The 20 best, weirdest, and wildest VMA moments

You knew this one was going to show up, so we figure we'll get it out of the way early. Taylor Swift's big VMA win in 2009 was immediately upstaged by Kanye West rushing the stage, claiming that Beyonce should have won the award. It became a defining moment in both West and Swift's careers – and if you've forgotten what it was like live, you can watch the clip here.

In 1984 – the MTV Video Music Awards' first year – Madonna kicked things off as only she could, with a sexy, moaning performance of "Like a Virgin," complete with a belt buckle that read "Boy Toy." You can watch the performance here.

During the 2003 VMAs, Madonna, Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera teamed up for a show-stopping performance of "Hollywood" that featured a surprise ending nobody saw coming – Madonna locking lips with Britney and Christina in turn. You can watch the kiss (and Justin Timberlake's reaction to it) right here.

Before "woo girls" were even a thing, Weird Al was annoyed by them. As he was presenting the award for the Best Video of a Song from a Motion Picture back in 1989, the audience couldn't help but woo excitedly at him. Al, however, wasn't having it –screaming woos back at the audience with fervor. Watch the clip here.

Leave it to Lady Gaga to upstage everyone. At the 2010 VMAs, she won a slew of awards – including the award for Video of the Year – decked out in a meat dress complete with meat shoes. Never change, Gaga.

Never a stranger to controversy, Andrew Dice Clay went a bit blue at the 1989 VMAs with a hyper-offensive set that ended up getting him banned from cable TV for life – though the ban has since been lifted. Watch the set here, but be warned, it's super vulgar and offensive, and he does run through a few of Carlin's seven words you can't say on air.

Leave it to Fiona Apple to vocalize a sentiment that is as true today as it was 20 years ago when she first said it. Upon accepting the Moonman for "Criminal," she gave a rousing (albeit somewhat profane) speech about being true to yourself. Watch it here.

Before the meat dress, there was Britney's gigantic snake. At the 2001 VMAs, Britney's performance of "I'm A Slave 4 U" featured a special guest in the form of a massive Burmese python named Banana. Watch the performance here.

Time for our first trainwreck moment in the slideshow. Back in 1995, an, um, "impaired" Courtney Love walks in on an interview with Madonna, interrupting it by rolling around on the floor. Be warned, this one's cringeworthy. Watch the clip here.

You know what's cheaper and more effective than paying for a commercial spot at the 2001 VMAs? Draping yourself in a dress with the release date of your album on it, effectively promoting it for the entire time you're on TV – just like Macy Gray did.

You probably remember Lil' Kim's famous dress (or lack thereof) from the 1999 VMAs, but perhaps even more wild was Diana Ross's reaction to it when they appeared onstage together, giving Lil' Kim's pasty-ed breast a little jiggle. The clip can be found here.

You can understand where Rage Against The Machine bassist Tim Commerford is coming from here at the 2000 VMAs. I mean, losing Best Rock Video to Fred Durst and Limp Bizkit has to hurt. Thankfully, history has vindicated Commerford and Rage Against The Machine, even after he rushed the stage and heckled the snot out of Fred Durst from atop of the set. Watch the clip here.

File this one under "looked really, really good on paper." RuPaul and Milton Berle are both drag icons, and pairing them up to present an award at the 1993 VMAs seemed like a slam dunk. However, the two had no chemistry, and things got even worse when RuPaul tried to salvage the bit by going off script. Watch the whole debacle here.

Though she never came right out and said it, Beyonce's performance of "Love on Top" at the 2011 VMAs served as a de facto announcement that Beyonce would be having a Bey-bie.

There was so much wrong with Robin Thicke and Miley Cyrus's performance at the 2013 VMAs, from Cyrus's co-opting twerking from black culture, to twerking against Robin Thicke – a dude old enough to be her dad. Yuck.

Just in case you weren't aware, "Artist of the Millennium Award" is not a real thing. Unfortunately, Michael Jackson wasn't aware of that, and when Britney Spears introduced him to honor him for his 44th birthday, Jackson thought he was accepting a high honor. Awkward. Watch the clip here.

I'm sure bassist Krist Novoselic thought it would be a really cool moment. At the end of his performance of "Lithium" at the 1992 VMAs, he'd throw his guitar in the air and effortlessly catch it to roars from the audience. Unfortunately, it didn't work out that way, and his guitar conked him in the head. Hard. Watch the clip here.

Lady Gaga's most epic and affecting VMA stunt came in 2009 during her first year of eligibility, when she closed her performance of "Paparazzi" by staging her own death. It was gripping, affecting, and a fitting introduction to the artist we all know and love today. The whole performance can be found here.

As much as you may love R.E.M., it's hard to say that their video for "Everybody Hurts" deserved the Best Director award over Spike Jonze's video for The Beastie Boys' "Sabotage." MCA thought so, at least – rushing the stage in character as "Nathaniel Hornblower" and ranting about Star Wars. It's amazing. Watch it here.

Unlike the candy of the same name, Eminem melted down pretty severely at the 2002 VMAs, lashing out at both Moby and, oddly, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog. It was awkward, uncomfortable, and above all, hilarious. Watch some clips of the best moments here.