MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year

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The MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year is the most prestigious competitive award and the final award presented at the annual MTV Video Music Awards. The award was created by the U.S. network MTV to honor artists with the best music videos. At the first MTV Video Music Awards ceremony in 1984, the Video of the Year honor was presented to The Cars for the video "You Might Think". Originally, all winners were determined by a special panel of music video directors, producers, and record company executives. Since the 2006 awards, winners of major categories are determined by viewers' votes through MTV's website, while the jury decides in the technical categories. Beginning in 2021, Burger King sponsors the category through a partnership with Paramount, resulting in the award being presented as MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year Presented by Burger King.

MTV Video Music Award
for Video of the Year
Logo of MTV
Awarded forMusic videos
CountryUnited States
Presented byMTV
First award1984
Currently held byAriana Grande – Brighter Days Ahead (2025)
Most winsTaylor Swift (5)
Most nominationsEminem (9)
WebsiteOfficial website

Taylor Swift holds the record for the most wins, with a total of five for "Bad Blood" (2015), "You Need to Calm Down" (2019), All Too Well: The Short Film (2022), “Anti-Hero" (2023) and "Fortnight" (2024). Eminem holds the record for the most nominations, with eight as lead artist. David Lee Roth (1985), U2 (1988), Lady Gaga (2010) and Bruno Mars (2025) are the only acts to have had two Video of the Year nominations in a single ceremony. Two acts have won both the Video of the Year and the honorary Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award in the same night—Peter Gabriel in 1987 with "Sledgehammer" and Justin Timberlake in 2013 with "Mirrors". Swift is the first artist to win Video of the Year for a self-directed video, with All Too Well: The Short Film; she also ranks as the artist with the most Video of the Year trophies for self-directed videos, with a total of three. Kendrick Lamar, Swift, Lil Nas X, and Ariana Grande have further won the award for a video they co-directed: Lamar for "Humble" in 2017, Swift for "You Need to Calm Down" in 2019, Lil Nas X for "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" in 2021, and Grande for Brighter Days Ahead in 2025.

Recipients

Key
† Marks winners of the Grammy Award for Best Music Video
* Marks nominees of the Grammy Award for Best Music Video
Recipients
Year Winner(s) Video Nominees Ref.
1984 The Cars "You Might Think"
  • "Rockit" – Herbie Hancock
  • "Thriller" – Michael Jackson
  • "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" – Cyndi Lauper
  • "Every Breath You Take" – The Police
1985 Don Henley "The Boys of Summer"
  • "Don't Come Around Here No More" – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
  • "California Girls" – David Lee Roth
  • "Just a Gigolo" / "I Ain't Got Nobody" – David Lee Roth
  • "We Are the World" – USA for Africa†
1986 Dire Straits "Money for Nothing"
  • "Take On Me" – a-ha
  • "Cry" – Godley & Creme
  • "Addicted to Love" – Robert Palmer
  • "Road to Nowhere" – Talking Heads
1987 Peter Gabriel "Sledgehammer"
  • "Land of Confusion" – Genesis
  • "The Boy in the Bubble" – Paul Simon
  • "With or Without You" – U2
  • "Higher Love" – Steve Winwood
1988 INXS "Need You Tonight" / "Mediate"
  • "When We Was Fab" – George Harrison
  • "Tunnel of Love" – Bruce Springsteen
  • "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" – U2
  • "Where the Streets Have No Name" – U2
1989 Neil Young "This Note's for You"
  • "She Drives Me Crazy" – Fine Young Cannibals
  • "Leave Me Alone" – Michael Jackson†
  • "Like a Prayer" – Madonna
  • "Roll with It" – Steve Winwood
1990 Sinéad O'Connor* "Nothing Compares 2 U"*
  • "Janie's Got a Gun" – Aerosmith
  • "The End of the Innocence" – Don Henley
  • "Vogue" – Madonna
1991 R.E.M.† "Losing My Religion"†
  • "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)" – C+C Music Factory
  • "Groove Is in the Heart" – Deee-Lite
  • "I Touch Myself" – Divinyls
  • "Wicked Game" – Chris Isaak
  • "Silent Lucidity" – Queensrÿche
1992 Van Halen "Right Now"
  • "Let's Get Rocked" – Def Leppard
  • "Smells Like Teen Spirit" – Nirvana
  • "Under the Bridge" – Red Hot Chili Peppers
1993 Pearl Jam "Jeremy"
  • "Livin' on the Edge" – Aerosmith
  • "Free Your Mind" – En Vogue*
  • "Digging in the Dirt" – Peter Gabriel†
  • "Man on the Moon" – R.E.M.
1994 Aerosmith "Cryin'"
  • "Sabotage" – Beastie Boys
  • "Heart-Shaped Box" – Nirvana
  • "Everybody Hurts" – R.E.M.*
1995 TLC "Waterfalls"
  • "Basket Case" – Green Day
  • "Scream" – Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson†
  • "Buddy Holly" – Weezer
1996 The Smashing Pumpkins* "Tonight, Tonight"*
  • "Tha Crossroads" – Bone Thugs-n-Harmony
  • "Big Me" – Foo Fighters
  • "Ironic" – Alanis Morissette*
1997 Jamiroquai "Virtual Insanity"
  • "The New Pollution" – Beck
  • "You Were Meant for Me" – Jewel
  • "The Perfect Drug" – Nine Inch Nails
  • "Don't Speak" – No Doubt
1998 Madonna† "Ray of Light"†
  • "The Boy is Mine" – Brandy and Monica
  • "It's All About the Benjamins" (Rock Remix) – Puff Daddy (featuring the LOX, Lil' Kim, The Notorious B.I.G. and Fuzzbubble)
  • "Gettin' Jiggy wit It" – Will Smith
  • "Bitter Sweet Symphony" – The Verve
1999 Lauryn Hill "Doo Wop (That Thing)"
  • "I Want It That Way" – Backstreet Boys
  • "Freak on a Leash" – Korn†
  • "Livin' la Vida Loca" – Ricky Martin
  • "Wild Wild West" – Will Smith (featuring Dru Hill and Kool Moe Dee)
2000 Eminem "The Real Slim Shady"
  • "All the Small Things" – Blink-182
  • "Untitled (How Does It Feel)" – D'Angelo
  • "Bye Bye Bye" – NSYNC
  • "Californication" – Red Hot Chili Peppers
2001 Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mýa and P!nk (featuring Missy Elliott) "Lady Marmalade"
  • "Get Ur Freak On" – Missy Elliott
  • "Stan" – Eminem (featuring Dido)
  • "Weapon of Choice" – Fatboy Slim†
  • "All for You" – Janet Jackson
  • "Beautiful Day" – U2
2002 Eminem† "Without Me"†
  • "In the End" – Linkin Park
  • "Gone" – NSYNC
  • "One Mic" – Nas*
  • "Alive" – P.O.D.
  • "Fell in Love with a Girl" – The White Stripes
2003 Missy Elliott "Work It"
  • "In da Club" – 50 Cent
  • "Hurt" – Johnny Cash†
  • "Lose Yourself" – Eminem
  • "Cry Me a River" – Justin Timberlake
2004 Outkast* "Hey Ya!"*
  • "My Band" – D12
  • "99 Problems" – Jay-Z
  • "Toxic" – Britney Spears
  • "Yeah!" – Usher (featuring Ludacris and Lil Jon)
2005 Green Day "Boulevard of Broken Dreams"
  • "Speed of Sound" – Coldplay
  • "Drop It Like It's Hot" – Snoop Dogg (featuring Pharrell)
  • "Hollaback Girl" – Gwen Stefani
  • "Jesus Walks" – Kanye West
2006 Panic! at the Disco "I Write Sins Not Tragedies"
  • "Ain't No Other Man" – Christina Aguilera
  • "Hung Up" – Madonna
  • "Dani California" – Red Hot Chili Peppers*
  • "Hips Don't Lie" – Shakira (featuring Wyclef Jean)
2007 Rihanna (featuring Jay-Z) "Umbrella"
  • "Irreplaceable" – Beyoncé
  • "D.A.N.C.E." – Justice*
  • "What Goes Around... Comes Around" – Justin Timberlake
  • "Stronger" – Kanye West
  • "Rehab" – Amy Winehouse
2008 Britney Spears "Piece of Me"
  • "Forever" – Chris Brown
  • "Burnin' Up" – Jonas Brothers
  • "When I Grow Up" – the Pussycat Dolls
  • "Shut Up and Let Me Go" – The Ting Tings
2009 Beyoncé "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)"
  • "We Made You" – Eminem
  • "Poker Face" – Lady Gaga
  • "Womanizer" – Britney Spears
  • "Love Lockdown" – Kanye West
2010 Lady Gaga "Bad Romance"†
  • "Airplanes" – B.o.B (featuring Hayley Williams)
  • "Not Afraid" – Eminem
  • "Dog Days Are Over" – Florence and the Machine
  • "Telephone" – Lady Gaga (featuring Beyoncé)
  • "Kings and Queens" – Thirty Seconds to Mars
2011 Katy Perry "Firework"
  • "Rolling in the Deep" – Adele†
  • "Make Some Noise" – Beastie Boys
  • "Grenade" – Bruno Mars
  • "Yonkers" – Tyler, the Creator
2012 Rihanna (featuring Calvin Harris)† "We Found Love"†
  • "Take Care" – Drake (featuring Rihanna)
  • "Somebody That I Used to Know" – Gotye (featuring Kimbra)
  • "Bad Girls" – M.I.A.*
  • "Wide Awake" – Katy Perry
2013 Justin Timberlake "Mirrors"
  • "Thrift Shop" – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (featuring Wanz)
  • "Locked Out of Heaven" – Bruno Mars
  • "I Knew You Were Trouble" – Taylor Swift
  • "Blurred Lines" – Robin Thicke (featuring T.I. and Pharrell)
2014 Miley Cyrus "Wrecking Ball"
  • "Fancy" – Iggy Azalea (featuring Charli XCX)
  • "Drunk in Love" – Beyoncé (featuring Jay-Z)
  • "Chandelier" – Sia*
  • "Happy" – Pharrell Williams†
2015 Taylor Swift (featuring Kendrick Lamar)† "Bad Blood"†
  • "7/11" – Beyoncé
  • "Alright" – Kendrick Lamar*
  • "Uptown Funk" – Mark Ronson (featuring Bruno Mars)
  • "Thinking Out Loud" – Ed Sheeran
2016 Beyoncé† "Formation"†
  • "Hello" – Adele
  • "Sorry" – Justin Bieber
  • "Hotline Bling" – Drake
  • "Famous" – Kanye West
2017 Kendrick Lamar† "Humble"†
  • "Scars to Your Beautiful" – Alessia Cara
  • "Wild Thoughts" – DJ Khaled (featuring Rihanna and Bryson Tiller)
  • "24K Magic" – Bruno Mars
  • "Reminder" – The Weeknd
2018 Camila Cabello (featuring Young Thug) "Havana"
  • "Apeshit" – The Carters*
  • "God's Plan" – Drake
  • "This Is America" – Childish Gambino†
  • "No Tears Left to Cry" – Ariana Grande
  • "Finesse (Remix)" – Bruno Mars (featuring Cardi B)
2019 Taylor Swift "You Need to Calm Down"
  • "A Lot" – 21 Savage (featuring J. Cole)
  • "Bad Guy" – Billie Eilish
  • "Thank U, Next" – Ariana Grande
  • "Sucker" – Jonas Brothers
  • "Old Town Road (Remix)" – Lil Nas X (featuring Billy Ray Cyrus)†
2020 The Weeknd "Blinding Lights"
  • "Everything I Wanted" – Billie Eilish
  • "Godzilla" – Eminem (featuring Juice Wrld)
  • "Life Is Good" – Future (featuring Drake)
  • "Rain on Me" – Lady Gaga with Ariana Grande
  • "The Man" – Taylor Swift
2021 Lil Nas X* "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)"*
  • "WAP" – Cardi B (featuring Megan Thee Stallion)
  • "Popstar" – DJ Khaled (featuring Drake)
  • "Kiss Me More" – Doja Cat (featuring SZA)
  • "Bad Habits" – Ed Sheeran
  • "Save Your Tears" – The Weeknd
2022 Taylor Swift† All Too Well: The Short Film†
  • "Woman" – Doja Cat*
  • "Way 2 Sexy" – Drake featuring Future and Young Thug
  • "Industry Baby" – Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow
  • "Brutal" – Olivia Rodrigo
  • "Shivers" – Ed Sheeran
  • "As It Was" – Harry Styles*
2023 "Anti-Hero"
  • "Flowers" – Miley Cyrus
  • "Attention" – Doja Cat
  • "Super Freaky Girl" – Nicki Minaj
  • "Vampire" – Olivia Rodrigo
  • "Unholy" – Sam Smith and Kim Petras
  • "Kill Bill" – SZA
2024 Taylor Swift (featuring Post Malone) "Fortnight"*
  • "Paint the Town Red" – Doja Cat
  • "Lunch" – Billie Eilish
  • "Houdini" – Eminem*
  • "We Can't Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)" – Ariana Grande
  • "Snooze" – SZA
2025 Ariana Grande Brighter Days Ahead
  • Billie Eilish – "Birds of a Feather"
  • Kendrick Lamar – "Not Like Us"†
  • Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars – "Die with a Smile"
  • Rosé and Bruno Mars – "Apt."
  • Sabrina Carpenter – "Manchild"
  • The Weeknd and Playboi Carti – "Timeless"

Statistics

Artists with multiple wins

5 wins
  • Taylor Swift
2 wins
  • Beyoncé
  • Eminem
  • Kendrick Lamar
  • Missy Elliott
  • Rihanna

Artists with multiple nominations

See also

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