The 2026 Met Gala has come to an end, and the stars really showed out on the red carpet (which was not actually red). Before we put fashion’s biggest behind us and start speculating on next year’s theme, let’s take a look at some of the best outfits worn on Monday (May 4).

Helmed by co-chairs Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, Anna Wintour and Beyoncé—who made her first appearance at the annual event in 10 years—the 2026 Met Gala was all about the intersection of fashion and art, embodying the Met’s Costume Institute’s spring exhibition “Costume Art” and its celebration of diverse bodies.

“Pairings between fashions and artworks will present a spectrum of connections and experiences: from the formal to the conceptual, the aesthetic to the political, the individual to the universal, the illustrative to the symbolic, and the playful to the profound,” reads a description of the exhibit on the Met’s website.

To complement the exhibit, this year’s Met Gala dress code was “Fashion Is Art,” a theme that left much room for interpretation. And interpret the stars did. With such an open-ended concept to play with, attendees experimented with color, texture, references, inspiration and more. No two looks were the same, unlike in previous years. Although not every look was memorable, there were certainly some red carpet showstoppers worth writing home about. In particular, 10 looks sported by musicians caught Billboard’s attention more than others. (Though many other artists wore incredible looks, too, which you can check out here.)

From SZA’s upcycled couture to Bad Bunny’s senior citizen cosplay to Beyoncé’s show-stopping grand return to the Met Gala, here are Billboard’s top 2026 Met Gala looks.

The Queen has arrived.

Beyoncé made her first appearance at the Met Gala in 10 years — and she showed up looking like royalty. The legendary singer arrived in a fully bejeweled gown designed to look like a skeleton, paired with a matched jeweled headpiece and a large feather shawl.

Beyoncé is more than just a Met Gala guest: She co-chaired this year’s event alongside Anna Wintour, Nicole Kidman and Venus Williams. The singer turned the gala into a family affair, walking the red carpet with her husband, Jay-Z, and eldest daughter, Blue Ivy Carter. Blue Ivy is notably one of the youngest people in attendance at the event; since 2018, the Met Gala has implemented an 18+ rule for its attendees, though it looks like they made an exception for the co-chair’s daughter, who is just 14 years old. Beyoncé, Jay-Z and Blue Ivy stopped for photos on the red carpet together, posing as a family unit.

Making what was already a momentous occasion even bigger, Beyoncé gave a rare interview with red carpet host La La Anthony.

“This is the moment that everybody’s been waiting for,” Anthony said in introducing Queen Bey, before asking the singer how it felt to be back at the gala for the first time since 2016.

“It feels surreal because my daughter’s here,” Beyoncé replied. “She looks so beautiful. It’s incredible to be able to share it with her.”

Beyoncé shared that what she’s most excited for is being able to see the gala through her daughter’s eyes, and for being able to relax. She also shared what excites her most about her beautiful look.

“I’m wearing Olivier Rousteing, who is someone that has been so loyal to me, and I’ve done so many incredible, iconic looks with him,” the star said of the designer, who served as the creative director for Balmain for 14 years before leaving the fashion house in 2025. “So it’s really about representing him.”

Anthony and Beyoncé also expressed their excitement to celebrate diverse bodies — a large part of The Met Costume Institute’s spring exhibition theme of “Costume Art.”

“The different juicy, curvy, thin, tall, whatever. Just celebrating whatever God gave you,” Beyoncé said.

With Beyoncé’s appearance at this year’s Met Gala, many online are speculating that she may use the event as an opportunity to announce Act III, the rumored capper to an expected album trilogy that started with Renaissance and Cowboy Carter. However, fans shouldn’t get their hopes up too high: The singer’s longtime publicist responded to an X post by a fan account speculating that the Met Gala will launch the singer’s Act III era by saying, “This is unequivocally false!!” At the time of publication, Beyoncé herself has not yet shared anything about the album.

Madonna is gearing up to return to the dance floor on July 3 with Confessions II, but on Monday (May 4), the Queen of Pop brought witchy wonders to the 2026 Met Gala red carpet in Manhattan.

Flanked by four women holding her grey veil trains, Madonna, imperious as ever, walked the red carpet wearing a black outfit with a gossamer, old-timey seacraft fixed to the top of her head. With the veils surrounding her headpiece, the effect was of a storm-tossed ship at sea. Designed by Anthony Vaccarello, it was a custom Yves Saint Laurent look inspired by British-Mexican painter Leonora Carrington’s painting The Temptation of St. Anthony, per Harper’s Bazaar. Centered around the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s new exhibit “Costume Art,” the Met Gala dress code this year is “Fashion Is Art,” so Madonna’s campy, surrealist look is right on theme (as she always is at the Met Gala).

Madonna recently teased Confessions II with the release of “I Feel So Free” and lead single “Bring Your Love,” a duet with Sabrina Carpenter that dropped last Friday, following Madonna’s surprise appearance during Carpenter’s headlining set during Coachella weekend 2. The Man’s Best Friend singer also walked the Met Gala red carpet, draped in a gown made out of film strips taken from 1954’s Sabrina, a romantic comedy starring Humphrey Bogart and Audrey Hepburn, which Carpenter called “one of my favorite films of all time.”

Beyoncé is one of the 2026 Met Gala co-chairs; for her red carpet look, she brought out daughter Blue Ivy and husband Jay-Z, making her appearance a family affair. To see what other musicians hit the 2026 Met Gala, check out this photo gallery.

SZA might have a song called “Saturn,” but at the Met Gala, she embodied the sun.

The singer hit the red carpet in a vibrant yellow dress and jeweled floral headpiece designed with Emily Adams Bode Aujla of Bode. The gown included a corset, structured skirt and a long train in various shades of yellow. In an interview with red carpet host La La Anthony, SZA shared the fascinating story behind the dress’ creation.

“This entire look is made with reworked pieces purchased on eBay,” the star explained. “This is like my ethereal body. This is how I see myself.”

SZA went on to share that the look represents “the divine feminine,” pointing out different details, such as the cowries, pieces of saris bought from the secondhand marketplace and the real flowers on her head.

“It just wanted to express joy,” she said.

The star then made a joke about her bust in the dress, saying, “I was looking at how big my boobs look on this camera.” SZA followed by telling Anthony what makes her want to be fearless with fashion.

“I just love a character and I love playing and I love attention,” SZA said, showing off the crystals incorporated into her outfit. “I just love expressing our culture. And I just love celebrating all cultures.”

In a story on SZA’s sustainable look, Vogue shared that the fashion publication and eBay teamed up with Bode to create the look.

“SZA’s look for this year’s Met Gala is both tied to her own whimsical personal narrative and has an art-based historical significance,” the designer told Vogue.

Bad Bunny is no stranger to turning a look, but at the 2026 Met Gala on Monday (May 4), the Latin superstar had everyone doing double takes–even if it gave them a crick in the neck afterward.

Artificially aging himself with white hair and wrinkle makeup, Benito strolled down the Met Gala carpet, cane in hand, in an all-black suit with a large, flowy bow. Beyond hair and makeup, his body language sold the senior citizen look, too–no surprise, given that he’s set to star in a film about Puerto Rico directed by Residente following acting turns in Bullet Train and Happy Gilmore 2.

Vogue red carpet co-host La La Anthony asked the Billboard Hot 100-topping, Grammy-winning Super Bowl Halftime Show headliner how he continues to one-up himself at the Met Gala. “I don’t know,” he replied. “It’s getting a part of my life, trying to do something different. This day of the Met is a perfect day to explore and be creative and express yourself in a different way.”

As for how long the look took to put together, Bad Bunny joked to Anthony, “53 years exactly. It took a little bit but it’s worth it. I hope I look good,” he said. (Presumably, the Puerto Rican artist was hoping to score the senior discount on Met Museum tickets.)

Elsewhere at the 2026 Met Gala, Maluma, Madonna, Beyoncé (one of this year’s co-chairs), Charli xcx, Sam Smith, Doja Cat, Sabrina Carpenter and all four members of BLACKPINK—JISOO, JENNIE, LISA and ROSÉ—all walked the red carpet. Check out a gallery of the many musicians at the 2026 Met Gala here. The 2026 Met Gala theme is “Fashion Is Art,” centered around the “Costume Art” exhibit.

BLACKPINK members JENNIE, JISOO, LISA and ROSÉ all hit the Met Gala red carpet on Monday (May 4), walking the red carpet individually and flaunting distinct fashion sensibilities.

For her Met Gala debut, JISOO was decked out in a sparkly pink floral gown, which she told Vogue red carpet co-hosts Ashley Graham and Cara Delevingne was a custom Dior by Jonathan Anderson. “It’s my first Met Gala. I’m so excited and a little nervous too,” JISOO told them with a laugh. “We’re trying the flowers,” she said. “It’s so exciting.”

In addition to the Dior fit, she was wearing a vintage Cartier necklace. The BLISOO boss told Graham and Delevingne the outfit took “four to five hours” to pull together, which they acknowledged was more than worth it.

ROSÉ spoke to Vogue red carpet co-host La La Anthony about her look, an Yves Saint Laurent dress with an avian theme. ROSÉ explained she was talking with celebrity stylist Law Roach about fashion and art ahead of the Met Gala and “the bird stood out because of the theme of the Met Gala this year,” she said, referencing the “Fashion Is Art” dress code for the “Costume Art” exhibit. “It helped [to] do my homework and learn the history of Yves Saint Laurent. It was a privilege to learn the inspiration YSL had with art,” she said, referencing the Georges Braque painting The Birds on the ceiling of the Louvre in Paris, which inspired her dress.

LISA arrived at the Met Gala red carpet in a sculptural look designed by Robert Wun. “I’m just so happy to showcase myself in an art form like this,” LISA said, explaining that the arms winding around her veiled gown were her own arms recreated via 3D printer. She also teased her upcoming Las Vegas residency. “It sold out!” she beamed. “I can’t wait to show my fans what I prepared.”

JENNIE was the last member of BLACKPINK to hit the Met Gala, strolling down the carpet in a shimmery, silver Chanel dress by Matthieu Blazy. JENNIE told Vogue‘s Anthony her dress was made out of 15,000 sequined leaves. “I feel like a mosaic art work come alive,” she said, adding she was excited to see her BLACKPINK bandmates inside the Met Gala.