Making a statement on abiding by safety guidelines, Gaga, 34, wore a LED face mask throughout her set, as well as Ariana, 27, who wore a black silk mask, as she joined her for their hit For Rain On Me.

Making a statement: Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande perform in face masks at the 2020 MTV VMAs in New York City on Sunday evening

The pair wore similar outfits to that of the video for Rain On Me, which was a big winner on the night.

The performance was kicked off by Gaga under a blanket as she watched a TV, which teased a performance by Britney Spears and N*Sync from an old MTV VMAs event.

She then got up from the couch and began singing the track 911 from her latest album, before Ariana also came on stage with her.

Keeping safe: The duo showed off their face masks while performing their hit song

Singing it out: Ariana belted her notes through a black satin face mask

Sexy: The Chromatica star wowed in a bondage-style outfit

Mother Monster: Gaga wowed in fishnets and leather as she performed a medley

Trailing them in the glam stakes was Miley Cyrus who came out swinging – quite literally – as she performed her song Midnight Sky from a giant mirror ball.

Miley, 27 wore a very skimpy outfit for the performance of the song, which she sang live.

The pop star is known for making a big splash at the event, having previously caused an outcry when she performed in latex bra and pants alongside Robin Thicke back in 2013.

Pandemic pop: The stars appeared to be making a statement with their face masks

A Star is (Re)Born: Gaga is back to her kook pop roots

Choreo: Gaga’s dancers also wore masks as she danced behind her

Quick change: Impressively, the singer was able to switch outfits throughout her performance

Sci-fi: The singer put on a techy display with an LED face mask

This time around, the defiant singer appeared to throw a nod to her racy past as she went from performing the hit song on a stage, to getting on top of a mirror ball.

Showing off her long legs while holding on to a chain, Miley belted out her tune as she put on a spirited performance.

The Weeknd opened the show with a performance of his hit song – Blinding Lights – on the rooftop of the Edge, which is the highest outdoor sky deck in the Western Hemisphere.

Wrecking Ball part two! Miley Cyrus swings on a giant disco ball in a a VERY skimpy outfit at the 2020 MTV VMAs in New York on Sunday

Wow: Showing off her long legs while holding on to a chain, Miley belted out her tune as she put on a spirited performance

Red alert: Miley, 27, looked stunning as she took to the stage which was filled with a red-hued filter

Star: Miley is known for making a big impact at the MTV Awards

The Canada-born star came into the night with six nominations including Artist Of The Year, and five for the song’s video: Video Of The Year, Best R&B, Best Cinematography, Best Editing and Best Direction by Anton Tammi.

Looking bloodied and bruised to match the cover of his latest studio album After Hours, the hitmaker kicked things off seemingly passed-out, laying on the ground in a pre-recorded clip.

As the intro to the song progressed, The Weeknd stood up to reveal his 1980s-era ensemble of black pants, red blazer and black shirt and tie.

High-flying: The Weeknd opened the 2020 MTV VMAs in New York City with a rooftop performance of his hit song Blinding Lights

Cinematic: The singer-songwriter, 30, performed atop the Edge at Hudson Yards, which is the highest outdoor sky deck in the Western Hemisphere

Battered: The Canadian crooner looked bloodied and bruised to match the cover of his latest studio album After Hours, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200

The impressive visual effect included an array of light towers and images of subway cars behind him.

The 2020 MTV Video Music Awards were originally scheduled to be held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, before the coronavirus pandemic forced organizers to re-think the entire event.

This year’s show marks the first time the bash has been held at various different locations, with performances taking place in and around New York City, without packed audiences to abide by social distancing guidelines.

Wowser: Doja Cat performs her hit song Say So at the award show

Nude awakening: The rapper wore a Showgirls-style nude body suit with silver detailing

Sultry: The star certainly garnered attention in her revealing outfit

Space age: Doja performed a visually spectacular set on the show

Out of this world: The rapper certainly took her performance to the next level on the show

MTV explained its plans for the show to ‘[span] all five boroughs’ of New York, to ‘pay homage to the strength, spirit and incredible resilience of NYC and its beloved residents.’

Nominations this year were dominated by pop performers Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande, with nine nods each, while Billie Eilish and The Weeknd followed closely behind with six each.

They all appear in the top prize category, Video of the Year, which finds Eilish’s Everything I Wanted going up against Eminem and Juice WRLD’s Godzilla, Future and Drake’s Life Is Good, Gaga and Grande’s Rain on Me, Taylor Swift’s The Man, and The Weeknd’s Blinding Lights.

Boys: Zabdiel De Jesus, Joel Pimentel, Richard Camacho, Erick Brian Colon and Christopher Velez of CNCO perform at the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards at the Skyline Drive-In

Driving force: Richard and Erick of CNCO perform at the VMAs

He’s got the moves: Colombian singer Maluma pulls off another impressive socially-distanced performance

Here’s looking at you: Maluma engaged with the audience, despite there not being a live crowd

Masked ups: It appeared that his backing dancers all wore face coverings for the event

Nominees for Push Best New Artist were revealed on July 23 and other categories were announced on July 30. Fan voting began on July 30 and ended on August 23.

Additional categories were unveiled last week, including Song of Summer, Best Group and Everyday Heroes: Frontline Medical Workers, with the latter created to ‘celebrate performances by Covid-19 first responders.’

Other new one-off award categories this year are for Quarantine Performance and Best Music Video from Home.

Not just the host with the most: Keke Palmer also performed Snack during the show

Wow factor: Keke proved she can do it all by hosting the show and putting in a stellar performance

Singing star: Keke sang her 2020 hit Snack

DaBaby made a Black Lives Matter statement during his set, as he performed on top of a police car.

The 28-year-old rapper appeared to be referencing police brutality as she sang a medley of his songs Peep Hole, Blind, and Rockstar.

He was seen in the back of a police car during the performance, and later engulfed in flames as he stood on top of it. Dance group Jabbawockeez also joined him on stage.

Political: DaBaby made a Black Lives Matter statement during his set, as he performed on top of a police car.

Moving: The 28-year-old rapper appeared to be referencing police brutality as she sang a medley of his songs Peep Hole, Blind, and Rockstar

Statement: DaBaby is seen in the back of a police car during his performance, and later engulfed in flames as he stood on top of it. Dance group Jabbawockeez also joined him on stage

Closing out the bash was the Black Eyed Peas, who treated viewers to a rendition of their classic hit I Gotta Feeling.

Replacing the singer Fergie in the band is J. Rey Soul, real name Jessica Reynoso.

She first got involved with the band when she worked with member apl.de.ap on The Voice Philippines.

Calling in: BTS performed from South Korea during the show

The first VMA ceremony was held in 1984 at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall, where Madonna performed her hit Like a Virgin wearing her iconic wedding gown/bustier combination.

The Video Vanguard Award has been awarded to 34 acts, and was renamed the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award in 1991, after he previously won the 1988 trophy.

MTV has stated that next year’s 2021 VMAs will be held at the Barclays Center.

Surprise performance: apl.de.ap, will.i.am, Taboo, and J. Rey Soul of Black Eyed Peas closed the show

Where is the love… for this band? The Black Eyed Peas were a surprise performance for the evening

So 2008 and late: The band brought some nostalgic vibes to the show

Guest: Rapper Tyga also made an appearance on the show

Taking the bull by the horns: Naturally, Gaga went to town when it came to wearing a variety of different masks for the event

Pop emergency: Gaga also posted on social media following the performance