The 2025 MTV Video Music Award Winners

Lady Gaga has conquered Wednesday, and now she’s come for the holiest day of the week. On Sunday, Gaga made this year’s MTV VMAs her temple of Mayhem. She returned to pull double duty as the most nominated artist this year in 12 categories — sharing four of those noms with Bruno Mars for “Die With a Smile” — and as one of the evening’s performers. Neither fake blood nor raw meat were her plus-one, but considering that Mars was also sharing nominations with Rosé, they could’ve made room. Gaga won the first Moon Person televised on the night, Artist of the Year. And yet the voters said Tate McRae had the song of the summer. Interesting!

Hosted by LL Cool J, the September 7 awards show held a lot of firsts: Rosé was the first Korean artist nominated for Video of the Year, Mariah Carey is getting her first VMA with the Video Vanguard Award, and it was the first time the show will air live on CBS. Below, the 2025 MTV VMA winners. 

Video of the Year, presented by Burger King 
Ariana Grande – “brighter days ahead”
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
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.”
Tate McRae – “Sports Car”
The Weeknd, Playboi Carti – “Timeless”

Best New Artist
Alex Warren
Ella Langley
Gigi Perez
Lola Young
sombr
The Marías

Best Pop Artist
Ariana Grande
Charli xcx
Justin Bieber
Lorde
Miley Cyrus
Sabrina Carpenter
Tate McRae

MTV Push Performance of the Year, presented by Bacardí Rum
Shaboozey – “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”
Ayra Starr – “Last Heartbreak Song”
Mark Ambor – “Belong Together”
Lay Bankz – “Graveyard”
Dasha – “Bye Bye Bye”
KATSEYE – “Touch”
Jordan Adetunji – “KEHLANI”
Leon Thomas – “YES IT IS”
Livingston – “Shadow”
Damiano David – “Next Summer”
Gigi Perez – “Sailor Song”
ROLE MODEL – “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out”

Best Collaboration, presented by Under Armour
Bailey Zimmerman with Luke Combs – “Backup Plan (Stagecoach Official Music Video)”
Kendrick Lamar & SZA – “luther”
Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars – “Die With a Smile”
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”
Ed Sheeran – “Sapphire”
Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars – “Die With a Smile”
ROSÉ & Bruno Mars – “APT.”
Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”

Best Hip-Hop
Doechii – “Anxiety”
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”
PARTYNEXTDOOR – “N o C h i l l”
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”
The Marías – “Back to Me”

Best Rock
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
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“

Best K-pop
Aespa – “Whiplash”
Jennie – “Like Jennie ”
Jimin – “Who”
Jisoo – “Earthquake”
Lisa ft. Doja Cat & Raye – “Born Again”
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”
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?”
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
The Weeknd – Hurry Up Tomorrow

Best Long Form Video
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”

Video for Good
Burna Boy – “Higher”
Charli xcx – “Guess featuring Billie Eilish”
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”
Rosé & Bruno Mars – “Apt.”
Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”

Best Art Direction
Charli xcx – “Guess featuring Billie Eilish”
Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”
Lady Gaga – “Abracadabra”
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”
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)”

Best Choreography
Doechii – “Anxiety”
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”
Tate McRae – “Just Keep Watching (From F1 The Movie)”
The Weeknd – “Hurry Up Tomorrow”

Song of the Summer
Addison Rae – “Headphones On”
Alex Warren – “Ordinary”
Benson Boone – “Mystical Magical”
BigXthaPlug & Bailey Zimmerman – “All the Way”
Chappell Roan – “The Subway”
Demi Lovato – “Fast”
Doja Cat – “Jealous Type”
Huntr/x – “Golden”
Jessie Murph – “Blue Strips”
Justin Bieber – “Daisies”
Moliy, Silent Addy, Skillibeng & Shenseea – “Shake It to the Max (Fly) (Remix)”
Morgan Wallen & Tate McRae – “What I Want”
Ravyn Lenae Featuring Rex Orange County – “Love Me Not”
Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”
Sombr – “12 to 12”
Tate McRae – “Just Keep Watching”

Best Group
aespa
All Time Low
Backstreet Boys
BLACKPINK
Coldplay
Evanescence
Fuerza Regida
Grupo Frontera
Imagine Dragons
Jonas Brothers
KATSEYE
My Chemical Romance
SEVENTEEN
Stray Kids
The Marías
Twenty One Pilots