Lady Gaga Dominates 2025 MTV VMAs With Four Wins, Ariana Grande Follows With Three + All the Winners

The 2025 MTV Video Music Awards ended with a clear queen of the night: Lady Gaga. The superstar walked away with four trophies, the most of any artist, while Ariana Grande followed close behind with three.

Gaga, who has long been a VMAs favorite, took home Artist of the Year and two technical awards for her bold visual Abracadabra, Best Direction and Best Art Direction. She also shared the stage with Bruno Mars to win Best Collaboration for their chart-topping duet Die With a Smile. The sweep cemented her as the night's most decorated artist and reinforced her status as one of pop's most daring visionaries.

Ariana Grande, however, was not far behind. She claimed the coveted Video of the Year for Brighter Days Ahead, beating out Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar, ROSÉ and Bruno Mars, and The Weeknd. She also took home Best Pop Video for the same single and scored Best Pop Artist, showing that her dominance in the genre remains unmatched. Grande's three wins marked her as Gaga's biggest rival of the evening.

Elsewhere, newcomers made their mark. Alex Warren scored Best New Artist for his viral ballad Ordinary. Tate McRae left with two awards, Song of the Summer and Best Editing, while Doechii earned both Best Hip-Hop and Best Choreography for Anxiety. Sabrina Carpenter also picked up two trophies, including Best Album for Short n' Sweet.

The night highlighted global music trends too. Shakira won Best Latin for Soltera, LISA of BLACKPINK scored Best K-Pop for Born Again, and Tyla took Best Afrobeats with Push 2 Start. Megan Moroney carried the country banner with Best Country Video for Am I Okay?.

But at the center of the show was the friendly competition between Gaga and Grande. Fans on social media quickly turned the tally into a trending debate: Was Gaga's sweep of artistry and collaboration more impressive, or was Grande's win in the night's top category, Video of the Year, the ultimate crown?

Either way, the 2025 VMAs will be remembered as a battle of two pop powerhouses who once again proved they can command the stage and the trophies.

Video of the year

WINNER: 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
WINNER: 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"
WINNER: ROSÉ & Bruno Mars – "APT."
Tate McRae – "Sports Car"
The Weeknd, Playboi Carti – "Timeless"

Best new artist

WINNER: Alex Warren
sombr
The Marías

Best pop artist

WINNER: Ariana Grande
Charli xcx
Justin Bieber
Lorde
Miley Cyrus
Sabrina Carpenter
Tate McRae

MTV push performance of the year

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"
WINNER: January 2025 – KATSEYE – "Touch"
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 collaboration

Bailey Zimmerman with Luke Combs – "Backup Plan (Stagecoach Official Music Video)"
Kendrick Lamar & SZA – "Luther"
WINNER: Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars – "Die With a Smile"
Post Malone feat. Blake Shelton – "Pour Me A Drink"
ROSÉ & Bruno Mars – "APT."
Selena Gomez, benny blanco – "Sunset Blvd"

Best pop

Alex Warren – "Ordinary"
WINNER: 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

WINNER: Doechii – "Anxiety"
Drake – "NOKIA"
Eminem feat. Jelly Roll – "Somebody Save Me"
GloRilla ft. Sexyy Red – "Whatchu Kno About Me"
Kendrick Lamar – "Not Like Us"
LL Cool J feat. Eminem – "Murdergram Deux"
Travis Scott – "4X4"

Best R&B

Chris Brown – "Residuals"
Leon Thomas & Freddie Gibbs – "MUTT (REMIX)"
WINNER: 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"
WINNER: sombr – "Back to Friends"
The Marías – "Back to Me"

Best rock

WINNER: 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?"
WINNER: Shakira – "Soltera"

Best K-pop

aespa – "Whiplash"
JENNIE – "like JENNIE"
Jimin – "Who"
JISOO – "earthquake"
WINNER: 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 feat. Asake – "Get It Right"
WINNER: Tyla – "Push 2 Start"
Wizkid feat. 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"
WINNER: 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
WINNER: Sabrina Carpenter – Short n' Sweet
The Weeknd – Hurry Up Tomorrow

Best long-form video

WINNER: 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"
WINNER: Charli xcx – "Guess featuring Billie Eilish"
Doechii – "Anxiety"
Eminem feat. 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"
WINNER: Lady Gaga – "Abracadabra"
ROSÉ & Bruno Mars – "APT."
Sabrina Carpenter – "Manchild"

Best art direction

Charli xcx – "Guess featuring Billie Eilish"
Kendrick Lamar – "Not Like Us
WINNER: 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"
WINNER: 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"
WINNER: Tate McRae – "Just Keep Watching "(From F1 The Movie)

Best choreography

WINNER: 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."
WINNER: Sabrina Carpenter – "Manchild"
Tate McRae – "Just Keep Watching "(From F1 The Movie)
The Weeknd – "Hurry Up Tomorrow"

Song of summer

Addison Rae – "Headphones On"
Alex Warren – "Ordinary"
Benson Boone – "Mystical Magical"
BigXthaPlug feat. Bailey Zimmerman – "All the Way"
Chappell Roan – "The Subway"
Demi Lovato – "Fast"
Doja Cat – "Jealous Type"
HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna & REI AMI – "Golden"
Jessie Murph – "Blue Strips"
Justin Bieber – "Daisies"
MOLIY, Silent Addy, Skillibeng & Shenseea – "Shake It to the Max (FLY) (Remix)"
Morgan Wallen feat. Tate McRae – "What I Want"
Ravyn Lenae feat. Rex Orange County – "Love Me Not"
Sabrina Carpenter – "Manchild"
sombr – "12 to 12"
WINNER: Tate McRae – "Just Keep Watching (From F1® The Movie)"

Best group

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

Tags

MTV VMAs, MTV, Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga