MTV introduced an inaugural Best Country Video category at this year’s Video Music Awards, a long-awaited recognition as country music’s popularity expands beyond its traditional fan base. Nominees for the first award included Jelly Roll, Morgan Wallen, Lainey Wilson, Chris Stapleton, Megan Moroney, Cody Johnson and Carrie Underwood; Wallen was also listed among nominees for Artist of the Year. Post Malone received a VMA nomination for his collaboration with Blake Shelton.
Industry observers said the new category reflects the genre’s recent mainstream momentum and the influence of artists who have broadened country’s audience. “The genre has become a cultural staple, which is why MTV is finally recognizing it with the best country VMA, 40 years after the first VMAs,” said Adrienne Uthe, founder of Kronus Communications. She highlighted crossover stars and social-media-driven hits as factors that have made country music harder for mainstream outlets to ignore.
Country music traces its roots to the early 1920s and has evolved through successive waves of performers, from Jimmie Rodgers and Willie Nelson to contemporary names such as Kacey Musgraves and Morgan Wallen. Ryan McCormick, managing partner of Goldman McCormick PR, noted the role established and newer artists have played in widening the genre’s reach. He cited Spotify data showing Wallen as the most-listened-to country artist on the platform in 2025, with roughly 41 million monthly listeners.
The expansion has come through a mix of traditional artists sustaining careers while new performers and cross-genre collaborations draw fresh listeners. Post Malone’s move into country and high-profile pairings such as his song with Blake Shelton were singled out as examples that bring broader audiences to country. Lainey Wilson earned a nomination for her song “4X4XU,” and Jelly Roll, who has seen recent mainstream success, was among the nominees acknowledged for helping the genre gain steam with younger listeners.
Streaming and social platforms have amplified the reach of country songs. According to figures cited by industry sources, country music videos generated more than two billion views on TikTok in 2023. Live Nation data, referenced by public-relations executives, indicates that Generation Z and millennials now make up about 63% of today’s country fan base, and country concerts continue to draw large audiences: one industry source put the typical concertgoer age range at 25 to 54.
Those trends have altered how country music is presented in popular culture. Artists long associated with the genre have branched into other media or maintained broader visibility — Carrie Underwood returned to her American Idol roots as a judge, Tim McGraw has pursued acting and producing, and Dolly Parton remains an active presence — while newer names have helped reshape the sound and audience. Kacey Musgraves, for example, has been credited with expanding country’s appeal beyond its traditional footprint, and younger performers such as Megan Moroney have cited influences ranging from Taylor Swift to Musgraves.
At the same time, some observers acknowledge that changes in the genre have provoked debate among longtime fans. “While some old-school country fans might not love this dilution, it has undeniably placed the genre on the world’s biggest stage,” Uthe said. She added that the increased mainstream exposure has shone a light on artists who might otherwise have remained within more narrowly defined country circles.
The VMAs’ decision to add a country category comes amid a period of sustained touring and commercial success for several country acts. Morgan Wallen completed a two-year One Night at a Time tour that wrapped in 2024, while other artists continue to draw large festival and arena crowds. Industry executives said those touring revenues, along with streaming numbers and social-media engagement, helped make the case for a dedicated country award at one of mainstream music’s highest-profile broadcasts.
The inaugural Best Country Video category joins a broader reshaping of awards show categories that track shifting audience tastes and consumption patterns. With nominations spanning veteran and newer artists, the new VMA category underscores how country music’s audience and sonic boundaries have broadened even as the genre continues to draw on its long-established themes of small-town life, family and faith.
Music executives and public-relations professionals said the genre’s current profile results from a mix of legacy artists, breakout acts and cross-genre collaborations that have made country music increasingly visible on mainstream platforms. The VMAs’ new category marks one of the most visible signals yet that those shifts have altered how major cultural institutions classify and honor the music.