Share Tweet Pin Email By Jessica Wedemeyer 1:48am PDT, Sep 8, 2025 _ The 2025 MTV Video Music Awards had a little something for everyone: a Latin superstar proving he's still got it after decades in the game, a pop diva hitting her signature high notes, a rap superstar executing some flawless lyrical delivery, a trio of rockstars honoring a recently lost legend and so much more. But not every act hit it out of the park... Join us as we look back at every performance from the 2025 VMAs, from worst to best - with the big caveat that, by and large, the evening was stuffed with solid numbers. Keep reading to see where your favorites landed on the list...

MORE: Follow Wonderwall on MSN for more top news and photo galleries No. 16: Megan Moroney The audio department did her dirty... Megan Moroney looked adorable while performing her recently released single "6 Months Later" on the Extended Play stage. If only we'd been able to hear her! Unfortunately, we could barely make out her vocals over the sound of her sparkly guitar during this super-short number that clocked in at just 90 seconds. Bummer! No. 15: Sombr Sombr embraced a gritty aesthetic for his performance of "Back to Friends" and "12 to 12," and while it worked visually, we weren't so sure about his vocals, which probably would've sounded just fine on their own. The highlight of his set came during the transition between his biggest hit and his newest single when his female backup dancers lifted him in the air to carry him across the stage - which was quite the sight given his tall and lanky frame. No. 14: Lola Young Lola Young opened the Extended Play stage with a rendition of her hit single "Messy." Her vocals sounded great, yes, but ultimately, there was nothing to write home about with this by-the-book performance. No. 13: Bailey Zimmerman and The Kid Laroi Blinked and you missed it. Bailey Zimmerman and The Kid Laroi delivered a trimmed-down rendition of their recently released collaboration "Lost" that was over practically just as it was getting started - which is really a shame because the two young singers were really killing it with their harmonies. No. 12: Post Malone and Jelly Roll Post Malone and Jelly Roll are in the midst of the European leg of their "Big A** Stadium Tour," so they couldn't make it to the VMAs to perform their hit single "Losers" in person. Instead, fans were treated to a pre-recorded performance from one of their tour stops in Germany, which culminated in a fun fireworks display. No. 11: Mariah Carey We hate to say it, but Video Vanguard Award recipient Mariah Carey was a bit of a disappointment. Sure, she looked great and her vocals were perfectly on point as she belted her way through a medley of some of her biggest hits including "Fantasy," "Heartbreaker," "Obsessed" and "We Belong Together," hitting more than a few of her signature high notes in the process. But we just couldn't get past how painfully uncomfortable she appeared throughout her performance. There were so many interesting things happening on stage - roller skating backup dancers, for example - but we hardly noticed them as Mimi made her way across the stage with some of the lowest energy of the evening, leaving us to wonder, "Can she not walk in those gold bedazzled boots?!" No. 10: Conan Gray Conan Gray went full "theater kid" with his dramatic performance of his newly released single "Vodka Cranberry," which kicked off with him channeling Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, seemingly mourning a lost love. The singer, clad in an elaborate costume capped off with a bold cranberry-hued cape, hit some impressive high notes to close out the 2025 VMAs. It was good. We're just not sure it was epic enough to serve as the show's closing number... No. 9: Alex Warren Alex Warren has officially leveled up. Earlier this year, we called his performances of "Ordinary" during a competing award show "standard" and "a little boring." We're happy to say that's no longer the case. The singer-songwriter took things up a notch by opening his performance with a drumline that led into a rendition of his recently released single "Eternity" before he flowed into "Ordinary," accompanied by dancing backup singers who raised the energy until fireworks erupted across the stage. No. 8: J Balvin with DJ Snake, Justin Quiles and Lenny Tavárez J Balvin's VMAs performance may have started slowly with a rendition of "Zun Zun" that was polished but not necessarily anything to write home about. Fortunately, things turned explosive in the second half as the Colombian singer climbed atop a giant Timberland boot to perform "Noventa" accompanied by DJ Snake, Justin Quiles and Lenny Tavárez, plus breakdancers and plenty of pyrotechnics. No. 7: Lady Gaga Lady Gaga ushered in Halloween season with a pre-recorded performance of her recently released single "The Dead Dance," preceded by a pre-recorded performance of her hit single "Abracadabra," both from her run of shows at New York City's Madison Square Garden.