Tonight, the 2026 MTV VMAs celebrated some of the music scenes’s top artists this year—but you might as well have just called it Madonna Night™.

Not only did the reigning Queen of Pop serve as the splashy opener for the show, but Madonna also is one of the most-nominated artists of the evening—racking up 13 nods tonight alone, including in the prestigious Artist and Album of the Year categories.

To kick off the show, then, Madge had to pull out all of the stops—including a fabulous stage wardrobe, styled by her longtime collaborator Rita Melssen. The star wore a satin black mini trench coat, pairing it with a pink bodysuit, black corset, and thigh-high boots.

Naturally, Madonna enlisted a number of star-studded cameos to round out her set, too. The singer began her opening show with a rendition of “Bring Your Love” with Sabrina Carpenter, who donned a white shirt, sequined black briefs, suspenders, and a saucy little beret.

Madonna then followed it up with another cameo from Charli XCX, to sing their “Danceteria” remix together. Charli donned a tight LBD with fishnet tights, platform heels, and shield shades. And the cameos didn’t end there: Debi Mazar, Julia Garner (who famously almost played Madonna in a movie about her life), Sombr, Fab 5 Freddy, and even Seth Rogen(?!) all joined the performance.

Of course, Madonna is no stranger to a memorable performance at the MTV VMAs. Over the years, the queen of pop has hit the VMAs main stage countless times—each time delivering a pop culture moment that has been remembered for years to come.

Remember when she performed “Vogue” in full Marie Antoinette garb, circa 1990? Or when she kissed Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera in 2003?

And who could forget the scandalous, career-making rendition of “Like a Virgin” she did in 1984, the first-ever VMAs. In other words, she and the awards ceremony have some serious history.

The pop star simply commands the VMA stage like no other—and tonight was clearly no exception.

Later in the evening, meanwhile, Madonna won the Artist of the Year award. She and Carpenter also won a VMA for Best Collaboration. “I DM’d her, and within weeks, we were in the studio together,” Madonna said of their “Bring Your Love” track, while accepting the award together. Imagine getting a Madonna DM? Iconic.