Pop's ladies lead MTV VMAs with raunchy moves and tears

Singer Miley Cyrus poses backstage after winning Video of the Year for "Wrecking Ball" during the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards in Inglewood, California August 24, 2014. [Photo/Agencies]

2014 MTV Video Music Award

2014 CMT Music Awards

With some twerking and shaking, the leading ladies of pop music dominated the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, while an emotional Miley Cyrus and a touching moment between Beyonce and her family led the Moonman award wins of the night.

Cyrus, who set tongues wagging last year with her raunchy "twerking" during her VMAs performance, won the night's top prize for video of the year for "Wrecking Ball," in which she cavorted naked on a wrecking ball.

She opted not to collect her award, instead sitting in the audience and holding back tears while sending a homeless young man named Jesse to collect her award.

"I've cleaned your hotels rooms, I've been an extra in your movies, I've been an extra in your life. Though I may have been invisible to you in the streets, I have many of the same dreams that brought many of you here tonight," the young man said.

Earlier on the red carpet, Cyrus said she "retired" her grinding explicit dance moves. But while Cyrus has retired the twerk, rapper Nicki Minaj brought her rump-grinding to kick off the show with hip hop song "Anaconda," scantily-clad and twerking against a jungle-themed backdrop.

Since launching in 1984, Viacom-owned MTV's VMAs have become synonymous with irreverence and unscripted moments that have become part of music history, and all eyes were on whoever delivered the most outrageous or unplanned stunt.