The first MTV Video Music Awards were held in 1984.
The inaugural ceremony took place on September 14, 1984, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. MTV created the event to celebrate achievements in music videos, at a time when the rapidly growing cable network had made video programming central to popular music culture.
Dan Aykroyd and Bette Midler hosted the first ceremony. The Cars won the inaugural Video of the Year award for “You Might Think,” beating videos including Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and Herbie Hancock’s “Rockit.” Madonna also made one of the ceremony’s defining early appearances, performing “Like a Virgin.”
The VMAs are sometimes confused with the MTV Europe Music Awards, which began later in 1994. The first VMA ceremony honored videos released between May 2, 1983, and May 2, 1984, establishing the annual awards tradition that continues today.