Amid all the shenanigans that typically occur during the MTV Video Music Awards, some actual history was made as well: Lorde became the first female performer ever to win the Best Rock Video award at the ceremony. Yes, ever.
The performer's "Royals" edged out tracks from The Black Keys, Arctic Monkeys, Linkin Park and Imagine Dragons to take the prize, ending a perpetual drought of female losers. The last time a woman was even nominated was 2010, when both Florence + The Machine and Paramore got nods. That was the last year in a three-year streak where Paramore (and vocalist Hayley Williams) was nominated without a win.
The problem, as nearly everyone on the internet has pointed out already, is that "Royals" is hardly a rock song. Although it is a great track, and although Nirvana adopted her as a guest vocalist for its Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, Lorde is tough to define as a rock performer. To quote the New York Daily News: "Lorde wins VMA for Best Rock Video over actual rock bands."
Although social media has been actively pointing out the flaw in MTV's logic, it's come with a minimal amount of trolling from rockers, who have a soft spot for the gothy pop star. Even Patrick Carney, the outspoken drummer for The Black Keys—well known for his long-running Twitter feud with Beliebers—was relatively quiet, only retweeting his brother Michael's statement that "winning a #VMA is about as prestigious as having a tumblr account."
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