The 40th MTV Video Music Awards was all about celebrating the biggest stars and hits of today, while also looking back at its history. Broadcasted live from UBS Arena in New York on Wednesday night, it showcased the winners of VMAs packed with performances and presentations. Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan lit up the stage, while rap legend LL Cool J and host Megan Thee Stallion kept the energy high throughout the night!
The show highlighted some of MTV’s most iconic moments, like Madonna’s 1984 “Like a Virgin” performance, Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley’s kiss in 1994, Taylor Swift’s 2009 “You Belong With Me” performance, and Miley Cyrus twerking with Robin Thicke in 2013. Some acts paid tribute to this history, with Megan Thee Stallion, during one of her outfit changes, appearing onstage with a live snake, echoing Britney Spears’ 2001 “I’m a Slave 4 U” performance.
Let’s dive into some of the biggest winners of VMAs 2024 and celebrate the artists who took home the top honors of the night.
Video of the Year
WINNER: Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone – “Fortnight”
- Ariana Grande – “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)”
- Billie Eilish – “Lunch”
- Doja Cat – “Paint the Town Red”
- Eminem – “Houdini”
- SZA – “Snooze”
Artist of the Year
WINNER: Taylor Swift
- Ariana Grande
- Bad Bunny
- Eminem
- Sabrina Carpenter
- SZA
Song of the Year
WINNER: Sabrina Carpenter – “Espresso”
- Beyoncé – “Texas Hold ‘Em”
- Jack Harlow – “Lovin on Me”
- Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”
- Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone – “Fortnight”
- Teddy Swims – “Lose Control”
Best New Artist
WINNER: Chappell Roan
- Benson Boone
- Gracie Abrams
- Shaboozey
- Teddy Swims
- Tyla
Song of Summer
WINNER: Taylor Swift feat. Post Malone — “Fortnight”
- Ariana Grande — “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)”
- Benson Boone — “Beautiful Things”
- Billie Eilish — “Birds of a Feather”
- Chappell Roan — “Good Luck, Babe!”
- Charli XCX & Billie Eilish — “Guess” featuring Billie Eilish
- Eminem — “Houdini”
- Future, Metro Boomin & Kendrick Lamar — “Like That”
- GloRilla, Megan Thee Stallion — “Wanna Be”
- Hozier — “Too Sweet”
- Kendrick Lamar — “Not Like Us”
- Post Malone feat. Morgan Wallen — “I Had Some Help”
- Sabrina Carpenter — “Please Please Please”
- Shaboozey — “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”
- SZA — “Saturn”
- Tommy Richman — “Million Dollar Baby”
MTV Best Push Performance of the Year
WINNER: June 2024: Le Sserafim – “Easy”
- August 2023: Kaliii – “Area Codes”
- September 2023: GloRilla – “Lick or Sum”
- October 2023: Benson Boone – “In the Stars”
- November 2023: Coco Jones – “ICU”
- December 2023: Victoria Monét – “On My Mama”
- January 2024: Jessie Murph – “Wild Ones”
- February 2024: Teddy Swims – “Lose Control”
- March 2024: Chappell Roan – “Red Wine Supernova”
- April 2024: Flyana Boss – “Yeaaa”
- May 2024: Laufey – “Goddess”
- July 2024: The Warning – “Automatic Sun”
Best Collaboration
WINNER: Taylor Swift feat. Post Malone — “Fortnight”
- Drake ft. Sexyy Red & SZA – “Rich Baby Daddy “
- GloRilla, Megan Thee Stallion – “Wanna Be”
- Jessie Murph ft. Jelly Roll – “Wild Ones”
- Jung Kook ft. Latto – “Seven”
- Post Malone ft. Morgan Wallen – “I Had Some Help”
Best Pop
WINNER: Taylor Swift
- Camila Cabello
- Dua Lipa
- Olivia Rodrigo
- Sabrina Carpenter
- Tate McRae
Best Hip-Hop
WINNER: Eminem – “Houdini”
- Drake ft. Sexyy Red & SZA – “Rich Baby Daddy“
- GloRilla – “Yeah Glo!”
- Gunna – “Fukumean”
- Megan Thee Stallion – “Boa”
- Travis Scott ft. Playboi Carti – “Fe!n”
Best R&B
WINNER: SZA – “Snooze”
- Alicia Keys – “Lifeline”
- Muni Long – “Made For Me”
- Tyla – “Water”
- Usher, Summer Walker, 21 Savage – “Good Good”
- Victoria Monét – “On My Mama”
Best Alternative
WINNER: Benson Boone – “Beautiful Things”
- Bleachers – “Tiny Moves”
- Hozier – “Too Sweet”
- Imagine Dragons – “Eyes Closed”
- Linkin Park – “Friendly Fire”
- Teddy Swims – “Lose Control (Live)”
Best Rock
WINNER: Lenny Kravitz – “Human”
- Bon Jovi – “Legendary”
- Coldplay – “Feelslikeimfallinginlove”
- Green Day – “Dilemma”
- Kings of Leon – “Mustang”
- U2 – “Atomic City”
Best Latin
WINNER: Anitta – “Mil Veces”
- Bad Bunny – “Monaco”
- Karol G – “Mi Ex Tenía Razón”
- Myke Towers – “Lala”
- Peso Pluma & Anitta – “Bellakeo”
- Rauw Alejandro – “Touching the Sky”
- Shakira & Cardi B – “Puntería”
Best Afro-Beats
WINNER: Tyla – “Water”
- Ayra Starr ft. Giveon – “Last Heartbreak Song”
- Burna Boy – “City Boys”
- Chris Brown ft. Davido & Lojay – “Sensational”
- Tems – “Love Me JeJe”
- Usher, Pheelz – “Ruin”
Best K-pop
WINNER: Lisa – “Rockstar”
- Jung Kook ft. Latto – “Seven”
- NCT Dream – “Smoothie”
- NewJeans – “Super Shy”
- Stray Kids – “Lalalala”
- Tomorrow x Together – “Deja vu”
Video for Good
WINNER: Billie Eilish – “What Was I Made For (From the Motion Picture Barbie)”
- Alexander Stewart – “If Only You Knew”
- Coldplay – “Feelslikeimfallinginlove”
- Joyner Lucas & Jelly Roll – “Best for Me”
- Raye – “Genesis.”
- Tyler Childers – “In Your Love”
VMAs Most Iconic Performance
WINNER: Katy Perry — “Roar”
- Beyoncé — “Love on Top”
- Eminem — “The Real Slim Shady / The Way I Am”
- Lady Gaga — “Paparazzi”
- Madonna — “Like a Virgin”
- Madonna, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Missy Elliott — “Like a Virgin / Hollywood”
- Taylor Swift — “You Belong With Me”
Best Direction
WINNER: Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone – “Fortnight”
- Ariana Grande – “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)” – Directed by Christian Breslauer
- Bleachers – “Tiny Moves” – Directed by Alex Lockett & Margaret Qualley
- Eminem – “Houdini” – Directed by Rich Lee
- Megan Thee Stallion – “Boa” – Directed by Daniel Iglesias Jr.
- Sabrina Carpenter – “Please Please Please” – Directed by Bardia Zeinali
Best Cinematography
WINNER: Ariana Grande – “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)” – Cinematography by Anatol Trofimov
- Charli XCX – “Von Dutch” – Cinematography by Jeff Bierman
- Dua Lipa – “Illusion” – Cinematography by Nikita Kuzmenko
- Olivia Rodrigo – “Obsessed” – Cinematography by Marz Miller
- Rauw Alejandro – “Touching the Sky” – Cinematography by Camilo Monsalve
- Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone – “Fortnight” – Cinematography by Rodrigo Prieto
Best Editing
WINNER: Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone – “Fortnight” – Editing by Chancler Haynes
- Anitta – “Mil Veces” – Editing by Nick Yumul
- Ariana Grande – “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)” – Editing by Luis Caraza Peimbert
- Eminem – “Houdini” – Editing by David Checel
- Lisa– “Rockstar” – Editing by Nik Kohler
- Sabrina Carpenter – “Espresso” – Editing by Jai Shukla
Best Choreography
WINNER: Dua Lipa – “Houdini” – Choreography by Charm La’Donna
- Bleachers – “Tiny Moves” – Choreography by Margaret Qualley
- Lisa – “Rockstar” – Choreography by Sean Bankhead
- Rauw Alejandro – “Touching the Sky” – Choreography by Felix ‘Fefe’ Burgos
- Tate McRae – “Greedy” – Choreography by Sean Bankhead
- Troye Sivan – “Rush” – Choreography by Sergio Reis, Mauro Van De Kerkhof
Best Visual Effects
WINNER: Eminem – “Houdini” – Visual Effects by Synapse Virtual Production, Louise Lee, Rich Lee, Metaphysic, Flawless Post
- Ariana Grande – “The Boy Is Mine” – Visual Effects by Digital Axis
- Justin Timberlake – “Selfish” – Visual Effects by Candice Dragonas
- Megan Thee Stallion – “Boa” – Visual Effects by Mathematic
- Olivia Rodrigo – “Get Him Back!” – Visual Effects by Cooper Vacheron, Preston Mohr, Karen Arakelian, Justin Johnson
- Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone – “Fortnight” – Republic Records – Visual Effects by Parliament
Best Art Direction
WINNER: Megan Thee Stallion – “Boa” – Art Direction by Brittany Porter
- Charli XCX – “360” – Art Direction by Grace Surnow
- Lisa – “Rockstar” – Art Direction by Pongsan Thawatwichian
- Olivia Rodrigo – “Bad Idea Right?” – Art Direction by Nicholas des Jardins
- Sabrina Carpenter – “Please Please Please” – Art Direction by Nicholas des Jardins
Who Has Won the Most VMAs?
Taylor Swift , a top winner of VMAs, has made history as the most awarded artist ever at the MTV Video Music Awards. From 2009 to 2024, she has won an incredible 30 VMAs. This includes a record-breaking five Video of the Year awards. She earned these top honors for her hit songs like “Bad Blood,” “You Need To Calm Down,” “All Too Well: The Short Film,” “Anti-Hero,” and even “Fortnight.” With each win, she continues to cement her place as one of the most successful and influential artists in the music industry.
Will Olivia Rodrigo be at the 2024 VMAs?
While stars like Taylor Swift, Chappell Roan, and Tyla gathered at UBS Arena for the 2024 MTV VMAs on Sept. 11, Olivia Rodrigo was noticeably absent. The “Vampire” singer, who was nominated for four awards, missed the event due to her Guts World Tour. After finishing the North American leg, she celebrated the first anniversary of her second album in Europe.
On Sept. 8, she posted on Instagram, sharing her joy with a rainbow-filled landscape. But her travels won’t last long, as she’s set to perform at the Impact Arena in Bangkok on Sept. 15 for the Asia and Australia legs of her tour. This is how her fans reacted on X reagrding her absence from VMAs!
Who Won K-pop VMAs 2024?
At the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards, BLACKPINK’s Lisa made history as the first solo artist to win the Best K-pop Award twice. The winners of VMAs also included other popular K-pop acts like SEVENTEEN and LE SSERAFIM, who made a strong impact and proudly represented the genre. Together, these artists raised the K-pop flag high at this year’s VMAs, showcasing their global influence and talent.
Wrap Up!
The winners of VMAs 2024 highlighted a night of amazing achievements and unforgettable performances. Taylor Swift set a new record for the most VMAs won, while BLACKPINK’s Lisa became the first solo artist to win Best K-pop twice. Many talented artists took home top honors, showcasing incredible talent in the music industry. With iconic moments and standout performances, the VMAs once again proved it’s a top stage for celebrating the best in music.