The MTV Video Music Awards have always been a hotbed of activity when it comes to legendary moments (it was, after all, the place where the infamous feud of our generation began) and the 2016 ceremony was no exception.
Britney Spears performed on the stage for the first time in nearly a decade, Rihanna took home the lauded Vanguard award (and a kiss from Drake, naturally,) Kanye gave a speech — and a surprise video premiere, and of course, Beyoncé slayed us all within an inch of our lives by performing not only one song, but basically her entire visual album, Lemonade.
So suffice it to say that the Internet may have slightly lost its collective minds during this awards shows; here, the 10 moments that had the web freaking out during the VMAs.
On Beyoncé blessing us all by performing her entire Lemonade album and being the ultimate queen of the VMAs:
On Beyoncé bringing Blue Ivy to walk the pre-show:
Notably, the singer posed with Lezley McSpadden, Gwen Carr, Wanda Johnson and Sybrina Fulton, whose sons Mike Brown, Eric Garner, Oscar Grant and Trayvon Martin, respectively were killed by police officers.
On Michael Phelps listening to Future while he made the now-infamous #PhelpsFace:
On Michael Phelps’ reaction to Jimmy Fallon’s jokes about Ryan Lochte:
On Chance the Rapper’s parallel sartorial choices to the Mario Bros.:
On Drake’s unrequited love for Rihanna, who couldn’t be more indifferent:
On Desiigner’s very emotive reaction watching Future perform during the awards show:
On Kanye’s very long speech where amid his love of artistic heroes, he also reveals his penchant for white outfits and calls out to his ex, Amber Rose:
On Teyana Taylor and Iman Shumpert in Kanye’s debut of his new “Fade” video:
On Britney’s return to the VMA stage and denying G-Eazy an onstage kiss:
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Why Trump’s Message Worked on Latino Men
- What Trump’s Win Could Mean for Housing
- The 100 Must-Read Books of 2024
- Sleep Doctors Share the 1 Tip That’s Changed Their Lives
- Column: Let’s Bring Back Romance
- What It’s Like to Have Long COVID As a Kid
- FX’s Say Nothing Is the Must-Watch Political Thriller of 2024
- Merle Bombardieri Is Helping People Make the Baby Decision
Write to Cady Lang at cady.lang@timemagazine.com