When it comes to delivering unforgettable performances and pop culture-defining moments, few ceremonies can hold a candle to the MTV Video Music Awards.
From its inception in 1984, the VMAs have consistently churned out epic TV moments, thanks in no small part to the many artists — Madonna, Britney Spears, Beyoncé — who always seem to understand the assignment.
Ahead of tonight’s VMAs (MTV, 8/7c), TVLine is taking a look back at 10 of the most iconic performances, reveals and (in one case) dresses made of raw meat to ever hit the MTV stage.
Read on to see which 10 VMA moments we consider the most iconic, then drop a comment with your own additions to our list. When you think “VMAs,” what comes to mind?
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Lady Gaga Wears a Meat Dress (2010)
Image Credit: Michael Germana/Everett Collection Why wait to take the stage when you can have your very own iconic VMA moment on the red carpet before the show even starts? That’s always been Lady Gaga’s M.O., hence her decision to wear a dress (with matching boots, hat and purse) made entirely of raw meat in 2010. PETA wasn’t thrilled, but everybody else was; in addition to getting Gaga on Vogue‘s best-dressed list, the dress has since been accepted into the Rock and Rock Hall of Fame.
(And while we’re talking fashion, honorable mention goes to Rose McGowan’s infamous see-through gown from the 1998 VMAs, which undoubtedly walked so Gaga’s meat dress could run.)
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Miley Cyrus Twerks on Robin Thicke (2013)
Image Credit: Michael Germana/Everett Collection We kind of hate everything about this one, but some iconic moments can’t be denied.
First of all, the pair was dancing to “Blurred Lines” (ugh…) when Miley Cyrus and her foam finger (a cursed object!) got all up on Robin Thicke at the 2013 VMAs. The media, which spoke as though Cyrus invented twerking, would not shut up about it for what felt like forever. It was simply inescapable.
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Britney Spears Performs 'Gimme More' (2007)
Image Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images Britney Spears’ opening performance of “Gimme More” at the 2007 VMAs was supposed to mark her triumphant comeback. It was her first time back on stage in three years, following an incredibly public downward spiral. The end result, unfortunately, turned out to be four minutes of just-make-it-stop awkwardness, with Spears looking visibly uncomfortable as she listlessly put forth the absolute bare minimum.
The performance has gained icon status in the years since (“It’s Britney, bitch!”), but at the time, the public was… less than kind.
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Diana Ross Feels Up Lil Kim (1999)
Image Credit: MTV screenshot While most of us had to settle for marveling at Lil Kim’s lavender pastie from the comfort of our living rooms during the 1999 VMAs, Diana Ross went in for a closer look. During their presentation of the VMAs’ first-ever Best Hip-Hop Video award, Ross reached over and, well, gave Kim’s pastie-covered breast a little jiggle. We may not remember who won the award, but we’ll never forget that.
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Britney Spears Makes Flashy VMAs Debut (1999)
Image Credit: Scott Gries/Getty Images It’s hard to believe by today’s standards, but this sparkly nude jumpsuit ignited a national frenzy in 1999 when a then-18-year-old Britney Spears rocked it on the VMAs stage.
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Beyoncé Reveals Her Pregnancy (2011)
Image Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images Ready to feel old? Blue Ivy Carter, the child with whom Beyoncé revealed she was pregnant following her 2011 VMAs performance of “Love on Top,” has already won a VMA herself. (And a Grammy, but who’s keeping track?)
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Kanye West Interrupts Taylor Swift (2009)
Image Credit: Christopher Polk/Getty Images We all loved Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies” video, but only one person — you guessed it, Kanye West — loved it enough to interrupt Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech for Best Female Video at the 2009 VMAs.
After grabbing the microphone, a breathless West said, “Yo, Taylor, I’m really happy for you.” So sweet, right? Well, he wasn’t done. “I’mma let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time!”
Honestly, before Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars, this was among the most shocking award show confrontations (albeit non-violent) in recent memory.
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Madonna Performs 'Like a Virgin' (1984)
Image Credit: Courtesy of MTV/Everett Collection Madonna helped make MTV’s first-ever VMAs even more memorable in 1984 with a super sexual performance of her hit song “Like a Virgin.” Dressed in a wedding gown (scandalous!), Madonna descended from the staircase of a giant cake before proceeding to writhe on the floor like an animal in heat. As far as we’re concerned, this was the moment the VMAs were officially born.
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Britney Spears Dances With a Snake (2001)
Image Credit: YouTube screenshot This performance was Banana, B-A-N-A-N-A! No, really, Banana was the name of the python Britney Spears sported on her shoulders during her unforgettable performance of “Slave 4 U” at the 2001 VMAs — just one year after making her equally memorable solo VMAs debut in a sparkly nude jumpsuit. You know the one.
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Madonna Kisses Britney Spears... and Christina Aguilera (2003)
Image Credit: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images A nod to her legendary “Like a Virgin” VMAs performance from nearly two decades earlier, a tuxedo’d Madonna took to the stage in 2003 with Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, both clad in sexy wedding gowns. Viewers were absolutely stunned when the Queen and Princess of Pop suddenly locked lips — so stunned, in fact, that barely anyone noticed Madonna kiss Aguilera afterwards. No shade, but when most people think back to this iconic moment, they tend to erase Aguilera from the narrative entirely. But she was there, OK? She. Was. There.
