Without a doubt, the most outrageous and, dare we say it, fun red carpet of the year comes with the arrival of MTV's Moon Person and the Video Music Awards. While the guests may not pull the latest from the haute couture fashion runways, there's no other event that sees stars like Megan Fox rubbing elbows with Blackpink and offers up the possibility of a pop culture moment with every passing second. Who can forget that Britney Spears and Madonna kiss (which happened 20 years ago) or that Britney Spears snake moment or the time Britney performed "Gimme More"?
Of course, there are plenty of non-Britney headline-making memories, too, but there's no telling what magic will happen tonight as the biggest names in music come together to celebrate the year's best and brightest, including Shakira's history-making Video Vanguard honor, which has her becoming the first South American artist, ever, to take home the honor.
Scroll on to see what the nominees, guests, performers, and presenters wore as they arrived at the Prudential Center in New Jersey.
Doja Cat
Doja Cat, who is a six-time nominee tonight, kicked off spooky season in a cobweb gown by Monse. Sharp blood-red nails added a bit more Halloween edge to the barely there look.
Amelia Dimoldenberg
The host of everyone's favorite chicken nugget-adjacent series, Chicken Shop Date, wore a slinky black corset dress and had her signature strawberry blonde hair in glam waves.
Saweetie
One of the perks of having the VMAs at the tail end of Fashion Week? Fresh-off-the-runway looks, like this one on Saweetie, which just walked at Area.
Olivia Rodrigo
Just a few days after the debut of her sophomore effort, GUTS, Olivia Rodrigo is set to take the stage tonight — but not after shutting down the carpet in this shimmering silver gown from Ludovic de Saint Sernin.
Megan Thee Stallion
Megan Thee Stallion is also set to take the stage tonight. She arrived on the pink carpet in a sheer corseted gown with seam detailing. Her gown is by Brandon Blackwood and her jewels are from Jacob and Co.
Karol G
Four-time nominee Karol G wore a completely sheer, tinsel-festooned dress and coat from Ashi Studio for the 2023 pink carpet.
Anitta
Nominated for Latin Video of the Year, Anitta wore mismatched earrings with her Schiaparelli keyhole gown, which featured a cutout shaped like an actual keyhole.
Stray Kids
Set to hit the stage tonight, Stray Kids arrived before the show to take in the pink carpet.
Demi Lovato
Demi Lovato arrived on the carpet ready to rub shoulders with her fellow nominees, performers, and just about everyone else with a coat like this. She paired her over-the-top outerwear with a paneled dress and pointy pumps.
Cardi B
The Renaissance effect is real — Cardi B arrived on the pink carpet in head-toe silver (even though Queen Beyoncé only requested it for her Renaissance Tour) courtesy of a gown from Dilara Findikoglu.
Stephen Sanchez
Crooner Stephen Sanchez wore a Gucci Diana bag and a huge bow blouse with his simple black suit.
Peso Pluma
Instead of black, Peso Pluma wore a white suit and paired it with a laid-back wifepleaser.
Offset
After big belts seemed to rule the New York Fashion Week runways, Offset brought one to the MTV VMAs.
Bebe Rexha
Comed wore a sleek all-black dress with sculpted cups on the bodice to the 2023 MTV VMAs. She finished the look with diamonds, diamonds, and more diamonds.
Tiffany Haddish
Comedian Tiffany Haddish also wore a spidery gown, but hers was Jason Wu, shimmering, and sheer.
Tomorrow X Together
Yeonjun, HueningKai, Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Soobin of Tomorrow X Together, AKA TXT, hit the pink carpet ahead of their performance at the 2023 MTV VMAs. The group is nominated for four awards tonight, including Song of the Year.
Kelsea Ballerini
Kelsea Ballerini added a dash of red to the very black and silver looks on the carpet with a striking cutout Mônot gown with a low back. She added stacks of gold bangles to the otherwise low-key look.
Shakira
Shakira looked like a literal disco ball in her low-backed gown. She's set to take home the 2023 Video Vanguard Award for her influence on the art form that is the music video. With iconic clips like "Whenever, Wherever" and "Hips Don't Lie," it's about time.
Chase Stokes
Ballerini's beau, Chase Stokes, wore a coordinating red jacket to the awards show. he added a long belt and contrasting white pants to the look.
Billy Porter
Billy Porter's all-white 'fit included pearl details and a blingy necklace. However, it was hard to distract from his new asymmetrical hair.
Doechii
It has been a busy few days for Doechii, who performed at Fashion Week before hitting the pink carpet at the VMAs. She added a baseball cap to her embellished dress and wore armwarmers, too. Naturally, the over-the-top look came from Dsquared2.
Nicky Rothschild
Nicky Rothschild (née Hilton) arrived in a bronze minidress covered in sparkles.
Selena Gomez
Selena Gomez arrived in a naked dress covered in intricate flowers and leaves. The jaw-dropping gown was from Oscar de la Renta.
Madelyn Cline
Outer Banks star Madelyn Cline arrived in a draped cream-colored gown with a sheer skirt and lingerie details.
Rita Ora
Rita Ora's dramatic black Rodarte dress included super-long sleeves and rouched details, but it was tough to pull attention away from her over-the-top platforms covered in glitter.
Ashanti
Ashanti's VMAs look included a bag with her own face on it (alongside longtime collaborator Nelly) as well as turtle-shaped pasties.
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift's not-so-simple Versace LBD featured a thigh-high slit and button details that wrapped around the gown. She added a stack of necklaces to finish off the 'fit.
Emily Ratajkowski
EmRata kept to her usual M.O. of showing plenty of skin with this crisscross green gown. She finished the eyebrow-raising look with a tiny shimmering Fendi baguette bag.