Top 10 Most Controversial Music Videos of the 21st Century

For this list, we're including music videos that were released during the 21st century and have generated controversy due to explicit content such as sex, violence, racism, sexism, or blasphemy.

The Top Ten

Wrecking Ball - Miley Cyrus

The images of Miley Cyrus swinging naked on a wrecking ball and licking a sledgehammer had everyone talking back in 2013.
Famous - Kanye West

The naked doubles of celebrities in the video had everybody talking.
WAP - Cardi B

Aside from the song's raunchy nature, which drew criticism from conservatives, the Kylie Jenner cameo in the video spread criticism. She was accused of cultural appropriation as she appeared alongside mostly Black celebrities. Some people and associations also took issue with the use of big cats in the video, most notably PETA.
MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name) - Lil Nas X

This video received a huge amount of backlash from conservatives who considered it blasphemous, satanic, and harmful to children due to its recreation of biblical scenes, Lil Nas X doing a lap dance on Satan, its openly queer content, and also the Satan Shoes.
This Is America - Childish Gambino

This song quickly became controversial due to its violent imitation of America and excessive use of blood and guns in the music video.
Blurred Lines - Robin Thicke

Two words: topless women. Also, Emily Ratajkowski, one of the models in the video, claimed to have been groped by Thicke while filming the video, tarnishing its legacy.
We Can't Stop - Miley Cyrus

In this video, a soon-to-be-legal Miley Cyrus transitioned her image from Disney star to party girl. The twerking in this video was enough to generate controversy.
Try That in a Small Town - Jason Aldean

Not only is this song racist and a coded glorification of lynching, but its video features Aldean performing in front of the same courthouse where Henry Choate was lynched in 1927.
Hello Kitty - Avril Lavigne

If this was made recently, with today's cancel culture, she'd be instantly canceled.

This video has been labeled as racist and offensive to the Japanese community due to the backup dancers looking so identical to each other and Avril mimicking what she thought of as "typical Japanese behavior."
Industry Baby - Lil Nas X & Jack Harlow

This video has been censored due to the scene where Lil Nas X and his backup dancers are dancing naked in a shower.

The Newcomers

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Dai Dai - Shakira & Burna Boy

The music video for this song was criticized for showing a "caricatural" version of Africa's landscapes and villages.
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Casual Sex - My Darkest Days

With a title like this, you had to expect an explicit music video. The video for this song features so much nudity and promiscuity that it caused relationship troubles for the band members.

The Contenders

What It Feels Like for a Girl - Madonna

This Madonna music video was only aired at night due to its excessive violence.
Woman's World - Katy Perry
Born Free - M.I.A.

This graphic video shows a genocide of redheaded people and has been criticized for its extreme violence.
All the Things She Said - t.A.T.u.

Two girls kissing in the music video sparked massive outrage in Russia, where the duo is from.
Boyz - Jesy Nelson

In this video, Jesy Nelson's skin appears to be darker than Nicki Minaj's, which caused Nelson to be accused of blackfishing.
Man Down - Rihanna

At the beginning of the video, Rihanna shoots a man down with a gun at the train station in front of a scared crowd. As the video progresses, we find out that this man raped her, and she killed him as an act of retaliation.
A lot of people found the video to have a bad moral message, but some celebrities, such as Gabrielle Union (who is a rape survivor), praised it for being relatable.
P**** - Rammstein

This video shows the Rammstein band members having sex with women, with each scene being more graphic than the previous one. It's basically hardcore porn.

Seeing that title has scarred me enough. I don't even want to know about the music video.
American Life - Madonna

Madonna throws a hand grenade at a George W. Bush lookalike in this video. The controversy was so bad that the album of the same name flopped.
Eazy - The Game & Kanye West

This song and video came out when Kanye was having a very public meltdown in the midst of his divorce from Kim Kardashian, who had since been dating Pete Davidson. Not only is Ye rapping about "beating Pete Davidson's a**," but the claymation video actually shows him burying Pete Davidson's head. This video has received huge backlash, with some viewers calling it disturbing and emotional abuse.

I thought that the video for Famous was weird and creepy. This is a whole new level of messed up, though, and for no notable reason. A lot of people criticized early Eminem for his attacks on people, but at least he had actual reasons for hating them. He was also self-aware about how the situations he portrayed were not okay.
Anaconda - Nicki Minaj

The many twerking moments in the video had everybody talking.
Deja Vu - Beyonce

A scene where Beyoncé looks like she's going to give Jay-Z oral sex caused outrage among many viewers who petitioned for the video to be re-shot.
Pon De Floor - Major Lazer

We can see some people actually dry-humping in the music video.
Window Seat - Erykah Badu

This video was disturbing for two big reasons. Erykah Badu not only gets naked in public, but she also gets shot, alluding to John F. Kennedy's death.
Sexy and I Know It - LMFAO

This music video is so cringey and super disgusting! It's just a bunch of unattractive men wearing speedos and wiggling their penises, which isn't "sexy" at all. I'd rather watch paint dry than watch this video.

The song was just okay, but that video was bad to watch for me. Plus, that "Girl, look at my body" chorus doesn't relate to the music video.

The overtly sexual content caused the video to be flagged multiple times on YouTube.
Perra - J Balvin

At some point, J Balvin holds two Black women on leashes, which led to accusations of racism and sexism and an intervention from the Colombian chancellor. The controversy was so bad that the video got pulled from YouTube.