Well, that’s it for another year at the VMAs. Pack away the Moon Men trophies, send the snake from the Slave 4 U clip back into its box and prepare to wait another 12 months to see that clip of Madonna kissing Britney and Christina.

What to make of this year’s ceremony? Depending on who you believe, it was one of the more boring years, weighed down by a confusing schedule and too many performances.

Thankfully, there were still some moments worth revisiting; let’s unpack.

Sabrina Carpenter kissed an alien (and she liked it)

Sabrina Carpenter’s performance of Espresso featured a dancing crew of astronauts and aliens culminated in a steamy smooch between the pop star and a saucy extraterrestrial dancer.

Katy Perry dodges Woman’s World drama

You have to feel for Katy Perry. It’s a bit awkward to accept a lifetime achievement award for your body of work when your most recent (and very high profile) single was a spectacular flop. Rather than pretend Woman’s World was a good song, Perry did the next best thing, pretended it didn’t exist. Perry performed a 10-minute medley spanning more than fifteen years of her back catalogue, but there was no room for Woman’s World.

Taylor Swift broke a record (again)

Another day, another record for Taylor Swift. After winning seven awards, including the night’s top prize of video of the year, Swift became the solo artist with the most career VMA wins, and the artist with the most video of the year wins.

Swift’s first win, way back in 2009, for best female video for You Belong with Me, was infamously marred by Kanye West’s interruption, who insisted that Beyoncé deserved the award instead.

The awards were a bit confusing and rushed

Half of them were given off-air and then most were squeezed together between long breaks. The VMAs are always performance-focused, but this year, it felt like everything was rushed, like a TikTok version of an awards ceremony. Thirty seconds of something and onto the next thing.

Chappell Roan has arrived

If it wasn’t already clear by the perma-hype that surrounds her, Chappell Roan will be our next great pop star. Roan stole the show from the moment she arrived looking like Heath Ledger from A Knight’s Tale, and she continued her form all the way up onto stage.

While accepting the award for best new artist, Roan took a moment to honour the LGBTQ+ community in her speech. The singer told the crowd, “I dedicate this to all the drag artists who inspire me, who inspire me, and I dedicate this to queer and trans people that fuel pop.” She also gave a shout-out to queer kids in the Midwest, saying, “I see you, I understand you, because I’m one of you.”