Well, another VMA ceremony is in the books, and while the show no longer has quite the cultural impact it enjoyed in its heyday, it was still the evening’s most widely-discussed (and debated) topic on Twitter.
And what were those millions of tweeters talking about?
Well, there were the 2018 VMA winners, of course, but the show has always been more about the performances than the awards.
And as in year’s past, the festivities featured plenty of unforgettable moments, including an Aretha Franklin tribute that left some fans scratching their heads.
Jump into the gallery below to relive that awkward affair, along with all the other GIFs, gaffes, and showstoppers from MTV’s biggest night:
Backstreet’s Back
Before the show officially began, the Backstreet Boys wowed the crowd with a red carpet performance of their new single “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart.” The band later presented the Song of the Year award.
The Hills Are Alive!
The cast of the beloved MTV reality show The Hills kept the throwback theme going by reuniting on the red carpet.
Rebooted!
MTV took the opportunity to reveal that the show would be rebooted for another season, seemingly in an effort to further alienate the network’s core demographic.
B for…Baby?
Cardi B introduced the first act of the night, but not before fooling the audience into thinking she was breastfeeding on stage (she was actually holding a swaddled-up Moon Man trophy).
The Opener
Shawn Mendes kicked the show off with a raucous performance of his single “In My Blood.” At one point during, a fake rainstorm drenched Mendes … and we imagine his fans were quite alright with that.
Queen
Nicki Minaj took one of the first big prizes of the night. During her acceptance speech for Best Hip-Hop Video, the rapper defended Fifth Harmony in response to jokes from presenter Tiffany Haddish.
Logical Argument
Rapper Logic offered arguably the night’s most memorable moment, bringing dozens of immigrants on stage during hids performance to send a message about US border policy.
+1 The Vote
From there, the political theme continued, as MTRV debuted it’s “+1 the Vote” campaign, urging young people to bring a friend when they vote in the upcoming midterm elections.
Waiting For Tonight
Jennifer Lopez took home the annual Video Vanguard Award for her decades of meaningful contributions to the medium.
Jenny From the Block
Lopez took the stage for a medley of her best-loved songs, stunning the crowd with the night’s most spectacular performance.
Legend
“I grew up on MTV, and this is really a tremendous honor for me,” Lopez told the crowd. “It has been an incredible journey of dreaming my wildest dreams and then kind of watching them come true. Music, acting, performing, this career has always been kind of an obsession for me.” Us too, Jen.
Panic! at MTV
Then it was back to the throwback jams, with Panic! at the Disco taking the stage. Has MTV simply given up on trying to appeal to young people?
Bridging the Gap
Post Malone and Aerosmith attempted to unite the generations with the night’s most unexpected performance. Jury’s still out on whether or not the mashup was effective.
A Grande Night
Ariana Grande performed “God Is a Woman” and accepted the award for the Best Pop Video, thanking Pete Davidson “for existing” in her speech.
Camila Rules
More than anyone else, the night belonged to Camila Cabello. The pop star took home the coveted Artist of the Year award.
Cardi BRB
Cardi B was back at the end of the night to accept the award for Best New Artist from a cringingly awkward Millie Bobbie Brown. Fortunately for MBB, that brief humiliation was quickly overshadowed …
Madonna’s Gonna Madonna
For some reason, someone made the decision to put Madonna in charge of the night’s Aretha Franklin tribute. It did not go well …
No R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Madge is being eviscerated in the press this morning for a tribute performance that was more about her than the late Queen of Soul.
The Roundup
All-in-all, it was … well, we wouldn’t say it was a good show, but it was definitely a show. Here’s Amber Rose as some sort of S&M Catwoman to hold you over until next year’s ridiculous fashions.