to friends”
Prediction: Correct. As a fan, I’m stoked to see sombr take the win for Best Alternative. Presenting a great performance at this VMAs, this young artist is definitely deserving, and I see major success in his future.
Best Rock
WINNER: Coldplay — “ALL MY LOVE”
Prediction: Incorrect. Looking back, I should’ve seen this one coming. There was quite a mix of fan favorites for this category, so there’s a good chance it could’ve gone either way.
Best Latin
WINNER: Shakira — “Soltera”
Prediction: Incorrect. I am not very familiar with the Latin category, so I really had no idea who would win here. What I do know is how vastly popular Shakira is in her demographic, so it totally makes sense to see her claim victory.
Best K-Pop
WINNER: LISA featuring Doja Cat & RAYE — “Born Again”
Prediction: Correct. Again, K-pop is not necessarily my forte. Regardless, teaming up with the likes of Doja Cat and RAYE made “Born Again” a clear frontrunner in my mind.
Best Afrobeats
WINNER: Tyla — “PUSH 2 START”
Prediction: Correct. Given how prominent Tyla is in the afrobeats category, it’s no surprise to see her come out on top.
Best Country
WINNER: Megan Moroney — “Am I Okay?”
Prediction: Incorrect. I know very little about country music, so I wasn’t sure who to pull for here. After watching her performance mid-way through the show, I agree that Megan Maroney was a solid winner.
Best Album
WINNER: Sabrina Carpenter — Short n’ Sweet
Prediction: Incorrect. I won’t lie, this one took me off guard a little bit. With several other strong albums on this list (Mayhem, GNX), I was a little surprised to see Sabrina come out on top. While I do love Sabrina and agree that Short n’ Sweet was a monumental album, I have to argue that Gaga was robbed here. Hey, maybe that’s just my bias coming out.
Best Long Form Video
WINNER: Ariana Grande — “brighter days ahead”
Prediction: Correct. This is the one category I was confident Ariana Grande would pull out. “brighter days ahead” is a beautifully put-together video, and it’s honestly surprising it didn’t place more in the professional categories.
Video for Good
WINNER: Charli XCX— “Guess featuring Billie Eilish”
Prediction: Correct. As the fan favorite, I was confident in this one going to Charli and Billie. Not only did “Guess” deliver a striking video, but it also went toward a charitable cause, helping victims of domestic violence.
Professional Categories
Music industry experts voted on these six professional categories.
Best Direction
WINNER: Lady Gaga — “Abracadabra”
Prediction: Correct. Best Direction presented some steep competition, but I love to see Lady Gaga come out on top. Masterfully eccentric and eye-catching, “Abracadabra” is truly a visual spectacle.
Best Art Direction
WINNER: Lady Gaga — “Abracadabra”
Prediction: Correct. Not to sound like a broken record, but Gaga’s visually striking performance in “Abracadabra” stands out tenfold among the other nominees. From the choreography to the costuming, it is artistic perfection.
Best Cinematography
WINNER: Kendrick Lamar — “Not Like Us”
Prediction: Half-correct. Alright, I might’ve cheated a little with my prediction here by naming a few possible winners. Feeling very reminiscent of the early rap days, I really enjoy Kendrick’s video, so I’m glad to see it bring home a win.
Best Editing
WINNER: Tate McRae — “Just Keep Watching (from ‘F1 The Movie’)”
Prediction: Incorrect. I didn’t foresee Tate McRae winning here, but I will say I’m pleasantly surprised. I think Tate is a very talented young artist, so it’s nice to see her get some recognition.
Best Choreography
WINNER: Doechii — “Anxiety”
Prediction: Incorrect. Given that “Abracadabra” was up for this category, it’s hard to believe Doechii took this one home. While I enjoyed the “Anxiety” music video, I don’t know if it really compares to the mesmerizing choreography in “Abracadabra.”
Best Visual Effects
WINNER: Sabrina Carpenter — “Manchild”
Prediction: Incorrect. I saw the winner for this as a bit of a toss-up. While it would have been cool to see “APT.” take the win here, “Manchild” also offered a strong visual component. It is definitely an entertaining video.
See Sabrina Carpenter’s performance of “Tears” at the 2025 VMAs.
Social Categories
The voting for these categories was held live on MTV’s Instagram Story.
Best Group
WINNER: BLACKPINK
Prediction: Incorrect. Honestly, I should’ve guessed this one. I may have put a little too much faith in KATSEYE’s recent spike in popularity (they are still relatively new, of course), but I see it as no surprise that BLACKPINK won Best Group.
Song of the Summer
WINNER: Tate McRae – “Just Keep Watching (From F1 The Movie)”
Prediction: Incorrect. With a whopping sixteen nominees, this one was hard to predict. I still think Sabrina would’ve been a notable winner here, but I’m happy Tate pulled it out.
Recap
Between stellar performances, historic accolades, and honoring long-time legends, the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards were a memorable culmination of this year’s best in music. Here’s how my predictions panned out:
Predictions
13 out of 27 correct
Ok, so I only scored about 50/50, whatever. Given that a good chunk of my misses were for categories I’m not familiar with, I’ll take it.
Now that the 2025 MTV VMAs have wrapped up, here’s to welcoming another head-bopping, whistle-worthy year of music. How did you do on your predictions this year?
