The most controversial VMAs ever? MTV will air awards on a DELAY to give host Miley Cyrus 'free rein' - but will it deliver anything as dramatic as THESE moments?

1992 - Nirvana bassist smacks himself in the face

Awards shows are often painful to watch - but Nirvana's bass player took the phenomenon to extremes after hitting himself in the face with his instrument.

Krist Novoselic injured himself in front of thousands while performing Lithium with bandmates Kurt Cobain and Dave Ghrol at the 1992 event.

He attempted to throw his bass guitar in the air and catch it - but ended up hitting himself in the face and stumbling away. He later told Rolling Stone he was comforted by Queen guitarist Brian May and a glass of champagne. 

Up, and down again: Nirvana bass player Krist Novoselic is pictured hurling his bass guitar in the air - and being hit by it on its way down

1994 - Michael Jackson's PDA after marrying Elvis's daughter

The King of Pop and The King's daughter came together in a surprisingly affectionate moment in the 1994 VMAs.

Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley defied the doubters of their recent marriage by staging a passionate kiss in front of the crowds - a trend which would be played out again by later stars. 

PDA: Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley are pictured above kissing on stage, three months after their much-criticized wedding

1995 - Courtney Love crashes Madonna's interview 

Madonna was being interviewed outside the VMAs - then held at Radio City in Manhattan - when she was unexpectedly pelted with a stray item of makeup hurled from off-camera.

Moments later Courtney Love was identified as the culprit, and used the intervention as an excuse to gatecrash the interview - despite Madonna's pleas to keep her away.

The two women sparred and jostled in the bizarre exchange, which saw them compare shoes, trade barbs about their sex lives, and ultimately saw Love fall off her stool. 

Gatecrash: Courtney Love, left, barged into an interview with Madonna, right, after throwing makeup at her

1997 - Fiona Apple announces 'the world is bulls*t' 

The American singer's career was exploding in 1997, when she was just 19 years old, and won a prestigious VMA.

But during her acceptance speech, Apple veered wildly from the traditional bromides to declare 'the world is bulls*t' and plead with her fans to ignore her and other celebrities and not to follow any of their trends.  

Defiant: Fiona Apple diverged significantly from the tone of an acceptance speech at the 1997 awards

2003 - Britney Spears and Madonna make out onstage 

One of the VMAs' steamiest ever moments came during a medley of hits performed by Madonna, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.

As the track turned to a portion of Madonna's song Hollywood, Aguilera and Spears were crouched either side of her.

She beckoned for Spears to stand up and moved in for a kiss, which was met with whoops and cheers from the audience.

Madonna then planted one on Aguilera as well, but it was the image of the two lip-locked blonde stars which hit the headlines.

Steamy: Madonna's kiss with Britney Spears (left) in 2003 raised many eyebrows. She also kissed co-star Christina Aguilera

2009 - Kanye West hijacks Taylor Swift's acceptance speech 

Any award show brings disappointments, which are usually met with good grace - at least in front of the cameras.

But when Beyoncé missed out on 2009's Best Female Video award for All The Single Ladies, Kanye West was so incensed he stormed onstage and took the microphone out of the hands of winner Taylor Swift.

He said: 'Yo, Taylor, I'm really happy for you and I'mma let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time. One of the best videos of all time!'

He was roundly criticized for the intervention, and Beyoncé won the Video of the Year award later in the ceremony. 

Notorious: Kanye West snatched the microphone from Taylor Swift in 2009 when he was angry she beat Beyoncé to an award

2009 (part II) - Lady Gaga 'hangs herself' onstage

A more visually shocking moment in the 2009 awards came during Lady Gaga's rendition of her hit song Paparazzi.

The star departed from the usual anodyne glitz of awards performances by enacting a dark fantasy in which she was literally killed by fame. She ended the song pretending to hang, dead, from a noose over the crowd.

Dark: Lady Gaga acted out her own death onstage in a 2009 performance of Paparazzi

2011 - Beyoncé: I'm pregnant

A Beyoncé performance became a standout VMAs moment a second time in 2011, when the star rounded off a song by announcing she was expecting her first child.

At the end of Love on Top, she unbuttoned her shirt and rubbed her belly - cementing an earlier allusion to her pregnancy. Months later, her daughter Blue Ivy was born. 

It's coming: Beyoncé used a slot in the 2011 VMAs to announce that she was pregnant with Blue Ivy, her first daughter

2013 - Blurred Lines takes twerking mainstream 

The sexual peak of VMA history came in 2013, in a moment that also launched Miley Cyrus's new, raunchy persona into the mainstream.

Cyrus performed her now-trademark twerking dance against the groin of Robin Thicke as he sang his ubiquitous hit Blurred Lines.

Many were shocked by the overtly sexual performance - especially as Cyrus's career had previously centered on her starring role in the children's TV show Hannah Montana. 

All grown up? Many were shocked to see Miley Cyrus twerking against Robin Thicke at the 2013 VMAs - earning the star a reputation she is set to put to use again Sunday when she hosts the show