MTV will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Video Music Awards this Sunday. The awards show is known for getting raunchy, pushing the limits and making pop culture history. Although last year’s VMAs became infamous for launching Miley Cyrus’s new image and featured her twerking on Robin Thicke, that’s hardly the craziest thing to have happened in the show’s 30 years. Take a look back at some of the most memorable moments in VMA history.
1984: Madonna writhes on the floor in a wedding gown for her performance of “Like A Virgin.”
1990: Madonna went full Victorian for her iconic performance of “Vogue.”
1992: Howard Stern flies over the audience as “Fartman” then farts on everyone.
1992: Nirvana’s Krist Novoselic hits himself in the face with his bass during the band’s performance of “Lithium” while trying to do a sweet bass toss (4:15 mark). Plus audience members were stage diving. Pretty awesome.
1993: Neil Young joins Pearl Jam, who had just won four awards, onstage for a performance of “Keep On Rockin’ in the Free World.”
1994: Michael Jackson and his then newlywed wife Lisa Marie Presley shared an awkward kiss. Michael famously said, “Nobody thought this would last,” though the couple divorced two years later.
1994: Beastie Boys’ Adam Yauch, dressed as Nathaniel Hornblower, interrupts R.E.M.’s Best Direction Acceptance Speech to claim “This is a farce. I had all the ideas for Star Wars and everything!”
1995: Courtney Love was dragged away from the backstage press room then later crashed Madonna’s live interview with MTV News’ Kurt Loder.
1995: Michael Jackson performed an epic 15-minute medley of his hits “Billie Jean,” “Beat It,” “Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough,” “Black or White,” “Dangerous,” and “You Are Not Alone.”
1997: Diddy, Faith Evans, Sting and 112 pay tribute to The Notorious B.I.G. with a performance of “I’ll Be Missing You” six months after his tragic death.
1998: Rose McGowan showed up virtually naked, save for a thong and mesh “dress,” with her date Marilyn Manson (who, by the way, was dressed in a rainbow, leopard print suit).
1999: Diana Ross plays with Lil Kim’s left breast, which was only covered by a shell pasty, while presenting Best Hip-Hop video
1999: Both *NSYNC and Britney Spears make their first VMA appearances and were never heard from again…. JUUST kidding.
2000: Rage Against The Machine bassist Tim Commerford climbs the scaffolding after Limp Bizkit wins Best Rock Video, gets promptly arrested.
2000: Eminem performs “The Real Slim Shady” and “The Way I Am” with about 100 Eminem clones, bleached hair and all.
2001: Britney Spears performs with a seven-foot albino python around her neck for her performance of “I’m A Slave 4 U.”
2002: Justin Timberlake performs “Like I Love You,” his first performance as a solo artist post-*NSYNC.
2002: Diddy, Usher, Pharrell, Busta Rhymes, and Ginuwine team up for a medley performance of “Bad Boy for Life,” “I Need A Girl,” and “Pass The Courvoisier, Part II.”
2003: Madonna kisses Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera during her “Like a Virgin” medley
2007: Britney Spears criticized of lazy lip-syncing during her performance of “Gimme More.” The night was supposed to be her comeback, following a very public divorce and stint in rehab.
2009: Kanye West interrupts Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech for Best Female Video. “Yo, Taylor...Ima let you finish…” were his infamous words before he shared that he thought “Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time!”
2009: Janet Jackson performs energetic and touching tribute to her brother Michael, who passed away just weeks before the VMAs.
2010: Lady Gaga accepts Video of the Year award, wearing a dress, shoes and headpiece made of raw beef.
2011: Beyoncé reveals baby bump, announcing she’s pregnant with Blue Ivy, during her performance of “Love On Top.”
2011: Lady Gaga took to the stage dressed as her male alter-ego Jo Calderone for her performance of “You & I.”
2013: *NSYNC reunite to perform a medley of hits
2013: Miley Cyrus. ‘Nuff said.
2014: What do you have for us this year, VMAs?!?!
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