American Music Awards 2025: Top 10 moments that broke the internet

Let’s be honest, most award shows can feel like déjà vu with glitter, right? But the 2025 American Music Awards? That was pure chaos-meets-charm in the best possible way. Forget predictable; this year served chaos in sequins, mic-drop triumphs, and a few curveballs that left fans screaming into their timelines. Here are the ten wildest and weirdest moments that rewired pop culture’s group chat.

• Billie Eilish’s trophy tsunami

Seven wins. Zero presence. Billie didn’t even need to show up to steal the show. With Hit me hard and soft snagging ‘Album of the Year’ and “Birds of a Feather” crowned ‘Song of the Year’, she basically ghosted the party and still won it. Fans dubbed it “Billie’s phantom reign”, and honestly, she’s earned that crown.

Billie Eilish’s AMA sweep left fans stunned despite her no-showGetty Images

• Beyoncé yeehaw’d her way into history

Yes, you read that right. Queen B went country and conquered it. COWBOY CARTER bagged ‘Favourite Country Album’, and Bey herself roped in ‘Favourite Female Country Artist’. Nashville might still be catching its breath, but fans called it the “boot-scootin’ Renaissance”.

Beyoncé accepts the Best R&B Performance award for 'Black Parade' onstage during the 63rd Annual GRAMMY AwardsGetty Images

• Kendrick Lamar’s record nominations record rage

With ten nods and only one win for “Not Like Us”, Kendrick’s night felt like a stats class gone wrong. Twitter turned courtroom: some cried sabotage, others blamed stacked categories. Either way, it was the snub heard around the hip-hop world.

Kendrick Lamar’s one win out of ten nods sparked major debate onlineGetty Images

• Taylor Swift left with… nothing

Swift. Six nominations. Zero wins. No Reputation (TV) drop. No appearance. The silence was louder than her Eras Tour crowd. Conspiracy theories? Absence penalties? The Swifties’ outrage trended louder than the show itself. Fans were spiralling, theorising everything from cosmic karma to AMA beef. For Swifties, it was a plot twist they never saw coming.

Taylor Swift’s AMA shutout shocked fans and fuelled wild theoriesGetty Images

• Janet Jackson proved legends don’t age but upgrade

The ‘Icon Award’ went to Miss Jackson and she delivered a medley that could put Gen Z TikTokers to shame. Her precision, power, and that emotional J.Lo introduction were more than a comeback. It was more like a masterclass in longevity.

Janet Jackson’s Icon Award medley reminded everyone why she’s a legendGetty Images

• Gwen Stefani turned the stage into a fever dream

One minute she was in a cornfield crooning “Swallow My Tears”, the next she was bopping in a punk-rave throwback to “Hollaback Girl”. Complete with kilts, lollipops and a blinking pig mask (yes, really), Gwen’s performance was a genre salad and somehow, it worked.

• Post Malone went cowboy and won

Post Malone picked up both ‘Favourite Male Country Artist’ and ‘Favourite Country Song’ for his Morgan Wallen collab “I Had Some Help”. Say what you want, but Post’s F-1 Trillion era is bringing the ‘yee to the haw’ like no one else.

Post Malone performs during a stop of The Big Ass Stadium Tour Getty Images

• Rod Stewart made everyone cry

Sir Rod received the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ and wrapped up the night with “Forever Young”. But the real tearjerker? When five of his kids surprised him on stage. Bagpipes wailed. Dads everywhere texted their kids. It was true emotional carnage.

Rod Stewart’s emotional moment stole the spotlightGetty Images

• J.Lo’s kiss-storm comeback

Jennifer Lopez almost hijacked the AMAs with a six-minute medley and a mid-performance triple kiss that split the internet. Some cheered her post-breakup power move, others called it a try-hard Madonna rerun. Either way, she stole the spotlight.

Jennifer Lopez’s triple kiss during her comeback act divided the internetGetty Images

• The red carpet was its own circus

Becky G looked like she was ready to fight cheetahs in the jungle. Lainey Wilson’s mic stand had rhinestones and its own wind machine. And Benson Boone? He did a backflip mid-song in a magenta suit. Fashion? Chaos. We loved it.

Benson Boone and Lainey Wilson turned the red carpet into a spectacleGetty Images

So how was AMA 2025?

The 2025 AMAs didn’t play nice this time. It threw glitter bombs at expectations. Newcomers dethroned royalty and legends proved their DNA is timeless. Some walked out with trophies, others with Twitter meltdowns, and a few became memes before dessert. In a world obsessed with algorithms, this night screamed one truth: Music’s magic is still gloriously, chaotically human.