2025 MTV Video Music Awards

2025 MTV Video Music Awards
Date	Sunday, September 7, 2025 8:00—11:03 p.m. EDT
Venue	UBS Arena, Elmont, New York
Country	United States
Hosted by	LL Cool J
Most awards	Lady Gaga (4)
Most nominations	Lady Gaga (12)
Website	mtv.com/vma
Television/radio coverage
Network	CBS Paramount+ MTV
Viewership	5.5 million
Produced by	Bruce Gillmer Jesse Ignjatovic Barb Bialkowski Van Toffler [1]
Directed by	Joe DeMaio
←  2024  · MTV Video Music Awards

The 2025 MTV Video Music Awards were held at the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, on September 7, 2025. It was broadcast for the first time on CBS and available to stream on Paramount+ with a simulcast on MTV. ^{[2] [3]} The show was hosted by rapper and actor LL Cool J. ^[4] The pre-show was aired on MTV and select sister cable networks with hosts Nessa and Kevan Kenney. ^[5]

The ceremony honored the best music videos and songs released between June 20, 2024, and June 18, 2025. ^[6] Two new categories, Best Country and Best Pop Artist, were awarded through fan votes. ^[7] Lady Gaga was the most nominated and awarded artist, winning four trophies out of twelve nominations. Ariana Grande's Brighter Days Ahead was crowned Video of the Year. Mariah Carey was honored with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, presented by Grande. Two new special awards were given out; Busta Rhymes received the Rock the Bells Visionary, and Ricky Martin received the Latin Icon. The ceremony saw a 42% increase in viewership compared to the previous edition, its highest ratings in 6 years. ^[8]

Performances

Pre-show

Katseye was announced as a performer for the pre-show on September 2, 2025. ^[9]

Artist(s)	Song(s)
Katseye	"Gnarly" "Gabriela"

Main show

The first round of performers were announced on August 18, 2025. ^[10] Mariah Carey was announced on August 21. ^[11] The second round was announced on August 26. ^[12] Lady Gaga was announced on August 30. ^[13] On September 5, performers for the Ozzy Osbourne tribute were announced. ^[14]

Artist(s)	Song(s)
Doja Cat Kenny G	"Jealous Type"
Ricky Martin	Latin Icon Medley "Livin' la Vida Loca" "Pégate" "Vente Pa' Ca" "María" "The Cup of Life"
Tate McRae	"Revolving Door" "Sports Car"
Busta Rhymes Spliff Star Joyner Lucas Papoose GloRilla	Rock The Bells Visionary Medley "Break Ya Neck" "Gimme Some More" "Scenario" "Touch It" (Remix) "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See" "Pass the Courvoisier"
Sabrina Carpenter	"Tears"
Post Malone Jelly Roll	"Losers" (Pre-Taped from the Heinz-von-Heiden-Arena)
Mariah Carey	Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Medley "Sugar Sweet" "Fantasy" (O.D.B Remix) "Honey" "Heartbreaker" "Obsessed" "It's Like That" (with elements of "Type Dangerous") "We Belong Together"
Lady Gaga	"Abracadabra" "The Dead Dance" (Pre-Taped from Madison Square Garden)
Alex Warren	"Eternity" "Ordinary"
Steven Tyler Joe Perry Yungblud Nuno Bettencourt	Tribute to Ozzy Osbourne "Crazy Train" "Changes" "Mama, I'm Coming Home"
J Balvin DJ Snake Justin Quiles Lenny Tavárez	"Zun Zun" "Noventa"
Sombr	"Back to Friends" "12 to 12"
Conan Gray	"Vodka Cranberry"

Extended Play stage

Extended Play stage performers were announced on September 2, 2025.

Artist(s)	Song(s)
Lola Young	"Messy"
Bailey Zimmerman The Kid Laroi	"Lost"
Megan Moroney	"6 Months Later"

Presenters

Presenters were announced on September 2, 2025. ^[15]

Pre-show

• Nessa – presented Best New Artist and Song of Summer
• Kevan Kenney – presented Best R&B and Best Alternative

Main show

• Lenny Kravitz – presented Artist of the Year
• Livvy Dunne – introduced Lola Young and the Extended Play Stage
• J Balvin – introduced Ricky Martin
• Jessica Simpson – presented the Latin Icon Award
• Nikki Glaser – introduced Tate McRae
• Paris Hilton – presented Song of the Year
• LL Cool J – introduced Busta Rhymes and presented the Rock the Bells Visionary Award
• Ice Spice and Latto – presented Push Performance of the Year
• Luke Grimes – introduced Post Malone and Jelly Roll
• Jon Jones – introduced Bailey Zimmerman and The Kid Laroi
• Ariana Grande – introduced Mariah Carey and presented the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award
• Rosé – introduced Lady Gaga
• Brittany Snow and Malin Akerman – introduced Alex Warren
• Jack Osbourne – introduced the Ozzy Osbourne tribute
• GloRilla – introduced J Balvin, Justin Quiles, Lenny Tavárez and DJ Snake
• Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami – presented Best Album
• Alix Earle – introduced Megan Moroney
• Megan Stalter – introduced Sombr
• Ciara – presented Best Pop
• Ashlee Simpson Ross and Jessica Simpson – presented Best Collaboration
• Katseye – introduced Conan Gray
• LL Cool J – presented Video of the Year

Winners and nominees

The nominees were announced on August 5, 2025, with two new award categories–Best Country and Best Pop Artist. ^{[16] [17]} The nominees in the social categories–Best Group and Song of Summer–were announced on August 29. ^[18] Lady Gaga led with twelve nominations. She is followed by Bruno Mars with eleven, Kendrick Lamar with ten, Sabrina Carpenter with nine, Rosé with eight, Ariana Grande with seven, Billie Eilish, Tate McRae and The Weeknd with six each, Charli XCX with five, and Alex Warren, Bad Bunny, Doechii, Ed Sheeran, Jelly Roll, Miley Cyrus and Morgan Wallen with four each. ^[18] Gaga was the night's biggest winner, receiving four awards, followed by Grande and Carpenter with three award each, while Mars, McRae, Doechii and Mariah Carey received two each. ^[19]

Winners are listed first and highlighted in bold. ^{[20] [21]}

Voted categories

The winners of the following categories are chosen by fan votes. ^[22] The first round of voting, known as the "General Voting Period", began on August 5 at 12:00 p.m. ET for the categories which nominees were announced on the same day, and concluded on September 5 at 6 p.m. ET. ^[23] Voting for Best New Artist continues until the end of the ceremony. ^[23]

Video of the Year (Presented by Burger King)	Artist of the Year
Ariana Grande – Brighter Days Ahead Billie Eilish – "Birds of a Feather" Kendrick Lamar – "Not Like Us" Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars – "Die with a Smile" Rosé and Bruno Mars – "Apt." Sabrina Carpenter – "Manchild" The Weeknd and Playboi Carti – "Timeless"	Lady Gaga Bad Bunny Beyoncé Kendrick Lamar Taylor Swift Morgan Wallen The Weeknd
Song of the Year	Best New Artist
Rosé and Bruno Mars – "Apt." Alex Warren – "Ordinary" Billie Eilish – "Birds of a Feather" Gracie Abrams – "I Love You, I'm Sorry" Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars – "Die with a Smile" Tate McRae – "Sports Car"	Alex Warren Ella Langley Gigi Perez Lola Young Sombr The Marías
Best Pop Artist	Push Performance of the Year (Presented by Bacardi)
Sabrina Carpenter Ariana Grande Charli XCX Justin Bieber Lorde Miley Cyrus Tate McRae	January 2025: Katseye – "Touch" 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" 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 Pop
Ariana Grande – Brighter Days Ahead Alex Warren – "Ordinary" Ed Sheeran – "Sapphire" Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars – "Die with a Smile" Rosé and Bruno Mars – "Apt." Sabrina Carpenter – "Manchild"
Best Album	Best Collaboration (Presented by Under Armour)
Sabrina Carpenter – Short n' Sweet Bad Bunny – Debí Tirar Más Fotos Kendrick Lamar – GNX Lady Gaga – Mayhem Morgan Wallen – I'm the Problem The Weeknd – Hurry Up Tomorrow	Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars – "Die with a Smile" Bailey Zimmerman and Luke Combs – "Backup Plan" Kendrick Lamar and SZA – "Luther" Post Malone featuring Blake Shelton – "Pour Me a Drink" Rosé and Bruno Mars – "Apt." Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco – "Sunset Blvd"
Best Hip Hop	Best R&B
Doechii – "Anxiety" Drake – "Nokia" Eminem featuring Jelly Roll – "Somebody Save Me" GloRilla featuring Sexyy Red – "Whatchu Kno About Me" Kendrick Lamar – "Not Like Us" LL Cool J featuring Eminem – "Murdergram Deux" Travis Scott – "4x4"	Mariah Carey – "Type Dangerous" Chris Brown – "Residuals" Leon Thomas and Freddie Gibbs – "Mutt (Remix)" PartyNextDoor – "No Chill" SZA – "Drive" Summer Walker – "Heart of a Woman" The Weeknd and Playboi Carti – "Timeless"
Best Alternative	Best Rock
Sombr – "Back to Friends" Gigi Perez – "Sailor Song" Imagine Dragons – "Wake Up" Lola Young – "Messy" MGK and Jelly Roll – "Lonely Road" The Marías – "Back to Me"	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	Best K-Pop
Shakira – "Soltera" 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?"	Lisa featuring Doja Cat and Raye – "Born Again" Aespa – "Whiplash" Jennie – "Like Jennie" Jimin – "Who" Jisoo – "Earthquake" Rosé – "Toxic Till the End" Stray Kids – "Chk Chk Boom"
Best Afrobeats	Best Country
Tyla – "Push 2 Start" Asake and Travis Scott – "Active" Burna Boy and Travis Scott – "TaTaTa" Moliy, Silent Addy, Skillibeng, and Shenseea – "Shake It to the Max (Fly) (remix)" Rema – "Baby (Is It a Crime)" Tems and Asake – "Get It Right" Wizkid and Brent Faiyaz – "Piece of My Heart"	Megan Moroney – "Am I Okay?" Chris Stapleton – "Think I'm in Love with You" Cody Johnson and Carrie Underwood – "I'm Gonna Love You" Jelly Roll – "Liar" Morgan Wallen – "Smile" Lainey Wilson – "4x4xU"
Video for Good	Best Long Form Video
Charli XCX featuring Billie Eilish – "Guess" Burna Boy – "Higher" Doechii – "Anxiety" Eminem featuring Jelly Roll – "Somebody Save Me" Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco – "Younger and Hotter Than Me" Zach Hood featuring Sasha Alex Sloan – "Sleepwalking"	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
Best Group	Song of Summer
Blackpink Aespa All Time Low Backstreet Boys Coldplay Evanescence Fuerza Regida Grupo Frontera Imagine Dragons Jonas Brothers Katseye My Chemical Romance Seventeen Stray Kids The Marías Twenty One Pilots	Tate McRae – "Just Keep Watching" Addison Rae – "Headphones On" Alex Warren – "Ordinary" Benson Boone – "Mystical Magical" BigXthaPlug featuring Bailey Zimmerman – "All the Way" Chappell Roan – "The Subway" Demi Lovato – "Fast" Doja Cat – "Jealous Type" Huntr/x: Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami – "Golden" Jessie Murph – "Blue Strips" Justin Bieber – "Daisies" Moliy, Silent Addy, Skillibeng and Shenseea – "Shake It to the Max (Fly) (remix)" Morgan Wallen featuring Tate McRae – "What I Want" Ravyn Lenae featuring Rex Orange County – "Love Me Not" Sabrina Carpenter – "Manchild" Sombr – "12 to 12"

Professional categories

The winners of the following categories were chosen by industry professionals. ^[22]

Best Direction	Best Art Direction
Lady Gaga – "Abracadabra" (Directors: Lady Gaga, Bethany Vargas and Parris Goebel) Ariana Grande – Brighter Days Ahead (Director: Christian Breslauer) Charli XCX featuring Billie Eilish – "Guess" (Director: Aidan Zamiri) Kendrick Lamar – "Not Like Us" (Directors: Dave Free and Kendrick Lamar) Rosé and Bruno Mars – "Apt." (Directors: Bruno Mars and Daniel Ramos) Sabrina Carpenter – "Manchild" (Directors: Vania Heymann and Gal Muggia)	Lady Gaga – "Abracadabra" (Art Director: Wesley Goodrich) Charli XCX featuring Billie Eilish – "Guess" (Art Director: Daniel Lane) Kendrick Lamar – "Not Like Us" (Art Director: Freyja Bardell) Lorde – "Man of the Year" (Art Directors: Chad Keith and Jenny Lass) Miley Cyrus – "End of the World" (Art Director: David Meyer) Rosé and Bruno Mars – "Apt." (Art Director: Elizabet Puksto)
Best Cinematography	Best Editing
Kendrick Lamar – "Not Like Us" (Director of Photography: Xiaolong Liu) Ariana Grande – Brighter Days Ahead (Director of Photography: Jeff Cronenweth) Ed Sheeran – "Sapphire" (Director of Photography: Nic Minns) Lady Gaga – "Abracadabra" (Director of Photography: Xiaolong Liu) Miley Cyrus – "Easy Lover" (Director of Photography: Benoît Debie) Sabrina Carpenter – "Manchild" (Director of Photography: Chris Ripley)	Tate McRae – "Just Keep Watching" (Editors: William Town and Modern Post) Charli XCX featuring Billie Eilish – "Guess" (Editor: Neal Farmer) Ed Sheeran – "Sapphire" (Editor: Liam Pethick) Kendrick Lamar – "Not Like Us" (Editors: Chaz Smedley and Eddy Street Post) Lady Gaga – "Abracadabra" (Editor: Sofia Kerpan) Sabrina Carpenter – "Manchild" (Editors: Vania Heymann, Gal Muggia and Nick Rondeau)
Best Choreography	Best Visual Effects
Doechii – "Anxiety" (Choreographer: Robbie Blue) FKA Twigs – "Eusexua" (Choreographer: Zoi Tatopoulos) Kendrick Lamar – "Not Like Us" (Choreographer: Charm La'Donna) Lady Gaga – "Abracadabra" (Choreographer: Parris Goebel) Tyla – "Push 2 Start" (Choreographer: Lee-ché Janecke) Zara Larsson – "Pretty Ugly" (Choreographer: Zoi Tatopoulos)	Sabrina Carpenter – "Manchild" (Visual Effects: Vania Heymann and Tal Baltuch) Ariana Grande – Brighter Days Ahead (Visual Effects: Mathematic) Lady Gaga – "Abracadabra" (Visual Effects: Yeap Crew, Yura Karikh and Igor Eyth) Rosé and Bruno Mars – "Apt." (Visual Effects: Maksymilian Rafal Ojster) Tate McRae – "Just Keep Watching" (Visual Effects: Daniel Saldivar and White Rhino VFX) The Weeknd – Hurry Up Tomorrow (Visual Effects: Zeke Faust)

Special awards

The recipients of the Rock the Bells Visionary and Latin Icon awards were announced on August 18, 2025. ^[24] The recipient of the Video Vanguard was announced on August 21. ^[11]

Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award
Mariah Carey
Rock the Bells Visionary Award	Latin Icon Award
Busta Rhymes	Ricky Martin

Artists with multiple wins and nominations

Artists who received multiple awards

Wins	Artist
4	Lady Gaga
3	Ariana Grande
	Sabrina Carpenter
2	Bruno Mars
	Doechii
	Mariah Carey
	Tate McRae

Artists who received multiple nominations

Nominations	Artist
12	Lady Gaga
11	Bruno Mars
10	Kendrick Lamar
9	Sabrina Carpenter
8	Rosé
7	Ariana Grande
6	Billie Eilish
	Tate McRae
	The Weeknd
5	Charli XCX
4	Alex Warren
	Bad Bunny
	Doechii
	Ed Sheeran
	Jelly Roll
	Miley Cyrus
	Morgan Wallen
3	Eminem
	Gigi Perez
	Lorde
	Playboi Carti
	Sombr
	The Marías
	Travis Scott
2	Aespa
	Asake
	Bailey Zimmerman
	Benny Blanco
	Burna Boy
	Coldplay
	Damiano David
	Doja Cat
	Evanescence
	Imagine Dragons
	Justin Bieber
	Katseye
	Leon Thomas
	Lola Young
	Moliy
	Selena Gomez
	Shenseea
	Silent Addy
	Skillibeng
	Stray Kids
	SZA
	Twenty One Pilots
	Tyla

References

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