the VMAs are an award show based around performance so of course there's going to be some standouts these are the top 10 best MTV VMA performances of all time Madonna Britney Spears Christina Aguilera and Missy Elliott in 2003 magic happens of course when four formidable female performers come together extina and Brit cover Like a Virgin dressed in wedding gowns evoking Madonna's revolutionary 1984 VMAs performance and then the the Queen of Pop herself steps out in all black to a well-earned standing ovation not to mention the double smooch scenario that takes place right before Missy Elliott's arrival Beyonce's Love on Top performance in 2011 following a stunning trip down the red carpet Beyonce lit up the internet with rumors that she was pregnant as she performed I want you to feel the love growing inside of me while strutting on the stage at the 2011 VMAs in her tuxedo inspired costume viewers all throughout the world were in thralled with her Dynamic rendition of Love on Top which catered to the news that Beyonce and Jay-Z were welcoming a baby to the world Beyonce even unbuttoned her jacket winked and grinned broadly as she stroked her belly Michael Jackson in [Applause] 1995 at the 1995 performance Michael Jackson once again demonstrated why he was crowned the King of Pop he performed a 15-minute medley of of many of his greatest hits for MTV viewers including Beat It Billy Jean black or white the way you make me feel and more he also included onstage costume changes dancing fighting SL shredding guitar and enough crotch grabbing to last the entire 199s The Amazing Power Of This Magnificent performance by Michael Jackson was so great that it became the Benchmark for modern video Vanguard performances Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande chromatica medley in 2020 Lady Gaga gave her 2020 VMAs performance her all even in the height of the Year's events wearing an electronic face mask Gaga transported us to her madeup planet for an almost 10minute performance that included a few songs off her six studio album naturally fans at home were guaranteed to get up and dance when Ariana Grande known for her signature whistle tones joined her on stage for their Hot 100 charting duet rain on me however Gaga's live performance of Stupid Love Was An Unexpected highlight with just her unpolished vocals and her brain-shaped piano in the Forefront the song Eventually reverts to the dance ready ball that is the Hallmark of chromatica punctuated by a passionate message Shakira in [Music] 20123 when Shakira won the video Vanguard award in 2023 she brought a little bit of the magic from her 2020 Super Bowl halftime performance to the VMAs after a fierce rendition of shewolf the Colombian singer launched into a medley of more recent Spanish language singles including tqg a collaboration with Carol G and Tay felicito a duet with raal Alejandro the medley was intense and had everyone's hips shaking she performed a dance move within a pounding drum circle got soaked by torrential rain on stage while performing hips don't lie and shared the spotlight with a fervent fan who appeared to be singing along to her bizarap collaboration bizarap music sessions volume 53 that hit song Jennifer Lopez in 2018 LA with her performance for the 2018 vma's video Vanguard award Jenny really went above and beyond the singer sang all of her greatest hits in a career spanning tour to force that featured rapid Transitions and dancing breaks songs like the funky 1999 single waiting for tonight the 2002 Hot 100 chart topper all I have and the then current Spanish hit dinero were all played her then boyfriend A-Rod was among the stunned Spectators as jaw Ru and DJ khed paid tribute to her legendary career with cameos Kendrick Lamar in 2017 in addition to showcasing his intense rhyming abilities Kendrick Lamar also brought the heat to the 2017 VMA stage Lamar began the evening with a mix of the song's humble and DNA in the course of Performing DNA the rapper can be seen dodging a group of ninjas by the time he changed into humble one swordsman had already put his body on fire and a whole background wall was in Flames Eminem in 200000 when Eminem appeared on the VMA stage in 2000 he posed the question will The Real Slim Shady please stand up accompanied by 100 Eminem impersonators he began his performance on the streets of New York outside the venue the rapper then entered Radio City Music Hall with the impersonators to perform a medley of the real SL shady and the way I am Missy Elliot in [Music] 2019 without a question Missy Elliott deserved to get the Michael Jackson video Vanguard award from MTV long ago Elliott finally received the coveted award from the VMAs in 2019 and she delighted the crowd with a hit medley she sang a few of her best known songs such as lose control get your freak on hot boys and the rain Elliot's first day fans also had a brief Cameo from Allison Stoner the young woman who performed in several of the rappers previous music videos Prince's performance in 1991 occasionally performers want to make sure they're leaving the audience with something to speak about Prince accomplished this in 1991 when he performed get off people were more surprised by Prince's outfit Choice which included a lace cutout of his behind even when semico dancers joined him on stage he would display his booty to the entire audience whenever he performed a particular technique or turn in the early 1990s Prince made a huge deal out of displaying his physical assets even though visuals on television seem more permissive these days what did you guys think of our list let us know in the comments and we hope you have a great day peace out