The MTV Video Music Awards might be one of the biggest nights in music, but there's only so much room in Brooklyn's 18,000-capacity Barclays Center, where the show took place. Inevitably, most of us were left watching — and tweeting — from our couches. And all the better, we say, if we get to retweet and favorite to our hearts' content.

We couldn't refresh our timelines fast enough, especially when the boys of 'NSYNC rose out of the stage to join Justin Timberlake for a surprise reunion while he performed before accepting the 2013 Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award.

It seems 140 characters weren't quite enough to express the sentiment (and, in some cases, snark) that Twitter users felt while watching the boy band reunite in Brooklyn.

Kelly Osbourne displayed surprising enthusiasm for the reunion, despite having been in peak sullen, eyeliner-wearing teen form when the group was in their heyday, tweeting, "Im jumping up and down in my bed room like Im in Junior High again!"

For Paramore singer Hayley Williams, the performance was evidently one of the best parts of her life. "The only part that matters (at the VMAS and all of life) just happened. @NSYNC, come back anytime," she tweeted.

Snooki didn't even need 140 characters to express her sentiments: "OMG DYING!! Now THAT'S A BOY BAND BITCHES!!! NSYNC" Her "Snooki and JWoww" co-star, Jenni Farley, seemed to agree, tweeting, "I literally just died seeing Nsync....I'm so happy im in tears."

On Sunday, Brooklyn's Barclays Center hosted a party the likes of which the brand-new arena has never seen before: the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards. And it rocked. With performances by Lady Gaga, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, and 'NSYNC(!), not to mention a slew of KAWS-designed Moonmen handed out to our favorite artists, the night was one for the history books.

But the winner's column only tells half the story. From Jared Leto's hair to a fondling foam finger, here are the night's highlights and lowlights.

Winner: Wardrobe Changes
Lady Gaga opened the show with a performance of "Applause," and we have to give a hand to her costume designer for engineering a dizzying number of wardrobe changes. Mother Monster began the set ensconced in a white robe with a matching box on her head. She then transitioned into a blue sparkly suit and blonde bob. Next came the bright yellow wig and ARTPOP-inspired make-up, followed by a finale look the Little Mermaid would have been proud of: a long, flowing wig, sea shell bra and matching G-string. Did we forget to mention Gaga did it all while dancing her ass off? "Applause," indeed.

Loser: Robin Thicke's Mantel
Though Thicke's "Blurred Lines" is arguably the most ubiquitous song of 2013 — not to mention he was up for four VMAs — the singer left without a single Moonman for his mantel. I guess it just wasn't the year for MTV to "Give It 2 U," Robin.

Winner or Loser: Foam Fingers
Speaking of Thicke, the crooner's crotch got really friendly with a foam finger ...

When you're the new kid at the VMAs, typically you do your best and hope not to get overshadowed by all the superstars. But even though Sunday night was ex-Disney star Miley Cyrus' performance debut on the show, the twerk-happy singer grabbed the spotlight like a seasoned veteran.

In addition to backing it up
 into Robin Thicke during a medley of their songs, Miley twisted necks with her barely-there vinyl outfit and a roaming foam finger
 that would not cooperate.

Before the tongue really got working during Cyrus hit the red carpet in a bedazzled half-shirt outfit with baby hair buns and boldly declared that she might top the infamous Britney Spears-Madonna-Christina Aguilera triple-kiss with Sunday night's giant-bear-assisted extravaganza. "We've got better in store for you guys, it's going be even crazier than the kiss," she predicted
.

Making the most of her time in the VMA spotlight, Cyrus also revealed the cover of her upcoming album, Bangerz
 and dropped a provocative new ballad,

Miley got some love from one of her new hip-hop peers as well, with rapper Trinidad Jame$ tweeting, "Miley is turnt! My [n---a.]"

And Twitter user Luca posted a classic picture of Will Smith and his family reacting to Cyrus' performance with what can only be described as a combination of surprise and, well, even more surprise.

Even if you weren't at the Barclays Center Sunday night for the MTV Video Music Awards, the raucous audience reaction made even those in their pajamas feel like they were cheering on 'NSYNC or gasping at Miley Cyrus' tongue attack on Robin Thicke. But nothing's the same as actually being there next to such A-listers as Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga and Katy Perry.

Miley thought her foam finger from her Robin Thicke duet would make for a great photo with producer Mike Will Made It. The "We Can't Stop" singer, wearing her tiny hair buns, blows a golden whistle while Mike Will shows Miley love with his custom T.

Pre-show DJs NERVO hung out on the red carpet all night, so when we wanted some pics from behind the show, we went to them. Liv and Mim got a bunch of shots in an Instagram video of stars like Ellie Goulding, Calvin Harris and Katy Perry making their way inside.

Justin Timberlake has a big night — he accepted his Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award and brought back the gang with an 'NSYNC reunion. And, he had a marathon performance, running through all his hits. Here's some snaps he Instagrammed — his outfit essentials and a blurry shot of him about to hit the stage.

Robin Thicke sent out a pre-performance pic as well. Before hitting the stage with Miley Cyrus, 2 Chainz and Kendrick Lamar, the "Blurred Lines" master posed for this photo, showing off his "Beetlejuice"-inspired stripes.

Besides Flying Lotus' drunken live-tweeting ...

Leave it to Drake to spread love the Brooklyn way with his first-ever live singing performance of at the 2013 MTV Music Video Awards Sunday night (August 25).

Introduced by T-Boz and Chilli of TLC, who performed at his OVO Fest earlier this month, Drizzy's set began on a toned-down note, with him sitting in the audience, sideways, with his gaze to the right, with a serene background dominated by a blue sky with white clouds. The pose was a live reenactment of the cover artwork by Kadir Nelson for his third solo album, Nothing Was the Same, which will arrive on September 24.

Dressed in a black leather tank top and pants accentuated with a simple gold chain, the man who calls himself Champagne Papi sang his "wedding song" with an impassioned falsetto, channeling his muse, Marvin Gaye, as he displayed an impressive range of never-before-seen musicality.

As the infectious beat from "Started From the Bottom" dropped, Drake toggled with ease from crooning to rapping and he made his way up to the stage with his signature braggadocious strut. Once there, Drake bounded from one side of the stage to the next, drawing the audience into his anthemic VMA-nominated hit with a call and response.

The OVO frontman showed up to the VMAs with his entourage in tow, all wearing custom jerseys emblazoned with NWTS's release date, but for the performance, it was just the man himself, closely interacting with the crowd in the dugout near the lip of the stage as if he were shunning his social ...

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis crowned a glorious night in Brooklyn with a VMA performance of their Best Video With a Social Message-winning "Same Love." The hip-hop duo were joined onstage by Mary Lambert, who holds down the song's chorus duties, and surprise guest Jennifer Hudson, who helped trill the track home. Before that, openly gay NBA basketball star Jason Collins and the Harlem rapper A$AP Rocky had joined up to give a spoken introduction to what's quickly become an equality anthem.

Macklemore has described "Same Love" as being socially relevant as "equality is at the forefront of what's going on in politics right now." The award-winning clip, which was co-directed by Ryan Lewis, strikes a poignant note, and it's a vibe that continued at the Barclays Center as giant American flags were raised to reveal a dusky and intimate stage setting. From there, Macklemore aired out a measured and sensitive rendering of his lyrics. Sporting a natty pastel blazer, the coiffed rapper seemed emotionally moved as he recited his rhymes.

In winning the Best Video With a Social Message category, "Same Love" fought off heavyweight VMA competition from Beyoncé, Miguel, Kelly Clarkson and Snoop and Drake, who collaborated on the anti-firearm ode "No Guns Allowed." It was part of a bonanza night for Mack & Ryan as they also overcame fierce challenges from Kendrick Lamar and their host A$AP Rocky to take home the Best Hip-Hop Video for "Can't Hold Us

is right. Katy Perry delivered an uproar-worthy rendition of her hit single "Roar" underneath the Brooklyn Bridge in an epic closing performance to this year's Video Music Awards.

"I like to have the last word," Perry told MTV News' Christina Garibaldi earlier Sunday of having the honor of closing out the show.

And it was one heck of a last word.

Perry rode into New York's Brooklyn Bridge Park in the back of a golden semitruck — yes, the one that takes up the better part of a city block and has her name, album title and release date painted on the side — wearing a maroon silk boxing robe with "LIONNESS" splashed across the back.

PHOTOS: Katy Perry Gets Some Selfie Action On The VMA Red Carpet!

Of course, the whole ensemble was topped off with cornrows and the gold-plated microphone — brass knuckles included— that Perry unveiled on Instagram this week. And, since we all know that no boxing workout is complete without a little rope-skipping, there was a jump-roping interlude. Never one to disappoint fans, Perry brought ring girls as well, clad in skimpy maroon bikinis and holding up "Game Over" signs to signal the end of another VMA year.

Before the show, Perry told MTV News that she wasn't shy about showing a more fierce side of herself now. Her fans, she said, had grown up as much as she had in the three years since the candy-coated "Teenage Dream" era.

"They're like, 'eww, Katy, cotton candy, gross.'" she said. "I can't do that anymore."

Of "Roar," ...

Bruno Mars brought some of his own sexual healing to Brooklyn's Barclays Center when he took the stage during the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday (August 25), moments after winning his first-ever Moonman for Best Male Video for "Locked Out Of Heaven."

Selena Gomez welcomed him to the stage, telling the room he "brings the house down every time he performs."

The VMA-nominated singer performed his latest single, the super-sexified for the first time in front of the A-listers that filled up the Brooklyn venue. Taking the stage in a leopard top and his signature hat, Mars slowed it down with his R&B jam, and, well, brought some sexy back using his signature showman style.

As Mars belted out the tune, light and lasers filled the Barclays. Mars was joined by a full band, and a gorilla... on the screen behind him. The lights erupted with the chorus and given the song's NSFW content, Mars even threw in a few air humps.

Mars' performance left Will Smith bopping his head as smoke and fire filled the auditorium.

While he performed that Unorthodox Jukebox single during the VMAs, he was nominated four times for two other singles of his 2012 album release, "Locked Out Of Heaven" (Video of the Year, Best Male Video and Best Pop Video) and "Treasure" (Best Chorography). "Gorilla" is the fourth single off Jukebox, which dropped last December.

The singer spoke to MTV News during Saturday night's rehearsals, about his return to the VMA stage and promised that his performance would "capture the essence of the song." ...

Justin Timberlake rounded out his four Video Music Award wins Sunday (August 25) by taking home the award for Video of the Year for "Mirrors," dedicating the win to his grandmother.

Timberlake beat out nominees Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ("Thrift Shop"), Bruno Mars ("Locked Out of Heaven"), Robin Thicke ("Blurred Lines") and Taylor Swift ("I Knew You Were Trouble") for the show-capping award.

"This is a really special video for me because it's a tribute to my grandparents, " Timberlake said after accepting the award from Don Jon star Joseph Gordon-Levitt. "My grandfather actually passed away in December. I hope my grandmother is watching right now. This is for you, granny."

He also shouted out Kanye West's "Blood On The Leaves" performance, proclaiming, "Can you guys make some noise tonight for Kanye?"

The video for "Mirrors" — which is off of Timberlake's The 20/20 Experience (part one) — was directed by Floria Sigismondi and is the singer's most personal work yet. The video was dedicated to his grandparents William and Sadie Bomar — William passed away last year — and tells the story of their 63-year relationship.

The 20/20 Experience — JT's first record since 2006's FutureSex/LoveSounds — is the best-selling album of his solo career, debuting at number one on the Billboard charts when it dropped back in March. The 20/20 Experience -- 2 of 2 drops on September 30.

It happened. And it was more awesome than we could have even imagined.

In the middle of a hit-packed performance that had everyone from Taylor Swift to Lady Gaga and One Direction on their feet andlosing their minds, Justin Timberlake shut down the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards with a set of solo smashes and, yes, an 'NSYNC reunion that had the audience at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn dancing in the aisles.

If there's any modern male artist who has carried on the legacy of the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award namesake, it's Timberlake and he proved why on Sunday. That's probably why pal Jimmy Fallon saw fit to crown Timberlake with a new moniker while introducing his "History of Rap" cohort, "The President of Pop."

The set opened with a montage of Justin's most iconic solo videos, from "Rock Your Body" to "Mirrors," then segued into Timberlake dancing his way through the Barclays while singing his new single, "Take Back the Night." After swinging the camera out of his face, JT materialized on the main stage as the first strains of "SexyBack" got the crowd on their feet, which is where they stayed for the next 10 minutes.

It was the beginning of a trip through a catalog of massive songs that would be the envy of any artist. Justin proved why he's the commander in chief of the Billboard Hot 100 with the still-unbelievably funk "Like I Love You," which, like all the night's songs, was accompanied by JT's fleet-footed dancing and effortless ability to ride the groove ...