VMAs 2026: Lisa Takes Best Pop as Winners Unfold at Peacock Theater

Lisa has won Best Pop at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards for "Dream" featuring Kentaro Sakaguchi, released on Lloud Co./RCA Records. The ceremony is underway at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, with Snoop Dogg hosting the night.

Two honors were announced in advance of the show. Nirvana will receive the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. Taylor Swift will receive the inaugural artist director honors — a first for the award.

Lisa's win came in one of the night's most crowded fields. She beat out Ariana Grande ("Hate That I Made You Love Me"), Charli xcx ("SS26"), Olivia Rodrigo ("Drop Dead"), Sabrina Carpenter ("House Tour"), Tate McRae ("Nobody's Girl") and Taylor Swift ("The Fate of Ophelia").

The Best Pop victory places Lisa, the Blackpink member, at the center of a strong K-pop presence this year. She is also nominated twice in Best K-Pop — as a solo act for "Dream feat. Kentaro Sakaguchi" and with Blackpink for "Jump" — alongside BTS ("Swim"), Cortis ("REDRED"), Katseye ("Pinky Up") and LE SSERAFIM featuring J-Hope of BTS ("Spaghetti").

Lisa's "Dream" appears across several craft categories as well. The video earned nominations for Best Cinematography and Best Editing.

Madonna looms large over the 2026 field. She is nominated for Artist of the Year and carries "Confessions II – The Film" into Video of the Year, Best Dance, Best Direction, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Editing and Best Choreography. She also shares a Best Collaboration nomination with Sabrina Carpenter for "Bring Your Love" (Warner Records), which doubles as a Song of the Year nominee. Her Artist of the Year competition includes Ariana Grande, Bruno Mars, Morgan Wallen, Sabrina Carpenter and Taylor Swift.

Taylor Swift's "The Fate of Ophelia" is the most nominated single video of the night, appearing in Best Pop, Video of the Year, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Editing and Best Choreography. Swift also earned a Best Direction nomination for "Opalite."

Ariana Grande's "Hate That I Made You Love Me" matches Swift's craft-category sweep, with nominations in Video of the Year, Best Direction, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography and Best Editing. Bruno Mars competes in Best R&B and Video of the Year with "I Just Might."

The Best New Artist category spans seven names: Bella Kay (Atlantic), Cortis (BIGHIT MUSIC), Magnus Ferrell (Visva/Republic), Malcolm Todd (Columbia), Myles Smith (RCA), Sienna Spiro (Capitol) and Stella Lefty (Sandlot/Atlantic Outpost).

Song of the Year pits BTS's "Swim" against HUNTR/X's "Golden," Madonna and Carpenter's "Bring Your Love," Raye's "Where Is My Husband!!," PinkPantheress's "Stateside" with Zara Larsson, Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas" and Olivia Dean's "Man I Need."

The genre categories bring their own flashpoints. Best Hip-Hop features Cardi B featuring Kehlani ("Safe"), Drake ("Janice STFU"), Megan Thee Stallion ("Lover Girl"), Travis Scott ("Dumbo"), Tyler, the Creator ("Sugar on My Tongue") and Don Toliver ("E85"). Best Latin includes Bad Bunny's "NUEVAYoL," Shakira and Burna Boy's "Dai Dai," Anitta with Shakira's "Choka Choka" and Karol G's "Papasito."

Best Dance includes Harry Styles ("Aperture"), Lady Gaga and Doechii ("Runaway"), Bebe Rexha and Faithless ("New Religion") and Slayyyter. Best Alternative spans Tame Impala ("Dracula"), Noah Kahan ("The Great Divide"), Twenty One Pilots ("Drag Path"), Olivia Rodrigo ("The Cure"), Geese, Sombr and an MGK and Fred Durst pairing, "Fix Ur Face."

Best Country is led by Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas," with Kacey Musgraves, Lainey Wilson, Luke Combs, Shaboozey, Stella Lefty and Tucker Wetmore in contention. Best R&B includes Justin Bieber ("Yukon"), Chris Brown, Kehlani, Dave and Tems, and Mariah the Scientist with Kali Uchis.

Best Collaboration pits Madonna and Carpenter's "Bring Your Love" against Clipse, Kendrick Lamar, Pusha T and Malice on "Chains & Whips," Shakira and Burna Boy's "Dai Dai," French Montana and Max B's "Ever Since U Left Me," PinkPantheress's "Stateside + Zara Larsson" and Teyana Taylor and Lucky Daye's "Hard Part."

The remaining craft categories — Best Visual Effects, Best Choreography and Best Direction — feature a striking overlap of the same heavyweight videos, with Jisoo and Zayn's "Eyes Closed" and Raye and Hans Zimmer's "Click Clack Symphony" joining the Visual Effects race. The full winners list is updating live through the night, and the Video of the Year race between Grande, Mars, GENER8ION, Madonna, Carpenter and Swift remains undecided.