--- title: VMAs 2016: The Best Memes From the MTV Video Music Awards description: See the show through the 10 best memes of the 2016 MTV VMA Awards. canonical: https://time.com/4470471/vmas-2016-mtv-memes/ author: Cady Lang article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-08-29T15:11:47.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:35:57.742Z og:title: See all the Best Memes From the 2016 MTV VMAs og:description: From the pre-show to the performances, the Internet had jokes og:url: https://time.com/4470471/vmas-2016-mtv-memes/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltabe3e707176e2992/6988a3f6e20a874d7fa922f4/beyonce-2016-vmas.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2000 og:image:height: 1125 og:image:alt: US-ENTERTAINMENT-MTV-AWARDS-SHOW og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: See all the Best Memes From the 2016 MTV VMAs twitter:description: From the pre-show to the performances, the Internet had jokes twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltabe3e707176e2992/6988a3f6e20a874d7fa922f4/beyonce-2016-vmas.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The 10 Best Memes From the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards > Sponsored content. 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Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically.  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Aug 29, 2016 3:11 PM UTC  Beyonce accepts an award on stage during the 2016 MTV Video Music Award at the Madison Square Garden in New York on August 28, 2016\. / AFP / Jewel SAMAD (Photo credit should read JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images) Beyonce accepts an award on stage during the 2016 MTV Video Music Award at the Madison Square Garden in New York on August 28, 2016\. / AFP / Jewel SAMAD (Photo credit should read JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images) JEWEL SAMAD—AFP/Getty Images  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Aug 29, 2016 3:11 PM UTC The [MTV Video Music Awards](http://time.com/4465441/mtv-vmas-2016-guide/) 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](http://time.com/4411055/kanye-west-taylor-swift-kim-kardashian-feud/)) and the 2016 ceremony was no exception. [Britney Spears performed on the stage for the first time in nearly a decade](http://time.com/4470107/vmas-2016-britney-spears-make-me/), [Rihanna took home the lauded Vanguard award](http://time.com/4468748/rihanna-wink-videos/) (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_](http://time.com/4470188/vmas-2016-beyonce-lemonade-live/). 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:** > [](https://twitter.com/vine/status/770086474192650240) > [](https://twitter.com/ira/status/770084290696736768) > [](https://twitter.com/KELLYROWLAND/status/770084564006043649) > [](https://twitter.com/shondarhimes/status/724319337637519362) > [](https://twitter.com/mashablegif/status/770086437572272133) **On Beyoncé bringing Blue Ivy to walk the pre-show:** > [](https://twitter.com/alexandergold/status/770040647738884096) > [](https://twitter.com/back2Boujee%5F/status/770048500650352640) Notably, the singer posed with Lezley McSpadden, Gwen Carr, Wanda Johnson and Sybrina Fulton, whose [sons](http://time.com/4470044/beyonce-red-carpet-vmas-2016-mtv/) Mike Brown, Eric Garner, Oscar Grant and Trayvon Martin, respectively were killed by police officers. > [](https://twitter.com/Bey%5FLegion/status/770041888778977282) **On Michael Phelps listening to Future while he made the now-infamous #PhelpsFace**: > [](https://twitter.com/GQMagazine/status/770073300781428736) > [](https://twitter.com/yc/status/770073076671377409) > [](https://twitter.com/Essence/status/770076009135759360) **On Michael Phelps’ reaction to Jimmy Fallon’s jokes about Ryan Lochte**: > [](https://twitter.com/BreanneNYC/status/770103448792629248) > [](https://twitter.com/RachelLeishman/status/770102692677054465) **On Chance the Rapper’s parallel sartorial choices to the Mario Bros.:** > [](https://twitter.com/tatelovett/status/770070065450483713) > [](https://twitter.com/JelleDeAceBeans/status/770054838537293824) **On Drake’s unrequited love for Rihanna, who couldn’t be more indifferent:** > [](https://twitter.com/LowKeyUHTN/status/770108828629274626) > [](https://twitter.com/AlanaMassey/status/770109237292834816) > [](https://twitter.com/amberdiscko/status/770109033390960640) **On Desiigner’s very emotive reaction watching Future perform during the awards show**: > [](https://twitter.com/thecultureofme/status/770224257599172608) > [](https://twitter.com/cjzero/status/770073930296066049) > [](https://twitter.com/yardieiz4life/status/770073581539717120) **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:** > [](https://twitter.com/MTV/status/770078313918455808) > [](https://twitter.com/ditzkoff/status/770076528159944704) > [](https://twitter.com/jennydeluxe/status/770076747916255233) > [](https://twitter.com/brokeymcpoverty/status/770076286744137728) > [](https://twitter.com/Kia%5FMak/status/770081096142876673) **On Teyana Taylor and Iman Shumpert in Kanye’s debut of his new “Fade” video**: > [](https://twitter.com/brokeymcpoverty/status/770080595351339010) > [](https://twitter.com/ringer/status/770079249692852224) > [](https://twitter.com/giphy/status/770079749834145793) **On Britney’s return to the VMA stage and denying G-Eazy an onstage kiss**: > [](https://twitter.com/britneyspeans/status/770096718163636224) > [](https://twitter.com/MTV/status/770096181154287616) > [](https://twitter.com/ComplexMag/status/770093548008005632) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4470471/vmas-2016-mtv-memes/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4470471/vmas-2016-mtv-memes/"},"headline":"The 10 Best Memes From the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards","datePublished":"2016-08-29T15:11:47.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:35:57.742Z","description":"From the pre-show to the performances, the Internet had 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