VMAs 2026: Watch All of the Performances

Yung Lean (CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images)CommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyThe 2026 MTV VMAs kicked off with a highly anticipated performance from Madonna on Sunday night.

Foi seu primeiro set no evento desde 2003 e contou com participações especiais de Sabrina Carpenter, Charli XCX, Debi Mazar e outros. A noite também apresentou um tributo bagunçado a George Michael — com um elenco perplexo de Raye, Adam Lambert, Sombr e Teddy Swims — além de sets de Lisa, Yung Lean e Shaboozey.

Confira o detalhamento completo das performances abaixo.

Head here for the full winners list and follow along with all of Pitchfork’s coverage of the 2026 VMAs.

Joining Madonna for her medley were Carpenter on “Bring Your Love,” Charli for “Danceteria Afterhours,” and pop-up cameos by Sombr, Seth Rogen, Julia Garner, and more as Madge danced her way through a row of bathroom stalls and sinks.

Madonna had 13 total nods at tonight’s show—the most of any artist—and took home seven awards.

Depois de uma série de álbuns com inclinação pop, Kacey Musgraves volta ao seu ritmo country — e chega na hora certa para prestar uma homenagem fiel à falecida Dolly Parton na noite de hoje.

Musgraves sang “I Will Always Love You” with full lungs and a gentle touch, bridging the gap between Parton’s original version and Whitney Houston’s famous cover.

For a dramatic opening to her performance, Raye sang a portion of “I Will Overcome” while violinists surrounded her. Once she dropped her fur coat to reveal a glittery red dress, she was flanked by two backup singers and a full band to start belting out her crossover hit “Where Is My Husband!” with plenty of flair to match the look.

In a pre-recorded performance from his ongoing tour, Bruno Mars sang a melodramatic version of “Dance With Me” with an extended guitar solo, sparking lights, and a hearty vocal run.

Mars had seven nominations this evening, four of which were tied to his single “I Just Might.”.

George Michael was honored with a multi-artist tribute a decade after his death. While images of Michael panned around the stage, Sombr led the first stretch by singing “Faith” and “Father Figure” in a leather jacket before Raye took over, belting Michael’s famous Aretha Franklin duet “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me).” Teddy Swims performed “Careless Whisper” while showered in purple lights, then once the iconic notes of “Freedom.

Fresh off her Best Pop win for “Dream,” Lisa and over a dozen dancers recreated a dramatic choreography routine in which the Blackpink singer battled her way through fistfights, rode the back of a street cart through a city, and twirled around a light-up street sign while rapping “Sawadika.” It was appropriately dramatic considering Lisa is the first K-pop artist to perform at the VMAs as a solo act.

French producer Benoit Heitz is best known under his stage name Surkin—or at least until this year when his electronic project Gener8ion tapped Swedish rapper Yung Lean for “Storm,” and the song went viral for its entrancing Romain Gavras-directed video.

The two recreated it onstage with help from the dozens of dancers in private-school uniforms.

Best New Artist nominee Sienna Spiro took the stage to justify her spot in this year’s crop of rising artists. She performed her ballad “Great Expectation” with the backing of a big band, emphasizing her lonely approach to pop-soul with a sizable gap between her and the musicians.