Some of the most iconic VMAs performances of the last 40 years

For the last four decades years, the MTV Video Music Awards have been inviting the biggest names in pop music take to the stage, with music heavyweights like Madonna, Lady Gaga and Beyoncé all delivering some of the most memorable performances of their careers on the VMAs stage.

More recently, newer artists like Doja Cat, Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter have used the event to cement their own star power, impressing (and quite often shocking) audiences around the world with their on-stage antics.

Here are just 20 of the most memorable, scene-stealing and downright outrageous VMAs performances ever (in chronological order)...

Madonna – Like A Virgin (1984)

MTV brought out the big guns for the very first VMAs, with Tina Turner, David Bowie and Rod Stewart all on the bill.

However, it was a then-emerging new artist named Madonna who stole the show with this provocative routine, writhing around while dressed in raunchy bridal attire (according to the woman herself, she was actually styling out a wardrobe malfunction involving her shoe).

Her on-stage antics might seem tame by today’s standards, but the uproar truly helped put her on the map, and set her on her way to become one of the most famous singers in the world.

Madonna – Vogue (1990)

Bringing a new meaning to “yass queen”, Madonna channelled Marie Antoinette for this stunning performance in 1990, complete with powder wigs, a lot of fan action and some jolly big bloomers.

And while the performance was a mile away from the chic and artsy music video that helped make Madonna’s chart-topping hit Vogue so famous, she still managed the full choreography, even in full Versailles garb.

Nirvana – Lithium (1992)

The VMAs aren’t just about the pop acts, though, and after scooping Best New Artist in 1992, Nirvana also showed the world what they do best with this performance.

After teasing the crowd with the opening lines of their song Rape Me, they went into Lithium, bringing grunge music to a more mainstream audience than ever before.

Britney Spears – I’m A Slave 4 U (2001)

Like countless stars before her, it was a performance at the VMAs that cemented Britney’s place on the pop landscape, and while no one was doubting her pop credentials before this, her I’m A Slave 4 U routine was a moment it was clear she was a force to be reckoned with.

While a lot is made of the fact she dances with a snake during this performance, it should also be noted that Britney opens the show sharing a cage with an actual live lion (and the stars of a certain Netflix documentary, if you look........

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