The highs, lows and whoas of the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards

The awards known as the VMAs may be formally called the MTV Video Music Awards, but after this year’s ceremony, they may as well be renamed “The Madonna Show”.

The veteran pop star burst back into the VMA arena, winning seven awards from a total of 13 nominations – the most of any artist in 2026. This included artist of the year, a massive feat given she’s been on the scene since the 1980s and was up against powerhouses like Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter.

Speaking of Swift, the pop juggernaut also unsurprisingly made waves, picking up the top gong of the night – video of the year for Fate of Ophelia – as well as best direction (for Opalite) and the inaugural Artist Director Honours.

She’s now officially the most decorated artist in VMA history, having surpassed her previous tied record with Beyoncé.

While it wasn’t Australia’s night – the one Aussie nominated this year, Tame Impala, was pipped by Olivia Rodrigo in the best alternative category – a slew of other artists enjoyed notable wins, including 21-year-old Sienna Spiro, who took home best new artist, and Lisa, who became the first K-pop solo artist to win best pop.

From Madonna’s dad jokes to Swift’s Colleen Hoover-esque music video, here are the most memorable moments from the 2026 VMAs.

Highs

Everything Madonna

Guys, it’s Madonna. Of course she stole the show.

The queen of pop kicked off the awards ceremony, performing on the coveted stage for the first time in 23 years. You may recall the last time she performed there, she smooched both Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera in one of the most unforgettable moments in pop-culture history. She therefore had a lot to live up to, and boy, did she deliver.

Her opening performance made such waves that she ended up crowd-surfing. She was joined by a line-up of stars including Sabrina Carpenter, Charli xcx, Julia Garner and Sombr, all of whom raved alongside Madonna like it was 1989. Need I remind you that Madonna is 68 years old? Iconic.

She also won three of the eight trophies handed out during the live broadcast. She won so often that she eventually forgot which prize she was receiving, turning to Charli xcx and Sivan for guidance during the best dance segment.

Every time she appeared it was captivating chaos. At one point, she thanked her fingers for being something she could “always count on”, and later pulled a prop laser from her backside in what one can only assume was an inside joke between Madonna and … Madonna. No wonder Gen Z love this veteran pop star – you can’t get more authentically bonkers than this.

Live performances galore

It’s hardly surprising that a music awards show contained great live music. But this year’s VMAs felt particularly elevated. From Bruno Mars’ extended guitar riffs and Shaboozey setting the stage on fire, to Lisa’s high-octane ride on a red tuk-tuk, each star offered something refreshingly different.

Special mention must, however, go to Gener8ion and Yung Lean. They brought Storm to a live televised stage for the first time, establishing the anarchic energy early on by having Yung Lean smash a Moon Man trophy on the stage. This was followed by one of the most incredibly choreographed sequences in VMAs history – a chorus of young men dressed in schoolboy uniforms dipping and diving in unison while Yung Lean casually licked a blue ice cream. It was a human optical illusion, leaving the audience in a dazed trance. I don’t want to know how long it took to rehearse.

The cherry on top? Yung Lean spat ice cream directly into the camera lens, a fitting ending to a performance hooked on youth rebellion and institutional decay.

Tributes worthy of legends

Two tributes, two very different approaches.

The first paid homage to the one-of-a-kind Dolly Parton, who died in August. The legendary singer appeared on-screen, in a recording of her introducing her 1974 track I Will Always Love You.

As soon as she began singing, country musician Kacey Musgraves joined in, crooning through the song in honour of the legendary artist. Stripped-back and raw, the tribute was simple yet effective.

The second went to George Michael, who released his debut solo album Faith nearly 40 years ago. Raye, Sombr, Adam Lambert, and Teddy Swims each took to the stage to celebrate the pop icon, singing a medley of his songs, including Careless Whisper and Father Figure.

There were lights, colourful graphics, sequins and oodles of fringe. It was a proper party, one worthy of a singular talent.

Lows

Tick, tick, tick: A delayed start

The broadcast was supposed to kick off at 9.30am (AEST) sharp. By the time 9.50am ticked around, heads were turning. The culprit? Sports.

Apparently, a live NFL game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Dallas Cowboys ran late, bleeding into the VMAs’ scheduled slot. This meant everyone streaming the broadcast was at risk of having some of the wins spoiled on social media. Was the award show ultimately worth the wait? Sure. But let’s not make a habit of it.

Taylor Swift channels Colleen Hoover

There’s no denying that Taylor Swift is a visionary, a poet, a mastermind – all words used to describe the pop juggernaut before she accepted the VMAs’ first-ever Artist Director Honour. But the way she chose to celebrate this milestone – by premiering the music video to her new track Patient Zero, released over the weekend – gave more “airport novel thriller” than prestige film.

Starring Dakota Johnson, Colin Farrell, Cara Delevingne and Swift, the video certainly didn’t lack star power. However, it felt rather formulaic, more akin to the sugary, addictive novels of Colleen Hoover or Freida McFadden than the nuanced filmmaking of an auteur. In other words, there was plenty of style, just not an abundance of substance.

Whoas

Madonna gently roasts Sabrina Carpenter

While picking up the trophy for best collaboration with Bring Your Love, Madonna took the opportunity to have some cheeky banter with her petite collaborator, Sabrina Carpenter.

“Everybody who knows me knows how impatient I am. When five days passed, and I still didn’t get connected with Sabrina and didn’t hear back if she wanted to do a song with me – five days – I DM’d her,” she said.

Thankfully, Carpenter apparently responded soon after, and they made an absolute banger of a hit. But that still didn’t stop the queen of pop from calling out her potential successor. In Carpenter’s defence, she clarified that her team does reply to communications, though a direct line to her is always best. And Madonna went on to praise Carpenter for her professionalism, so it’s clearly still all love here, not war.

Pat Smear lights up on stage

The members of Nirvana have always blazed their own path, walked to the beat of their own drum – however you want to phrase it, they do things their own way. That’s precisely why they were honoured with the MTV Vanguard Award this year. So, it was only natural that the band accept the accolade in a way few expected.

Surviving members Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear took the stage to thank the crowd for the honour, and to celebrate their late friend and collaborator Kurt Cobain. What you couldn’t help noticing, though, was that guitarist Smear was casually smoking a cigarette. It was pure grunge.

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