The 9 Most Iconic MTV VMAs Performances

Britney Spears is no stranger to the VMA main stage. Since her '90s debut, year after year, the pop icon continuously delivered high-energy performances. This 2001 performance is what solidified Spears as a VMA icon. In the middle of dancing across the stage, a dancer placed a large yellow snake across the singer's shoulders. Spears continued to dance with the snake, barely flinching as it slithered on her back, making it one of the most memorable moments in VMA history.

For the 2003 VMAs, Madonna recruited Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Missy Elliot to perform with her. The performance starts out with Spears and Aguilera singing a rendition of Madonna's '80s hit "Like a Virgin." The duo strutted across the stage dressed in wedding gowns in front of a large wedding cake, which Madonna eventually popped out of reflecting a groom. As the performance transitions to "Hollywood," another Madonna hit, the show grew raunchier. In the middle of performing, Madonna reached for both Spears and Aguilera, and the trio shared a kiss, leaving a seemingly pissed Justin Timberlake in the audience.

Michael Jackson was a true VMA veteran and pop superstar. The 2009 VMAs put together a dance tribute to some of the late stars' greatest hits in honor of his passing that happened that year. Towards the end of the performance, Janet Jackson came out to honor her brother and perform the sibling's only collaboration together, "Scream." It was incredibly moving, and the crowd gave Jackson a standing ovation.

Since her debut, Lady Gaga's known theatrics became a part of her persona. So, it's no surprise to anyone that her first-ever VMA performance is as theatric as it is. For her first performance on the 2009 VMAs main stage, Lady Gaga performed her song "Paparazzi." The performance had amazing choreography and even a piano solo from Gaga. Towards the end, Gaga steps from the piano, and fake blood begins to flow from her costume. You could hear the collective gasps from the audience. The show ends with Gaga suspended in the air with blood smeared everywhere, making it an unforgettable moment for everyone.

At the 2011 VMAs, Beyoncé revealed to the world that she was pregnant with her first child. After giving an intense performance of stunning vocals and choreography, the singer literally dropped her mic and flashed her cute baby bump hiding under her purple-sequinned blazer. The camera then pans to Kanye West giving her husband Jay-Z an enthusiastic congratulations in the audience. A heartfelt VMAs moment.

The 2013 VMAs served unforgettable pop culture moments, but everyone mainly remembers this night because of Miley Cyrus' twerk-filled performance. After performing her single "We Can't Stop" with a teddy bear entourage, Robin Thicke entered the stage, and the duo then performed his hit song "Blurred Lines." That's when everything took a turn. Cyrus strips off her bear bodysuit to reveal a latex ensemble and begins to dance around with a foam finger and twerk on Thicke. The stunned audience reactions from Rihanna, One Direction, and Will Smith and his family, also made this performance something to remember.

If you didn't know, Nicki Minaj and Taylor Swift shared a small feud in 2015 after the rapper made a tweet calling out the double standards in the music industry. Swift felt that the comment was directed towards her and responded. Minaj replied to Swift's tweet elaborating on her initial comment which Swift later apologized. Later, at the 2015 VMAs, the rapper brings out Swift during her performance of "The Night is Still Young" clearing the air of their ended feud. The duo also performed "Bad Blood" poking fun at their fleeting rivalry.

Beyoncé's Lemonade album is truly a historic moment for the music industry. At the 2016 VMAs, Beyoncé performed a 16-minute medley of her Lemonade record which featured almost every song from the album. It was also the first time the singer graced the VMA main stage since her Video Vanguard performance in 2014.

In 2016, Camila Cabello split from pop girl group Fifth Harmony. The group continued as a foursome and released one more album before they officially disbanded. At the 2017 VMAs, at the beginning of their performance, the group threw a fake fifth member off the stage seemingly representing Cabello's departure and the start of a new era.