All Of The Performances From The 2025 VMAs

Sabrina Carpenter at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards at New York’s UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y.

CBS via Getty Images

On Sunday, September 7, the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards came to CBS, with performances from Mariah Carey, Lady Gaga, Sabrina Carpenter and many more. LL Cool J hosted the show at Long Island’s UBS Arena. While the awards and speeches were exciting, the night was made by its impressive lineup of performances.

Who was on?

Doja Cat Performs ‘Jealous Type’

Doja Cat opened the show with a Max Headroom-inspired 1980s throwback performance of ‘Jealous Type’ with Kenny G. The song is the lead single from her upcoming album, Vie and made its debut on the VMAs stage. Doja Cat has been a fixture of the VMA performance lineup over the last few years. While the performance starts a bit slow, it builds as it goes on.

Ricky Martin’s Latin Medley Brings the Energy

Ricky Martin received the first-ever Latin Icon Award from the VMAs. He then took the stage to sing a medley of his songs ’Livin’ La Vida Loca,’ Pégate,’ ‘Shake Your Bon-Bon,’ ‘Vente Pa’ Ca,’ ‘María’ and ‘The Cup of Life.’

Tate McRae Pulls Out Dance Moves for ‘Revolving Door’ and ‘Sports Car’

Tate McRae made her VMAs live performance debut (she previously taped a performance in 2020) and really pulled out the stops, using a sand pit and impressive choreography to sing her songs ‘Revolving Door’ and ‘Sports Car.’

Busta Rhymes Proves He’s Still Got It with Throwback Medley

Bust brought his trademark flow to the VMAs with a medley of ‘Break Ya Neck,’ ‘Gimme Some More,’ ‘Scenario,’ ‘Touch It,’ ‘Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See’ and ‘Pass The Courvoisier.’ The performance celebrated Busta Rhymes being named the first-ever MTV VMA Rock The Bells Visionary Award. He was joined on stage by Joyner Lucas, Papoose and GloRilla to rap some of his biggest hits.

Sabrina Carpenter Shows Solidarity with ‘Tears’

Sabrina Carpenter used the performance of her new single, ‘Tears,’ to promote trans solidarity and bring drag to the VMAs stage. The Short n’ Sweet singer performed with RuPaul’s Drag Race alums Denali, Willam, Symone, Laganja Estranja and Lexi Love. Performers held signs with slogans like “Dolls, Dolls, Dolls” and “In Transness We Trust.”

Jelly Roll and Post Malone Appear in Pre-tapped Performance of ‘Loser’

While Post Malone and Jelly Roll are on tour in Germany, they send in a pre-taped performance from the road. The country-pop track is mostly a low-key experience, but their performance ends with a literal bang.

Bailey Zimmerman and The Kid Laroi Sing ‘Lost’

Bailey Zimmerman ft The Kid Laroi performed the song ‘Lost” on the Extended Play Stage presented by Doritos.

Mariah Carey Returns with Vanguard Medley

Ariana Grande introduced Mariah Carey for her performance, celebrating her winning the Video Vanguard Award. The singer had not performed at the VMAs since 2005. She performed a medley of ‘Sugar Sweet,’ ‘Fantasy (Bad Boy Remix),’ ‘Honey & Heartbreaker,’ ‘Obsessed,’ ‘It’s Like That,’ ‘Type Dangerous’ and ‘We Belong Together.’

Lady Gaga’s Pre-tapped Performance Transports Audience to the Mayhem Ball

Lady Gaga tapped a performance of ‘Abracadabra’ and ‘The Dead Dance’ at her Madison Square Garden concert earlier this weekend. The singer pulled out all the stops for the premier live performance of her new single, ‘The Dead Dance.’

Alex Warren Stuns with “Eternity” and “Ordinary.”

Alex Warren made his VMAs debut with his songs ‘Eternity’ and ‘Ordinary’ from his debut album You’ll Be Alright Kid. The impressive and dramatic performance came on the heels of his win for The Best New Artist VMA.

Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, YUNGBLUD, & Nunu Bettencourt Perform Ozzy Osborne Tribute Medley

To celebrate the life of Ozzy Osborne, Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, YUNGBLUD, and Nunu Bettencourt took the stage to perform a medley of ‘Crazy Train’, ‘Changes’, and ‘Mama, I’m Coming Home.’ YUNGBLUD’s performance was especially impressive given how much he embodied the late metal icon.

Lola Young Sings ‘Messy’

Lola Young performed her breakout song ‘Messy’ on the Extended Play Stage Presented by Doritos with some impressive vocal runs.

J Balvin, DJ Snake, Justin Quiles & Lenny Tavárez Perform ‘Zun Zun / Noventa’

J Balvin, Justin Quiles and Lenny Tavárez performed their new song, ‘Zun Zun,’ before DJ Snake joined Balvin to debut their new single, ‘Noventa,’ with its first live performance. The neon performance brought energy along with lights, props and pyrotechnics.

Megan Moroney Performs “6 Months Later”

Megan Moroney sang her song “6 Months Later” on the Extended Play Stage Presented by Doritos. The pared-down country performance featured Moroney playing the guitar with her band.

Sombr Makes His Award Show Debut

sombr sang his songs ‘Back to Friends’ and ‘12 to 12.’ The performance was more downbeat than others of the night. However, it was a cool and impressive performance, especially given that it wasn’t only his first VMAs but also his first award show performance ever.

Conan Gray Makes the Crowd Swoon with ‘Vodka Cranberry’

Conan Gray debuted his song ‘Vodka Cranberry’ with a dreamy performance inspired by Romeo and Juliette with a queer twist. It is an impressive performance with some great visuals.

For the complete set of winners, click here.