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1984: the origins of an icon -

Popping out of a giant cake and rolling around the stage, Madonna's icon status was solidified when she performed her hit 'Like a Virgin' at the very first VMAs.

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1991: Prince's cheeky performance -

Midway through his performance of 'Get Off,' Prince revealed that his yellow jumpsuit included a peekaboo rear.

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1992: an unlikely collab -

Elton John and Guns N' Roses rocked the VMA stage with their rendition of the band's song 'November Rain.'

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1995: dragged off the stage -

After infamously interrupting Madonna's post-show interview with MTV VJ Kurt Loder, Courtney Love got dragged off the press room stage. 

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1994: pop royalty kiss -

Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley were married at the time, but their kiss on the VMA stage felt so awkward. The marriage lasted 18 months.

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2000: the bejeweled outfit -

While performing 'Oops I Did It Again,' Britney Spears ripped off a suit to reveal a bejeweled, naked-look outfit. Iconic. 

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2000: Eminem times one hundred -

Remember when a hundred Slim Shadys rushed the VMA stage? That's what happened during Eminem's performance of 'Real Slim Shady.'

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2000: sore loser -

In 2000, Rage Against the Machine's bassist Tim Commerford climbed atop the award show's set in protest of the rock band's category defeat to Limp Bizkit. This landed Commerford in jail that night, and the group split soon after. 

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2001: a marketing masterclass -

Macy Gray offered a masterclass in marketing when she wore a dress that was emblazoned with the title and release date of her album. The back of her dress said, "Buy It!"

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2001: a jungle-themed performance -

Spears has long been a memorable part of the VMAs, and this particular performance will forever live in our minds thanks to the seven-foot-long yellow python.

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2002: a moving performance -

In the wake of 9/11, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band united for a moving performance of 'The Rising.'

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2002: introducing Xtina -

Christina Aguilera made headlines for her barely-there outfit on the 2002 VMA red carpet. What we didn't know at the time was that she was releasing her next major studio album, 'Stripped,' and was using this event to launch her new alter ego, Xtina.

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2002: a puppet fight -

Eminem continued his one-sided feud with Moby at the 2002 VMAs, while also getting into a new beef with comedy writer Robert Smigel and his 'Late Night With Conan O'Brien' character, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog. The rapper shoved the puppet out of the way while he was conducting a pre-planned interview.

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2003: the three-way kiss -

In 2003, Madonna, Spears, and Aguilera made headlines when they shared an on-stage kiss while performing Madonna's track 'Hollywood.'

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2008: Rihanna's new era -

Rihanna donned thigh-high boots and a mohawk to solidify her new 'Good Girl Gone Bad' attitude.

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2009: family tribute -

Just a few months after Michael Jackson's death, Janet Jackson staged an emotional tribute to her brother, performing their duet 'Scream.'

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2009: Kanye West's infamous interruption -

The moment that spawned an ongoing feud between Kanye West and Taylor Swift happened right on the VMA stage.

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2010: the infamous meat look -

Another bold look, Lady Gaga appeared at the 2010 VMAs wearing an outfit entirely made from raw Argentinian beef. She later revealed that it was a nod to her speech against the discriminatory "Don't Ask, Don’t Tell" ban on LGBT+ people serving in the US military. It included the line, "Equality is the prime rib of America."

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2011: Beyoncé's pregnancy announcement -

At the 2011 VMAs, Beyoncé confirmed rumors of her pregnancy by revealing her baby bump at the end of her 'Love on Top' performance.

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2013: a twerk-heavy performance -

Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke gave fans an extremely provocative performance of Thicke's 'Blurred Lines.' The duo became one of the most popular couples Halloween costumes of the year.

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2013: *NSYNC reunion -

This was the moment when every 20-something girl returned to her teenage self.

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2014: Blue Ivy stole the show -

Blue Ivy stole the show in 2014, as cameras caught her happily dancing along as her mom performed 'Flawless.' It all got even cuter when Jay-Z brought Blue on stage to present Beyoncé with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award.

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2015: an emotional breakdown on stage -

Following his performance of 'What Do You Mean,' Justin Bieber had an emotional breakdown on stage as the crowd cheered for him. "I just wasn't expecting them to support me in the way that they did," Bieber told Jimmy Fallon of the moment, "Last time I was at an award show, I was booed."

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2015: "Miley, what's good?" -

In the days before the 2015 VMAs, host Miley Cyrus had given an interview in which she called Nicki Minaj "not very polite." Minaj responded on the VMA stage, calling out to Cyrus, "Miley, what's good?"

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2017: a dig at Camila Cabello -

Ally Brooke, Normani, Dinah Jane, and Lauren Jauregui took the stage alongside a fifth woman who jumped off the stage as soon as the performance began, a nod to their former bandmate Camila Cabello, who had recently left the group.

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2019: self-acceptance -

With a giant inflatable butt in the background and a bunch of twerking backup dancers, Lizzo's performance was all about self-acceptance and love.

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2021: a surprise appearance -

Madonna celebrated the network's 40th anniversary with a surprise appearance at the 2021 ceremony, bringing VMA history full circle. 

Sources: (Glamour) (Independent) (Entertainment Tonight) 

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