The 2025 MTV Video Music Awards: Some Deserved, Some Not

The MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) are an annual award ceremony based entirely on fan votes, collected online on MTV’s website. As the ceremony approaches, fans flock to share their predictions and support for their favorite artists; afterward, some complain about rigged votes, whereas others applaud viewers for voting for “the right artists.” Nonetheless, the VMAs serve as a representation of the music scene of the past year. The 2025 VMAs, hosted by LL Cool J—a Grammy-winning rapper—were no exception, with a wide variety of awards and performances from the biggest artists of the year. However, the slew of undeserved awards and lack of new milestones or achievements meant that this year, the performances outshone the ceremony itself. 

To start the night, KATSEYE—a global girl group that recently blew up in popularity, originating from the reality competition series The Debut: Dream Academy (2023)—opened the preshow with two of their most popular hits, “Gnarly” and “Gabriela.” Their choreography was unique and striking as always, and the group delivered flawless vocals. Their upbeat, exciting performance segued into the awards and next performance, featuring Doja Cat, who performed her new song, “Jealous Type.” It started jazzy and smooth with a live saxophonist, before becoming more energetic with lively synths. The dancers’ vibrant costumes, colorful stage, and overall performance were reminiscent of the 80s, something different from the usual. The performances that followed catered to a variety of audiences. For instance, Ricky Martin and Busta Rhymes separately performed some of their most popular hits before receiving the Latin Icon Award and Rock the Bells Visionary Award, respectively. Tate McRae performed “Revolving door” and “Sports car,” the audience swooning over McRae’s vocals. Sabrina Carpenter performed her newly released song, “Tears,” displaying clever choreography and Carpenter’s strong stage presence, making the performance feel uniquely her. 

Mariah Carey sang a medley of some of her most popular songs, such as “Obsessed” and “We Belong Together,” her voice velvety as always. Carey stood out, as she won her first VMA: a special honor called the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, which is based on an artist’s impact on music and pop culture. This award went to the right person, as she is one of the best-selling musical artists of all time and has blended pop and R&B together in a way never seen before. 

In a pre-recorded performance, Lady Gaga—who won the most awards—shone, singing her recent hit, “Abracadabra,” with dark visuals at some points and chaotic, flashing lights at others. Afterward, Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, YUNGBLUD, and Nuno Bettencourt performed a tribute to Ozzy Osbourne, featuring some of Osbourne’s most popular songs like “Crazy Train,” “Changes,” and “Mama, I’m Coming Home.” The medley honored his legacy perfectly, encapsulating Osbourne’s spirit and personality. Conan Gray wrapped up the performances with the moving and emotional “Vodka Cranberry,” a song from his new album, Wishbone (2025). 

The award distribution for the night was incredibly unbalanced. Lady Gaga received the most awards and nominations, winning four of her 12 categories. While Gaga’s wins were justified, Alex Warren won Best New Artist, which was disappointing given the other nominees he was up against, including sombr, The Marías, and Gigi Perez. The type of music Warren creates has been overdone, already perfected by the likes of Hozier and David Kushner. Meanwhile, the other nominees have their own, distinct styles that feel like they haven’t been done before. Tate McRae also won Song of Summer with her song from F1 (2025), “Just Keep Watching.” This was particularly surprising, as there wasn’t much online discourse about this song, but the song itself is incredibly catchy and deserved its spot as Song of Summer.   

Coldplay also won Best Rock with “ALL MY LOVE,” which was odd since this was the least heavy song out of the other picks, such as Evanescence’s “Afterlife” and Linkin Park’s “The Emptiness Machine.” “All My Love” feels incredibly acoustic, with a gentle piano in the background and Chris Martin’s smooth vocals. When compared to “Afterlife” and “The Emptiness Machine,” the difference is very clear; the other songs have the signature fast drums and electric guitar of the rock genre, adding to their intensity. Best Alternative was won by sombr with his hit “back to friends,” which was fair when compared to the other nominees. The other nominees included “Sailor Song” by Gigi Perez, “Wake Up” by Imagine Dragons, and “Messy” by Lola Young, but out of all of these songs, “back to friends” has the most alternative feel to it. This is because of the unique, edgy sound of this song and the theme about the aftermath of a close relationship shifting boundaries. Other notable awards included Carpenter winning Best Album with Short n’ Sweet (2024), which was well deserved due to this album’s influence.

This year’s VMAs were no different from previous years; it was full of moving performances, and showcased the music scene of the year. It blended in with other VMAs, with no particularly new or exciting milestones met. Nonetheless, the show held viewers’ attention, constantly building anticipation for the next segment. Some awards were less justified than others, yet the performances truly shone.