Which video won Viewer's Choice at the 1984 MTV VMAs?

“Which video won Viewer’s Choice at the 1984 MTV VMAs?” — Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” won Viewer’s Choice.

The award was presented at MTV’s first Video Music Awards on September 14, 1984. “Thriller” competed against The Cars’ “You Might Think,” Herbie Hancock’s “Rockit,” Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” and The Police’s “Every Breath You Take.” Viewer voting made the category distinct from the industry-selected awards presented elsewhere that night.

Jackson’s video was directed by John Landis, who had made An American Werewolf in London. Rather than a conventional performance clip, “Thriller” used a horror-film structure, elaborate makeup and choreography, and a spoken-word passage by Vincent Price. Its unusually long running time helped establish the music video as a major visual event rather than merely a promotional insert.

The main award, Video of the Year, went to The Cars for “You Might Think,” which is why the results are sometimes conflated. Jackson still won three awards: Viewer’s Choice, Best Overall Performance in a Video, and Best Choreography in a Video. The success cemented “Thriller” as one of MTV’s defining early-era videos.