The 2004 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on August 29, 2004, honoring the best music videos from the previous year. The show took place at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida, and, unlike in previous years, had no host.

Background

MTV announced on April 16 that the 2004 Video Music Awards would be held on August 29 at the American Airlines Arena in Miami. The move to Miami was partially caused by a date conflict with the 2004 Republican National Convention, which was held from August 30 to September 2 in the VMAs' traditional location of New York City. Nominees were announced on July 27 at a press conference hosted by Missy Elliott and Usher in Miami. At the same press conference, MTV announced that the ceremony would not have a host, partially due to the scale of the venue. The ceremony broadcast was preceded by the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards Pre-Show by the Shore, marking the first time since 1990 that the Opening Act branding was not used for a VMAs pre-show. Hosted by Kurt Loder and SuChin Pak with reports from John Norris, Sway, and Gideon Yago, the broadcast featured red carpet interviews. The broadcast marked the first time that MTV used a tape delay for the VMAs, which indirectly resulted from the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy. Several aspects of the ceremony tied into MTV's Choose or Lose 2004 campaign encouraging youth voter turnout, including Outkast's performance and the appearance of the Bush sisters and Kerry sisters.

Performances

Presenters

Pre-show

Main show

Winners and nominees

Winners are in bold text.