The 2025 TV VMAs were all about honoring the powerhouses of the music industry from the VMAs Vanguard Award winner Mariah Carry to the pop queens of the moment, Arianna Grande, Sabrina Carpenter, and Tate McRae.
LL Cool J hosted this year’s VMAs live from the UBS Arena in New York. While the awards were the main event, the performances of the evening sent fed live audience and viewers’ excitement, and we’ll be talking about who owned the stage for weeks to come.
There were some standout nominees, including Lady Gaga who led with 12 nominations. Kendrick Lamar had 10, ROSÉ and Sabrina Carpenter each had eight, Ariana Grande and The Weeknd had seven, Billie Eilish had six, and Charli XCX had five. Lady Gaga continued to lead by the end of the night, leaving early with four Moon Person trophies to perform at Madison Square Garden. Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter each took home three awards.
Check out the full list of winners below!
Video of the year
Ariana Grande – “brighter days ahead” – WINNER
ROSÉ and Bruno Mars – “APT.”
Billie Eilish – “BIRDS OF A FEATHER”
Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”
Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”
The Weeknd, Playboi Carti – “Timeless”
Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars – “Die With A Smile”
Artist of the year
Lady Gaga – WINNER
Bad Bunny
Beyoncé
Kendrick Lamar
Morgan Wallen
Best new artist
Alex Warren – WINNER
Ella Langley
Gigi Perez
Lola Young
sombr
The Marías
Latin Icon Award
Ricky Martin – WINNER
Best country
Megan Moroney – “Am I Okay?” – WINNER
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”
Morgan Wallen – “Smile”
Song of the year
ROSÉ and Bruno Mars – “APT.” – WINNER
Alex Warren – “Ordinary”
Billie Eilish – “BIRDS OF A FEATHER”
Doechii – “Anxiety”
Ed Sheeran – “Sapphire”
Gracie Abrams – “I Love You, I’m Sorry”
Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars – “Die With A Smile”
Lorde – “What Was That”
Tate McRae – “Sports Car”
The Weeknd, Playboi Carti – “Timeless”
Best R&B
Mariah Carey – “Type Dangerous” – WINNER
Chris Brown – “Residuals”
Leon Thomas and Freddie Gibbs – “MUTT (REMIX)”
PARTYNEXTDOOR – “N o C h i l l”
Summer Walker – “Heart Of A Woman”
SZA – “Drive”
The Weeknd, Playboi Carti – “Timeless”
Video Vanguard Award
Mariah Carey – WINNER
Best alternative
Sombr – “Back to Friends” – WINNER
Gigi Perez – “Sailor Song”
Imagine Dragons – “Wake Up”
Lola Young – “Messy”
mgk and Jelly Roll – “Lonely Road”
The Marías – “Back to Me”
Song of Summer
Tate McRae – “Just Keep Watching” – WINNER
Addison Rae – “Headphones On”
Alex Warren – “Ordinary”
Benson Boone – “Mystical Magical”
Chappell Roan – “The Subway”
BigXthaPlug ft. Bailey Zimmerman – “All the Way”
Sombr – “12 to 12”
Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”
Ravyn Lenae ft. Rex Orange County – “Love Me Not”
Morgan Wallen ft. Tate McRae – “What I Want”
Demi Lovato – “Fast”
Doja Cat – “Jealous Type”
Jessie Murph – “Blue Strips”
Justin Bieber – “Daisies”
MOLIY, Silent Addy, Skillibeng and Shenseea – “Shake It to the Max (FLY)” (Remix)
HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI – “Golden”
Rock the Bells Visionary Award
Busta Rhymes
PUSH Performance of the Year
Katseye – “Touch” – WINNER
Shaboozey – “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”
Ayra Starr – “Last Heartbreak Song”
Mark Ambor – “Belong Together”
Lay Bankz – “Graveyard”
Dasha – “Bye Bye Bye”
Jordan Adetunji – “KEHLANI”
Leon Thomas – “YES IT IS”
Livingston – “Shadow”
Role Model – “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out”
Damiano David – “Next Summer”
Gigi Perez – “Sailor Song”
Best K-pop
LISA ft. Doja Cat and RAYE – “Born Again” – WINNER
aespa – “Whiplash”
JENNIE – “like JENNIE”
Jimin – “Who”
JISOO – “earthquake”
ROSÉ – “toxic till the end”
Stray Kids – “Chk Chk Boom”
Best Afrobeats
Tyla – “PUSH 2 START” – WINNER
Asake and Travis Scott – “Active”
Burna Boy ft. Travis Scott – “TaTaTa”
Moliy, Silent Addy, Skillibeng and Shenseea – “Shake It To The Max (FLY)” (Remix)
Rema – “Baby (Is It A Crime)”
Tems ft. Asake – “Get It Right”
Wizkid ft. Brent Faiyaz – “Piece Of My Heart”
Best Album
Sabrina Carpenter – “Short n’ Sweet” – WINNER
Bad Bunny- “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS”
Kendrick Lamar – “GNX”
Lady Gaga – “Mayhem”
Morgan Wallen – “I’m The Problem”
The Weeknd – “Hurry Up Tomorrow”
Best Collaboration
Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars – “Die With A Smile” – WINNER
Bailey Zimmerman with Luke Combs – “Backup Plan (Stagecoach Official Music Video)”
Kendrick Lamar and SZA – “luther”
Post Malone ft. Blake Shelton – “Pour Me A Drink”
ROSÉ and Bruno Mars – “APT.”
Selena Gomez, Benny Blanco – “Sunset Blvd”
Best Pop
Ariana Grande – “brighter days ahead” – WINNER
Alex Warren – “Ordinary”
Ed Sheeran – “Sapphire”
Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars – “Die With A Smile”
ROSÉ and 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 Pop Artist
Sabrina Carpenter – WINNER
Ariana Grande
Tate McRae
Charli xcx
Justin Bieber
Lorde
Miley Cyrus
Best Latin
Shakira – “Soltera” – WINNER
Bad Bunny – “BAILE INoLVIDABLE”
J Balvin – “Rio”
KAROL G – “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido”
Peso Pluma and Netón Vega – “LA PATRULLA”
Rauw Alejandro and Romeo Santos – “Khé?”
Best Group
Blackpink – WINNER
aespa
All Time Low
Backstreet Boys
Coldplay
Evanescence
Fuerza Regida
Grupo Frontera
Jonas Brothers
Imagine Dragons
Katseye
My Chemical Romance
Seventeen
Stray Kids
The Marías
Twenty One Pilots
Best Rock
Coldplay – “ALL MY LOVE” – WINNER
Evanescence – “Afterlife”
Green Day – “One Eyed Bastard”
Lenny Kravitz – “Honey”
Linkin Park – “The Emptiness Machine”
Twenty One Pilots – “The Contract”