The 2025 MTV VMAs: Chaos, Continuum, and Cultural Theater
Lady Gaga Crowned, Lenny Kravitz Present
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Lady Gaga owned the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards before she even stepped on stage. Crowned Artist of the Year, she delivered a performance that was part avant-garde theatre, part pop opera — fashion weaponized, vocals commanding, spectacle redefined. Few artists can bend an arena to their will; Gaga reminded us she’s one of them.
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Her moment was introduced by none other than Lenny Kravitz. Rock-god cool intact, his effortless presence elevated the handoff — one icon presenting to another. It wasn’t just an award; it was a cultural exchange between two artists who’ve each rewritten the rules of performance in their own eras.
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YUNGBLUD & Aerosmith for Ozzy Osbourne
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The night’s most visceral performance came when YUNGBLUD and Aerosmith teamed up to honor Ozzy Osbourne. With Ozzy retired from live performance, the tribute could’ve been a swan song — instead, it was resurrection. YUNGBLUD, MARVIN’s current British Invasion cover star, prowled the stage with snarling defiance, channeling punk chaos while staying reverent. Steven Tyler and Joe Perry matched him with arena-rattling precision, their chemistry sharpened by decades together. The result wasn’t nostalgia — it was communion, summoning Ozzy’s shadow into the present tense.
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The New Guard in Motion
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Sombr turned his set into widescreen spectacle: towering visuals, dramatic beats, and arena-built hooks. Every move signaled ambition — a performance less about the moment and more about legacy.
Conan Gray, a past MARVIN cover star, provided the counterpoint. His staging was cinematic but stripped-back, his performance pulsing with intimacy and vulnerability that made the silence between notes feel seismic.
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KATSEYE’s debut was precision in motion. Choreography sharp, harmonies airtight, they announced themselves as a global pop force with the confidence of veterans.
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Ariana Grande on the Carpet
Ariana Grande skipped the stage but still owned the spotlight. Her red carpet look became instant digital currency, the kind of image that dominates feeds before the show even starts. Later, her Video of the Year win confirmed her vision continues to define the era — proof that presence extends far beyond performance.
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Doja Cat & Sabrina Carpenter
Doja Cat delivered one of the night’s most ambitious sets, blending futuristic visuals, razor-sharp choreography, and her signature genre-bending bravado. It was unpredictable, dangerous, and pure Doja.
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Sabrina Carpenter leaned into charisma as spectacle. Witty, polished, and playful without losing power, her set reminded the audience that confidence and stagecraft can be just as commanding as fireworks.
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Lola Young
In the middle of all the noise, Lola Young stripped it back. With little more than her voice and her presence, she created stillness in the chaos — proof that vulnerability remains one of the most disruptive tools in music.
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The 2025 VMAs weren’t about winners or viral clips alone; they were about continuum. Gaga and Kravitz set the tone as icons in dialogue, YUNGBLUD and Aerosmith resurrected Ozzy’s legacy, Ariana redefined offstage presence, Doja and sombr stretched pop’s boundaries, Conan and Lola reminded us of the power of intimacy, and KATSEYE planted their flag. It was cultural theater at its most compelling — chaotic, electric, and impossible to ignore.
