But at the 2013 MTV VMAs, Miley Cyrus stole Gaga’s outrageous performance crown.
While Gaga came equipped with multiple costume- and wig-changes on her side, Cyrus took over the stage with gigantic, dancing bears and more twerking than viewers at home probably knew what to do with.
Photos: Photos: Evolution of Miley Cyrus
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Miley Cyrus became a household name for families when her Disney Channel television show, "Hannah Montana," premiered in 2006. From there, Cyrus quickly rose to pop star fame and has been changing her appearance ever since.
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The future pop star with her father, Billy Ray Cyrus, in October 1994 in Memphis, Tennessee.
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The father and daughter team make a New York appearance for the Disney Channel in February 2006.
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Cyrus performs during the Radio Disney Totally 10 Birthday Concert in July 2006 in Anaheim, California.
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Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Radio Disney
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Cyrus chats with VJ Susie Castillo during an appearance on MTV's Total Request Live in February 2007 at MTV Studios in New York City.
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Photos: Photos: Evolution of Miley Cyrus
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Cyrus starred with Emily Osmand in an episode of "Hannah Montana" in June 2007.
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Disney Channel
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Cyrus appears at the 2007 American Music Awards in Los Angeles.
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Photos: Photos: Evolution of Miley Cyrus
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The actress arrives at the Teen Vogue Young Hollywood Party at Vibiana in September 2007 in Los Angeles.
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Cyrus arrives at a film premiere in Hollywood in January 2008.
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Cyrus performs for ABC's "Good Morning America" at New York's Bryant Park in July 2008.
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Cyrus appears at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards in Westwood, California, in 2009.
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Cyrus performs during her "Wonder World" tour at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in November 2009 in Uniondale, New York.
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Kevin Mazur/WireImage for New York Post/Getty images
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Cyrus and her mother, Tish Cyrus, at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards in January 2010 in Los Angeles.
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Cyrus impersonates singer Justin Bieber in a Saturday Night Live skit with Vanessa Bayer in March 2011.
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Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/getty images
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Cyrus performs at a music festival in June 2010 in Arganda del Rey, Spain.
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Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images
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Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth arrive at the 2012 People's Choice Awards at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in January 2012 in Los Angeles.
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Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for PCA
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The singer arrives at the 2012 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas in May 2012.
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Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for ABC
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Cyrus poses on the red carpet for the MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles in September 2012.
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The grown-up Cyrus performs during the "VH1 Divas" concert in Los Angeles in December 2012.
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Kevin Winter/Getty Images
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Cyrus attends the Costume Institute Gala for the "PUNK: Chaos to Couture" exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 6 in New York City.
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Larry Busacca/Getty Images
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Cyrus winks during an interview at a radio station in Bad Vilbel near Frankfurt, Germany, on July 22.
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Photos: Photos: Evolution of Miley Cyrus
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Cyrus shows off her moves with Robin Thicke during the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards in Brooklyn, New York, on Sunday, August 25.
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Rick Diamond/Getty Images for MTV
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Cyrus is seen leaving her London hotel on September 11.
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Cyrus performs onstage during the iHeart Radio Music Festival Village on September 21 in Las Vegas.
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Taran Killam and Cyrus pose in a promo for her upcoming "Saturday Night Live" episode on October 5.
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Bobby Moynihan, left to right, Vanessa Bayer and Cyrus perform a skit on "Saturday Night Live" on October 5, in which they mock Cyrus' VMA performance.
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Dana Edelson/NBC
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Cyrus smokes a marijuana joint onstage during the MTV Europe Music Awards in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on November 10.
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Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for MTV
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Cyrus performs on the European competition show "The X Factor" in London on November 17.
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Tom Dymond/Thames/Rex/REX USA
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Cyrus opens her Bangerz Tour on February 14, 2014 in Vancouver, Canada. The stage features a giant image of Cyrus' face with her signature exposed tongue serving as a slide.
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Phillip Chin/Getty Images
Photos: Photos: Evolution of Miley Cyrus
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Cyrus performs with false teeth during her Bangerz Tour at Rogers Arena on February 14, 2014 in Vancouver, Canada.
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Kevin Mazur/WireImage/getty images
Photos: Photos: Evolution of Miley Cyrus
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Cyrus rides an oversized hotdog during the Bangerz Tour opening concert in Vancouver, Canada.
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Kevin Mazur/WireImage/getty images
Photos: Photos: Evolution of Miley Cyrus
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Miley performs a racy number atop a car during her Bangerz Tour at Honda Center on February 20, 2014 in Anaheim, California.
The 20-year-old pop star stepped out onto the stage a ball of energy, wearing a fuzzy gray leotard, as her hit single, “We Can’t Stop,” played. An animated and uninhibited performer, Cyrus’ dance moves were a clear departure from her “Hannah Montana” days. (Meaning, they involved a crotch grab or two.)
When she reached the end of her song, the singer stripped down to a flesh-toned latex bra and matching underwear and began to perform “Blurred Lines” alongside Robin Thicke.
With Cyrus acting as Thicke’s back-up singer and personal dancer, featured guest stars 2 Chainz and Kendrick Lamar went largely unnoticed.
“Miley better get a … pregnancy test after all of that grinding,” joked comedian Kevin Hart during the show.
Those watching on Twitter weren’t quite sure how to respond. By far the most common reaction was shock, which Twitter users demonstrated with a photo of Will Smith’s family seated in the VMAs audience apparently during Lady Gaga’s performance. (The image, which can be seen here, ignited a debateallits own.)
“(J)ust watched that Miley Cyrus / teddy bear performance and I think I’m now legally required to put myself on some kind of registry,” tweeted Time magazine’s TV critic, James Poniewozik.
“i am still trying to recover from the miley cyrus performance,” posted another viewer.
Derek Blasberg was more enthused, tweeting that he was “obsessed with @MileyCyrus’s performance at the VMA’s. It was like a karaoke party at the Playboy mansion. In the 90’s. In platform sneakers.”
Billboard’s Editorial Director, Bill Werde, thinks Cyrus’ show was right on target with the direction she’s taking her brand – she is, after all, no longer the teen Disney star she once was.
“Guys, Miley Cyrus is an all-star hot mess for a hot mess pop moment,” Werde tweeted. “She doesn’t care what u think & that’s her brand. & she just delivered.”
