CNN
—

The 2024 MTV Video Music Awards took place on Wednesday, and it was a night full of female pop stars, nostalgia, and… aliens.

The reigning ladies of the charts conquered the night, with Taylor Swift’s gleeful dance moves making a comeback at awards shows, Chappell Roan making her fiery VMA debut, Sabrina Carpenter appearing to kiss an alien and Katy Perry flying through the air while singing a medley of her biggest hits.

There were some men in attendance as well, with Eminem opening the show with a rendition of “Houdini” and “Somebody Save Me” and Lenny Kravitz in his signature black leather and revealing shirt performing a new version of his classic hit “Fly Away,” among other songs.

Hosted by Grammy-winning rapper Megan Thee Stallion, there was no shortage of notable moments. Here are some of the biggest.

Taylor Swift’s 9/11 Tribute and Call to Action

Taylor Swift took a moment to honor the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks and accepted the evening’s first award.

“I wanted to say that when I woke up this morning in New York on September 11th, all I could think about was what happened 23 years ago, everybody who lost a loved one,” she said. “Everybody we lost, and that’s the most important thing about today. And everything that happens tonight is part of that.”

Swift and Post Malone won the award for best collaboration for their hit single “Fortnight,” a track from Swift’s latest album, “The Tortured Poets Department.” They also took home the final award of the night for video of the year, directed by Swift.

She thanked her boyfriend Travis Kelce for his encouragement on the set of the project.

“Everything this man touches turns into happiness, joy and magic,” she said.

Swift closed her speech by thanking her fans for voting for her and urging her supporters 18 and older to register to vote in something else very important: the 2024 presidential election. Swift’s message to young voters comes after she made waves on Tuesday when she endorsed Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign.

Yes, you read that right. Pop singer Sabrina Carpenter kissed an alien onstage during her highly anticipated performance. (Okay, fine, it wasn’t a real alien.) Carpenter performed a mash-up of “Espresso” and “Please Please Please,” among other songs. In addition to the alien, she was accompanied onstage by several backup dancers dressed as Moon People, a nod to the VMA trophies.

Carpenter’s performance was introduced by pop legend Cyndi Lauper, who said Carpenter — who wore a vintage Bob Mackie dress previously worn by Madonna — is one of the women who “continue to dominate the landscape” in music this year. “This artist definitely knows how to have fun, right?” Lauper said, referencing her iconic 1983 hit “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.”

Orlando Bloom supported Katy Perry

Katy Perry’s husband, actor Orlando Bloom, introduced Perry and recognized her as the recipient of the VMA Video Vanguard Award. Bloom said that throughout her career, Perry “has brought a sense of joy and laughter, inspiring generations of people around the world.”

Perry performed a mix of her hits, including “California Gurls,” “Teenage Dream” and “Firework” while floating on a harness. She ended her set on the floor with her new song “Lifetimes.” Perry accepted the honor and thanked Bloom, their daughter Daisy, her team and her supporters, known as Katycats, who she said “have been with me my whole life.”

Call her Chappell Roan or Arc. Roan lit up the stage during her performance. Literally. The “Hot To Go!” singer shot a crossbow with a flaming arrow to light the background of her fire as she sang her hit “Good Luck, Babe!”

The stunt should come as no surprise to Roan loyalists, who know that pop music’s latest sensation has an affinity for pushing hard for a thematic aesthetic during her shows. Onstage Wednesday, she channeled the warrior energy of patron saint Joan of Arc, dressed in medieval armor and accompanied by her backup dancers who used swords as props.

Roan later won the award for Best New Artist, hot on the heels of her successful debut album, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.” In her speech, Roan addressed “all the queer kids in the Midwest who are watching right now.”

“I see you, I understand you, because I am one of you,” she said. “And don’t let anyone ever tell you that you can’t be exactly who you want to be.”

Carson Daly — who hosted MTV’s “Total Request Live” in New York City from 1998 to 2003 — took a moment to introduce himself before presenting Lisa with the award for Best K-Pop for her song “Rockstar.”

“For those of you who are too young to know who I am, I was the host of a show on MTV called Total Request Live or TRL,” Daly said. “It was the best, best show. Kids going crazy in Times Square and every day after school I was with your mother. So please tell her I said hi.”