Which Jane's Addiction song won the first Best Alternative Video VMA?

Jane’s Addiction won the first Best Alternative Video VMA for “Been Caught Stealing.” The victory came at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards, when the category was newly established to recognize alternative-rock videos.

The song was released in November 1990 as the third single from Jane’s Addiction’s album Ritual de lo Habitual. Written by Perry Farrell and Eric Avery, it became the band’s biggest hit and topped Billboard’s Modern Rock chart for four weeks.

Its video, directed by Casey Niccoli, turns shoplifting into comic visual theater, showing people—including band members—stealing from a grocery store in Venice, California. That playful premise helped distinguish it from the more conventional performance videos competing that year.

A common mix-up is confusing the song with later alternative-category winners such as Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” Nirvana won the award in 1992, but Jane’s Addiction was the inaugural recipient in 1991.