NIGHT. LOTS OF GREAT MUSICAL ACTS. ALL THE STARS WAS THERE. IT WAS A NONSTOP PARTY WITH, OF COURSE, MUSIC AT THE HEART OF IT ALL. >> THE 40th MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS LEANED INTO NOSTALGIA FROM THE START, WITH RAP LEGEND EMINEM MAKING AN ENTRANCE, SIMILAR TO HIS ICONIC OPENING PERFORMANCE OF THE VMAs OVER 20 YEARS AGO. AND HOST MEGAN DESTALLION PAYING TRIBUTE TO BRITNEY SPEARS' UNFORGETTABLE LOOK IN 2001. >> STOP THE MUSIC. STOP THE MUSIC! I'M JUST PLAYING COME GET THE SNAKE! >> AND I EVEN GOT IN ON THE ACT WITH A LITTLE TRL THROWBACK. >> FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE A LITTLE TOO YOUNG TO KNOW WHO I AM, I WAS THE HOST OF A SHOW ON MTV CALLED "TOTAL REQUEST LIFE," TRL. KIDS GOING CRAZY IN TIMES SQUARE, AND EVERY DAY AFTER SCHOOL, I WAS WITH YOUR MOTHER. SO, PLEASE, TELL HER I SAID HI. >> Reporter: BUT IT WAS THIS MOMENT THAT HAD EVERYONE BUZZING. >> I GOT YOU SOMETHING THAT THEY CAN'T TAKE AWAY FROM YOU. >> PUBLIC ENEMY STAR FLAYVA FLAF PRESENTING JORDAN CHILES WITH A BRONZE CLOCK AFTER SHE HAD HER OWN OLYMPIC MEDAL PULLED IN PARIS. VIEWERS PRAISING THE MOMENT ON SOCIAL MEDIA. IT WAS ALSO A BIG NIGHT FOR POP MUSIC. >> AND THE VMA GOES TO -- >> WITH SABRINA CARPENTER WINNING "SONG OF THE YEAR." AND CHAPEL RHONE WINNING BEST NEW ARTIST. >> AND FOR ALL THE QUEER KIDS IN THE MIDWEST, WATCHING RIGHT NOW, I SEE YOU, I UNDERSTAND YOU, BECAUSE I'M ONE OF YOU. >> THE NIGHT WAS ALSO FILLED WITH AMAZING PERFORMANCES. INCLUDING LENNY KRAVITZ -- ♪ I WANT TO GET AWAY, I WANT TO FLY AWAY ♪ AND LL COOLJ. ♪ BECAUSE, BABY, YOU'RE A FIREWORK ♪ >> FOLLOWING AN EPIC TEN-MINUTE MASH-UP OF HER GREATEST HITS, KATY PERRY ACCEPTED THE HIGHEST HONOR OF THE NIGHT, THE VIDEO VANGUARD AWARD PRESENTED BY HER FIANCE, ORLANDO BLOOM. >> THANK YOU TO ORLANDO FOR KEEPING ME GROUNDED, CELEBRATED AND DOING THE DISHES. AND LASTLY, FOR MY DAISY, THE ONLY FLOWERS I'LL EVER NEED. >> BUT THE BIGGEST WINNER OF THE NIGHT, WHO ELSE? TAYLOR SWIFT, TAKING HOME SEVEN AWARDS, INCLUDING VIDEO OF THE YEAR FOR THE THIRD YEAR IN A ROW. SHARING WITH THE CROWD WHAT SHE'LL ALWAYS REMEMBER ABOUT THE PROJECT. >> WHEN I WOULD FINISH A TAKE AND I'D SAY "CUT," AND WE'D BE DONE WITH THAT TAKE, I WOULD ALWAYS JUST HEAR LIKE SOMEONE LIKE -- LIKE CHEERING AND LIKE, WHOO! AND THAT ONE PERSON WAS MY BOYFRIEND, TRAVIS. >> AHH. >> THERE YOU GO. >> A LOT OF FUN WATCHING TAYLOR WAS GREAT. >> WHO HAD MORE FUN? YOU OR JACK. >> I BROUGHT MY 15-YEAR-OLD TO HIS FIRST AWARD SHOW. >> MINI ME. >> THE NECKLACE HE LOVES. HE GOT TO SEE EVERYBODY. AND MTV, IT'S LIKE BEING BACKSTAGE AT AN OLD-SCHOOL LAS VEGAS SHOW -- THERE'S LOTS OF, YOU KNOW, SCANTILY CLAD YOUNG LADIES WALKING AROUND. I HAD TO PICK HIS JAW OFF THE GROUND A FEW TIMES. BUT HE GOT TO SEE EVERYBODY THAT HE LOVES. >> DID YOU SEE LIKE -- OBVIOUSLY, A LOT OF THESE MUSICIANS YOU KNOW. SEE OLD FRIENDS? >> I SAW A BUNCH OF OLD FRIENDS. THE VMAs WERE ALWAYS OUR PROM. BEFORE ALL THE AWARD SHOWS, VMAs WERE THE ONLY TIME THAT ROCK STARS AND POP STARS WOULD GET DRUNK AND HOOK UP, AND ALTHOUGH MTV IS NOT WHAT IT ONCE WAS, IT'S GOOD TO SEE THE VMAs WERE STILL THERE. BENSON BOONE 22 YEARS OLD, THAT GUY IS A GREAT PERFORMER. GIVE ONE TO US ELDER STATESMEN, LENNY KRAVITZ, THAT PERFORMANCE LAST NIGHT TOOK DOWN THE HOUSE. >> AND YOU KNOW, YOU GUYS ARE UP EARLY. >> I SAW LENNY LAST NIGHT AS I