The MTV Video Music Awards just rolled around last Sunday for its 37th annual award show. It was a big start for the new decade and how the show was handled with the pandemic still being one of the world's issues at the moment. Lady Gaga walked home with five awards including Artist of the Year while The Weeknd won Video of the Year.
Lady Gaga certainly made it on here thanks to her five awards she's won, but what about the other nine artists who are in the hall of fame for the most amount of awards? Here they are with the most wins, ranked.
10 Aerosmith - 10
Aerosmith is definitely a surprising artist to have many awards won at the MTV Video Music Awards, but it shows that they were in the prime time with their memorable songs. Through 1990 and 1999, Aerosmith won 10 awards with their most famous win being for the timeless classic "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing."
The other songs that got them awards are "Janie's Got a Gun," and "Cryin'." It is an honor for this 50-year-old band to remain in the top 10 as Ariana Grande has been creeping up with nine wins thanks to "Rain on Me" and "Stuck With U."
9 Taylor Swift - 11
A three-way tie is coming your way, starting with the pop star Taylor Swift. Her first win came from 2009 with her endearing song "You Belong With Me." That of course, was the year that Kanye West famously interrupted her speech when accepting her award. Thankfully the gracious Beyoncé sacrificed some of her time when accepting Video of the Year to give Taylor the time she deserved to say her thanks.
Of course, this first win got her to others for songs such as "Blank Space," "Bad Blood," and "You Need to Calm Down." Her recent album, Folklore, is looking to snag some nominations for next year.
8 Green Day - 11
After being nominated for three awards in 1994 for "Longview" and nine awards from their breakout song "Basket Case," in 1995, Green Day finally earned their first win at the MTV VMAs with their sentimental 1997 single "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" in the 1998 award show. Then in 2005, they would achieve their biggest night for the VMAs with "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," taking home six awards for the song and winning another for Viewer's Choice Award for "American Idiot."
It doesn't stop there as in 2009, they took home three of their nominations for their song "21 Guns," being their second big night for MTV. Throughout the years, this amazing band deserved their 11 wins and hopefully more in the future.
7 Justin Timberlake - 11
Justin Timberlake just left NYSNC in 2002, but that didn't stop him from having a very successful solo career. 2003 hit it off as he also got off a relationship with pop diva Britney Spears and released his song "Cry Me a River." At the 2003 VMAs, that got him two wins.
Slowly but surely he would gain win after win for a number of years until 2007 where he took a break from his career, but not without getting the Video Vanguard Award. His comeback in music might not have been award magnetizing compared to the early 2000s, but he still managed to win some awards from his songs "Suit & Tie" and "Mirrors.
6 R.E.M. - 12
Even though R.E.M. is no longer a band, their time as one had a great run. R.E.M. really stood out with their songs "Losing My Religion" and "Everybody Hurts," which ultimately got them the majority of their awards. They also obtained one for "Orange Crush" while also being honored with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award.
"Losing My Religion" remains as R.E.M.'s best selling single, so winning six awards and being the biggest winner in 1991 was definitely a remarkable accomplishment. They also were the biggest winner in 1994 for their song "Everybody Hurts" despite not winning Video of the Year.
5 Eminem - 13
The Detroit rapper came from a harsh background where he dealt with the rough streets of Detroit. From his incredible talent at rapping, Eminem is one of the greatest rappers of all time. With a total of 13 wins, some of the songs that rewarded him for his hard work include "The Real Slim Shady," "Without Me," and "Not Afraid."
This year, people were shocked that Eminem didn't win the award for Best Hip Hop for his song "Godzilla" featuring the late Juice Wrld, which went to Megan Thee Stallion instead. That would have gotten him a rank above the next artist on the list, but have 13 awards won is still nothing to sneeze at.
4 Peter Gabriel - 13
Peter Gabriel rose to fame by being the original lead singer for the English band Genesis, but after leaving the band, his career surged for the better. Being tied with Eminem, he has 13 wins under his name. "Sledgehammer" was a huge song that garnered him many awards, not just for the VMAs.
He currently holds the record for most awards for a single song, and given that Lady Gaga was short by two awards, that is an amazing accomplishment for Peter. Despite slowing things down as he's aged, his legacy in music will always be remembered.
3 Lady Gaga - 18
Lady Gaga would have still made it on the list, but she ranked up high thanks to the recent VMAs and her wins for "Rain on Me," the TriCon award, and Artist of the Year. It was without a doubt one of Gaga's biggest nights, but the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards just can't be beaten as she took home eight awards that night.
She keeps on getting better with her music and with her incredibly loyal fan base, there's a possibility that she could eventually get the most MTV awards if she really wants to. It also helps that she takes this award show seriously and dresses up in the most obscure, but creative ways, even if one of them has garnered some controversy.
2 Madonna - 20
Madonna has not won an award from the VMAs since 1999 for her song "Beautiful Stranger." Her time in the 90s was unmatched though, with her iconic songs like "Vogue" and "Ray of Light" garnering her eight wins altogether. Even if she hasn't won anything before the turn of the new millennium, still having 20 wins and being in the top two is no joke.
She does have one award going for her, and that is the Video Vanguard Award, known today as the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award in honor of his passing in 2009. She became the first woman to win that award and with many other talented female artists carrying on the award years later, Madonna deserves credit for being the first.
1 Beyoncé - 25
Queen Bee is unstoppable in any award she's nominated for. She took the throne from the queen of pop and racked up 25 awards. Her recent win came in 2016, where she had 11 nominations under her belt and took home six for her songs "Hold Up" and "Formation."
Her first win for the MTV Video Music Awards technically came from her time with Destiny's Child for the song "Say My Name" in 2000, but for her solo career, her first win came from the iconic "Crazy in Love." Unless Lady Gaga or Madonna steps up their game, Beyoncé is going to remain as the current record holder for the most wins in MTV VMA history.