A Countdown of the Top 10 Worst Music Videos of All Time

In the golden age of MTV, the music video was king. A powerful medium that could make or break an artist, the music video became an art form in its own right. But for every masterpiece like Michael Jackson's "Thriller" or a-ha's "Take on Me," there were dozens of videos that were, to put it mildly, complete and utter disasters. These are the videos that have us shielding our eyes, cringing in secondhand embarrassment, and asking, "What were they thinking?"

But time has a funny way of turning a cringey catastrophe into a beloved classic. These videos, in all their low-budget, poorly-conceived glory, have earned a special place in our hearts. They are the videos we love to hate, the ones we can't help but watch, and the ones that remind us that even our biggest idols are capable of making some truly terrible decisions.

So, get ready to travel back in time to an era of questionable fashion choices, bizarre special effects, and dance moves that should have stayed on the cutting room floor. Here are the top 10 worst music videos of all time.

10. LFO - "Summer Girls" (1999)

Kicking off our list is a video that is as nonsensical as its lyrics. "Summer Girls" by LFO is a perfect time capsule of late '90s pop culture, and we mean that in the worst way possible. The video, much like the song, is a jumble of random references, from Abercrombie & Fitch to Cherry Coke, all while the band members wander around an amusement park, looking incredibly pleased with themselves. The cringe factor is high with this one, but it’s the sheer absurdity of it all that makes "Summer Girls" an unforgettable entry in the canon of bad music videos.

9. Vanilla Ice - "Ice Ice Baby" (1990)

While the song itself is an iconic (and legally dubious) piece of '90s pop-rap, the music video for "Ice Ice Baby" is a masterclass in trying way too hard. With its over-the-top hand gestures, ridiculous dance moves, and a wardrobe that can only be described as "aggressively '90s," the video is a non-stop cringe-fest. The "story" of the video, which involves Vanilla Ice and his crew dancing in what appears to be an abandoned warehouse, is as thin as the plot of a B-movie. But it's the sheer, unadulterated cheesiness of it all that has cemented "Ice Ice Baby" as one of the worst music videos ever made.

8. U2 - "Numb" (1993)

U2 is one of the biggest bands in the world, but even they are not immune to making a truly terrible music video. "Numb" features guitarist The Edge staring deadpan into the camera while a series of bizarre and increasingly annoying things happen to him. From having his face licked by a woman to being tied up with rope, the video is a relentless assault on the senses. While it may be an attempt at "art," the final product is just plain weird and, frankly, a little bit boring.

7. Bloodhound Gang - "The Bad Touch" (1999)

There are bad music videos, and then there is "The Bad Touch." The video for this "song" features the members of the Bloodhound Gang dressed in monkey suits, terrorizing the streets of Paris and capturing beautiful women in a giant net. It's a concept that is as stupid as it sounds, and the execution is even worse. The video is a juvenile, a low-budget mess that is more likely to make you uncomfortable than to make you laugh.

6. Aqua - "Barbie Girl" (1997)

"Barbie Girl" is a song that is either loved or hated, with very little room in between. The music video, however, is universally panned. A nightmarish explosion of plastic and neon, the video is a visual assault that perfectly matches the song's saccharine-sweet sound. From the stilted acting to the cheap-looking sets, the "Barbie Girl" video is a perfect storm of bad taste.

5. Right Said Fred - "I'm Too Sexy" (1991)

The title of the song says it all. "I'm Too Sexy" is a song that is so over-the-top, so ridiculous, that it could only have been a hit in the '90s. The video is a perfect reflection of the song's campy humor, featuring the members of Right Said Fred preening and posing in a series of increasingly absurd outfits. While the video is clearly meant to be a joke, it's a joke that gets old very, very quickly.

4. Aerosmith - "Pink" (1997)

Aerosmith is a legendary rock band, but their music video for "Pink" is a legendary failure. The video features a series of bizarre and unsettling images, including a man with a giant, disembodied mouth and a woman who morphs into a skeleton. The special effects are creepy and poorly executed, and the whole thing has a nightmarish quality that is more likely to give you nightmares than to make you want to rock out.

3. David Bowie & Mick Jagger - "Dancing in the Street" (1985)

What happens when you put two of the biggest rock stars in the world in a room together and tell them to dance? You get the music video for "Dancing in the Street." A cringey, awkward, and utterly baffling video, "Dancing in the Street" features David Bowie and Mick Jagger flailing around in a way that can only be described as "uncoordinated." It's a video that is so bad, it's almost impossible to look away.

2. Journey - "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" (1983)

Journey's "Separate Ways" is a classic power ballad, but the music video is a classic of a different kind. Famous for its "air instruments" and the band's hilariously bad miming, the video is a masterpiece of unintentional comedy. The band members look deeply uncomfortable as they pretend to play their instruments on a deserted pier, while a lone woman wanders around, looking equally confused. It's a video that is so hilariously bad, it has become a legend in its own right.

1. Billy Squier - "Rock Me Tonite" (1984)

And now, we come to the undisputed king of bad music videos. Billy Squier's "Rock Me Tonite" is a video so legendarily awful that it is said to have single-handedly destroyed his career. The video features Squier prancing around a pastel-colored bedroom in a pink tank top, writhing on the floor, and generally acting in a way that is so cringey, so embarrassing, that it's hard to believe it was ever released. "Rock Me Tonite" is the gold standard of bad music videos, a cautionary tale for all musicians, and a video that will live on in infamy for generations to come.

The Silver Lining?

Today, these videos thrive on YouTube as a form of ironic comfort food. They remind us that art requires risk, and sometimes, failure is more memorable than perfection. So press play, cringe, and thank these artists for their glorious disasters. Without them, music history would be far less entertaining.