Here's a breakdown of the only moments from the show you really need to see.

The singer's performance of "DNA" and "Humble" set the right tone for the evening with his high-octane, explosive number.

Sadly, most of the night failed to live up to the show's opening moments.

Perry kicked off the show joking about the past year, saying, "I took a little break and I went to space and when I left, it seems like every ... you all look so happy and healthy and peaceful. It feels like since I've been gone, you've figured out all of the problems of the worst right now and the world is doing so well, right? Everything is fine? Maybe not so much?"

She then added that "2016 was terrible," before pulling out a newspaper reading "The World Is On Fire."

"You know what brings us all together and finally unites us? Music," she continued. "Even in the apocalypse, we deserve a great soundtrack."

She fared better later in the show during a pre-taped segment with "Billy on the Street" star Billy Eichner, though most of the entertainment value there came from Eichner himself.

While introducing the award for Best Pop Video, Michael Jackson's daughter launched into an attack on white supremacists.

"If we were to all put our voices together, do you realize the difference we would make? Our impact, it would be uuuuuge," she said, impersonating POTUS. "Believe me. Uge. And that's not fake news. So lets leave here tonight remembering that we must show these nazi, white supremacist jerks in Charlottesville and all over the country that as a nation with liberty as our slogan, we have zero tolerance for their violence, hatred and discrimination. we must resist."

Taylor Swift shared the much anticipated video for "Look What You Made Me Do" on Sunday night's VMAs, immediately blowing up Twitter.

The singer took aim at her own reputation and feuds with both Kim Kardashian and Kanye West in the clip, along with subtle jabs at arch nemesis Katy Perry.

Fans were split in their reaction to the clip -- see the most savage tweets below:

Lorde gave a rather odd performance during the MTV VMAs Sunday night, and Twitter was all sorts of confused.

Turns out, Lorde has the flu, so instead of singing, she did a wacky interpretive dance and got carried around the Forum stage by her dancers while her song, "Homemade Dynamite," played in the background.

Leto spoke about his friend Chester Bennington, who took his life earlier this year.

"Chester was my friend. As he was to so many. And witnessing his life taught me important things, especially about working relentlessly, pursiing dreams and being kind and caring while doing it. When I think about him, Chester, I see his face, which was always smiling. "

Speaking about the Linkin Park star and Soundgarden's Cornell, he also gave a message to those struggling with depression.

"If there is anyone out there who is watching this tonight, who feels like there is no hope, hear me now," Leto continued. "You are not alone. There is always a way forward. Reach out, share your thoughts, do not give up, and, I promise you this: The absolute biggest breakthroughs in life lay just beyond the darkest days."'

The girls of Fifth Harmony kicked off their VMAs performance by kicking former bandmate Camila Cabello off the stage.

Their performance of "Down" started with 5 silhouettes on stage, before one of them was savagely seen hurling backwards off the platform.

Cyrus had an understated appearance at the VMAs this year, especially in comparison with her nearly-naked past.

Her voice sounded great, her old people backup dancers were fun, so we'll include her here.

The Video Vanguard Award recipient performed a medley of her hits, including "Get the Party Started," "So What," "Raise Your Glass," "Just Give Me a Reason," "F-ckin' Perfect" and her latest single, "What About Us," as her husband Carey Hart and daughter Willow watched from the front.

Ellen presented the singer with her Moonperson trophy, calling her an "awesome, awesome human being."

"If I may tell you a quick story, recently I was driving my daughter to school and she said to me out of the blue, 'Mama, I'm the ugliest girl I know' and I said 'Huh' and she was like 'I look like a boy with long hair' and my brain runs though, 'You're 6, who said this, can I kick a 6-year-old's ass?'" she said during her speech. "I went home and I made a Power Point presentation for her and in that presentation were androgynous rock stars, artists who lived their truth and waved their flag and inspired the rest of us."

After citing artists like Michael Jackson, Prince, Annie Lennox, George Michael, Elton John, she said that she'd never change. "We don't change, we take the gravel and we make a pearl. To all the artists here, I'm so inspired by all of you, thank you for being your true selves and lighting the way for us. There's so much rad shit happening right now in music. You, my darling girl, are beautiful and I love you."

Kesha gave an emotional intro to Logic's "1-800-273-8255," a song whose title comes from the phone number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

"There is an undeniable truth and strength in the fact that you are not alone," she said, "As long as you don''t give up on yourself, light will break through the darkness."

Singing lyrics like "I want you to be alive," Logic was joined by Alessia Cara, Khalid and a group of suicide attempt survivors during the performance, all wearing t-shirts reading "You are not alone."

He ended the performance saying, "I believe we are all born equal, but we are not treated equally and that is why we must fight." The group got a standing ovation.

Robert Mead, a descendant of Robert E. Lee, first hit the stage to denounce hatred after the events of Charlottesville.

"We have made my ancestor an idol of white supremacy, racism and hate," he explained. "Today, I call on all of us, with privilege and power to answer God's call to confront racism and white supremacy head-on."

He then introduced the mother of Heather Heyer, Susan Bro, who died during in Charlottesville.

"Only 15 days ago, my daughter Heather was killed as she protested racism, I miss her but I know shes here's tonight," Bro said. "I have been deeply moved by people across the world find inspiration in her courage."

"I want people to know Heather never marched alone, she was joined by people of every race and every background in this country," she continued.

Bro then shared that instead of giving the award for "Best Fight Against The System" to just one of the six nominees, MTV would be honoring them all.

The show ended with Wonder Woman herself presenting the award for Video of the Year to Kendrick Lamar for "Humble."

Perry wrapped up the show by performing "Swish Swish" atop a giant basketball while rocking a basketball corset.

Once again, Nicki Minaj was the best thing about this song, as she popped up and commanded the stage for her rap break in a latex referee uniform.

That's a wrap!