This year marked the 40th anniversary of the first MTV Video Music Awards, a milestone that’s somewhat blunted by the realization that this isn’t your mother’s VMAs. The network handed over the reins to viewers beginning in 2006, letting them pick the winners in all of the main categories. And in recent years, the VMAs have moved even further away from the “video” designation of its name, doling out moonmen for Song of the Year and Song of the Summer.

One thing that hasn’t changed about the VMAs, however, is the opportunity for show-stopping performances, something MTV acknowledged this year with a new Most Iconic Performance category. The winner in that race, Katy Perry, was also bestowed with the semi-annual Video Vanguard award. From Perry flying through the air like a, uh, firework to Madonna rolling around in a wedding dress at the inaugural VMAs in 1984, we...