# MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance

This is a following list of the MTV Movie Award winners and nominees for Best Breakthrough Performance, first awarded in 1992. In 2010 and 2011, it was renamed Best Breakout Star. In 2012, it returned to its original name but was turned into a non-voting category, where an academy of outstanding directors honors a silver screen newcomer with extraordinary talent. In 2017, it was renamed Next Generation, and was converted to a voting category.
From 1999 to 2005, and in 2009, it was split into two categories: Best Male Breakthrough Performance and Best Female Breakthrough Performance.

## Winners and nominees
### 1990s

| Year | Winners and nominees | Film | Role |
| 1992 | Edward Furlong | Terminator 2: Judgment Day | John Connor |
| 1992 | Anna Chlumsky | My Girl | Vada Sultenfuss |
| 1992 | Ice-T | New Jack City | Scotty Appleton |
| 1992 | Campbell Scott | Dying Young | Victor Geddes |
| 1992 | Kimberly Williams | Father of the Bride | Annie Banks |
| 1993 | Marisa Tomei | My Cousin Vinny | Mona Lisa Vito |
| 1993 | Halle Berry | Boomerang | Angela Lewis |
| 1993 | Whitney Houston | The Bodyguard | Rachel Marron |
| 1993 | Kathy Najimy | Sister Act | Sister Mary Patrick |
| 1993 | Rosie O'Donnell | A League of Their Own | Doris Murphy |
| 1994 | Alicia Silverstone | The Crush | Adrian Forrester |
| 1994 | Ralph Fiennes | Schindler's List | Amon Göth |
| 1994 | Jason Scott Lee | Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story | Bruce Lee |
| 1994 | Ross Malinger | Sleepless in Seattle | Jonah Baldwin |
| 1994 | Jason James Richter | Free Willy | Jesse |
| 1995 | Kirsten Dunst | Interview with the Vampire | Claudia |
| 1995 | Tim Allen | The Santa Clause | Scott Calvin |
| 1995 | Cameron Diaz | The Mask | Tina Carlyle |
| 1995 | Hugh Grant | Four Weddings and a Funeral | Charles |
| 1995 | Mykelti Williamson | Forrest Gump | Bubba Blue |
| 1996 | George Clooney | From Dusk till Dawn | Seth Gecko |
| 1996 | Sean Patrick Flanery | Powder | Jeremy "Powder" Reed |
| 1996 | Natasha Henstridge | Species | Sil |
| 1996 | Lela Rochon | Waiting to Exhale | Robin Stokes |
| 1996 | Chris Tucker | Friday | Smokey |
| 1997 | Matthew McConaughey | A Time to Kill | Jake Brigance |
| 1997 | Vivica A. Fox | Independence Day | Jasmine Dubrow |
| 1997 | Courtney Love | The People vs. Larry Flynt | Althea Leasure |
| 1997 | Ewan McGregor | Trainspotting | Mark "Rent Boy" Renton |
| 1997 | Renée Zellweger | Jerry Maguire | Dorothy Boyd |
| 1998 | Heather Graham | Boogie Nights | Rollergirl |
| 1998 | Joey Lauren Adams | Chasing Amy | Alyssa Jones |
| 1998 | Rupert Everett | My Best Friend's Wedding | George Downes |
| 1998 | Sarah Michelle Gellar | I Know What You Did Last Summer | Helen Shivers |
| 1998 | Jennifer Lopez | Selena | Selena |
| 1999 | James Van Der Beek | Varsity Blues | Jonathan "Mox" Moxon |
| 1999 | Ray Allen | He Got Game | Jesus Shuttlesworth |
| 1999 | Joseph Fiennes | Shakespeare in Love | William Shakespeare |
| 1999 | Josh Hartnett | Halloween H20: 20 Years Later | John Tate |
| 1999 | Chris Rock | Lethal Weapon 4 | Detective Lee Butters |
| 1999 | Katie Holmes | Disturbing Behavior | Rachel Waggner |
| 1999 | Cate Blanchett | Elizabeth | Elizabeth I |
| 1999 | Brandy | I Still Know What You Did Last Summer | Karla Wilson |
| 1999 | Rachael Leigh Cook | She's All That | Laney Boggs |
| 1999 | Catherine Zeta-Jones | The Mask of Zorro | Elena Montero |

### 2000s

| Year | Winners and nominees | Film | Role |
| 2000 | Haley Joel Osment | The Sixth Sense | Cole Sear |
| 2000 | Wes Bentley | American Beauty | Ricky Fitts |
| 2000 | Jason Biggs | American Pie | Jim Levenstein |
| 2000 | Michael Clarke Duncan | The Green Mile | John Coffey |
| 2000 | Jamie Foxx | Any Given Sunday | "Steamin" Willie Beamen |
| 2000 | Julia Stiles | 10 Things I Hate About You | Kat Stratford |
| 2000 | Selma Blair | Cruel Intentions | Cecile Duvall |
| 2000 | Shannon Elizabeth | American Pie | Nadia |
| 2000 | Carrie-Anne Moss | The Matrix | Trinity |
| 2000 | Hilary Swank | Boys Don't Cry | Brandon Teena |
| 2001 | Sean Patrick Thomas | Save the Last Dance | Derek Reynolds |
| 2001 | Jack Black | High Fidelity | Barry |
| 2001 | Patrick Fugit | Almost Famous | William Miller |
| 2001 | Tom Green | Road Trip | Barry Manilow |
| 2001 | Hugh Jackman | X-Men | Wolverine |
| 2001 | Ashton Kutcher | Dude, Where's My Car? | Jesse Montgomery III |
| 2001 | Erika Christensen | Traffic | Caroline Wakefield |
| 2001 | Aaliyah | Romeo Must Die | Trish O'Day |
| 2001 | Anna Faris | Scary Movie | Cindy Campbell |
| 2001 | Piper Perabo | Coyote Ugly | Violet Sanford |
| 2001 | Zhang Ziyi | Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon | Jen Yu |
| 2002 | Orlando Bloom | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring | Legolas |
| 2002 | DMX | Exit Wounds | Latrell Walker / Leon Rollins |
| 2002 | Colin Hanks | Orange County | Shaun Brumder |
| 2002 | Daniel Radcliffe | Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone | Harry Potter |
| 2002 | Paul Walker | The Fast and the Furious | Brian O'Conner |
| 2002 | Mandy Moore | A Walk to Remember | Jamie Elizabeth Sullivan |
| 2002 | Penélope Cruz | Blow | Mirtha Jung |
| 2002 | Anne Hathaway | The Princess Diaries | Princess Mia Thermopolis |
| 2002 | Shannyn Sossamon | A Knight's Tale | Jocelyn |
| 2002 | Britney Spears | Crossroads | Lucy Wagner |
| 2003 | Eminem | 8 Mile | Jimmy "B-Rabbit" Smith |
| 2003 | Nick Cannon | Drumline | Devon Miles |
| 2003 | Kieran Culkin | Igby Goes Down | Jason "Igby" Slocumb, Jr. |
| 2003 | Derek Luke | Antwone Fisher | Antwone Fisher |
| 2003 | Ryan Reynolds | National Lampoon's Van Wilder | Van Wilder |
| 2003 | Jennifer Garner | Daredevil | Elektra |
| 2003 | Kate Bosworth | Blue Crush | Anne Marie Chadwick |
| 2003 | Eve | Barbershop | Terri Jones |
| 2003 | Maggie Gyllenhaal | Secretary | Lee Holloway |
| 2003 | Beyoncé Knowles | Austin Powers in Goldmember | Foxxy Cleopatra |
| 2003 | Nia Vardalos | My Big Fat Greek Wedding | Toula Portokalos |
| 2004 | Shawn Ashmore | X2 | Iceman |
| 2004 | Shia LaBeouf | Holes | Stanley "Caveman" Yelnats IV |
| 2004 | Ludacris | 2 Fast 2 Furious | Tej Parker |
| 2004 | Omarion | You Got Served | David |
| 2004 | Cillian Murphy | 28 Days Later | Jim |
| 2004 | Lindsay Lohan | Freaky Friday | Anna Coleman |
| 2004 | Jessica Biel | The Texas Chainsaw Massacre | Erin |
| 2004 | Scarlett Johansson | Lost in Translation | Charlotte |
| 2004 | Keira Knightley | Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl | Elizabeth Swann |
| 2004 | Evan Rachel Wood | Thirteen | Tracy Louise Freeland |
| 2005 | Jon Heder | Napoleon Dynamite | Napoleon Dynamite |
| 2005 | Zach Braff | Garden State | Andrew Largeman |
| 2005 | Freddie Highmore | Finding Neverland | Peter Llewelyn Davies |
| 2005 | Tim McGraw | Friday Night Lights | Charles Billingsley |
| 2005 | Tyler Perry | Diary of a Mad Black Woman | Madea |
| 2005 | Rachel McAdams | Mean Girls | Regina George |
| 2005 | Ashanti | Coach Carter | Kyra |
| 2005 | Elisha Cuthbert | The Girl Next Door | Danielle |
| 2005 | Bryce Dallas Howard | The Village | Ivy Elizabeth Walker |
| 2005 | Emmy Rossum | The Day After Tomorrow | Laura Chapman |
| 2006 | Isla Fisher | Wedding Crashers | Gloria Cleary |
| 2006 | André "3000" Benjamin | Four Brothers | Jeremiah Mercer |
| 2006 | Jennifer Carpenter | The Exorcism of Emily Rose | Emily Rose |
| 2006 | Taraji P. Henson | Hustle & Flow | Shug |
| 2006 | Romany Malco | The 40-Year-Old Virgin | Jay |
| 2006 | Nelly | The Longest Yard | Earl Megget |
| 2007 | Jaden Smith | The Pursuit of Happyness | Christopher Gardner, Jr. |
| 2007 | Emily Blunt | The Devil Wears Prada | Emily Charlton |
| 2007 | Abigail Breslin | Little Miss Sunshine | Olive Hoover |
| 2007 | Lena Headey | 300 | Queen Gorgo |
| 2007 | Columbus Short | Stomp the Yard | DJ Williams |
| 2007 | Justin Timberlake | Alpha Dog | Frankie "Nuts" Ballenbacher |
| 2008 | Zac Efron | Hairspray | Link Larkin |
| 2008 | Nikki Blonsky | Hairspray | Tracy Turnblad |
| 2008 | Chris Brown | This Christmas | Michael "Baby" Whitfield |
| 2008 | Michael Cera | Superbad | Evan |
| 2008 | Megan Fox | Transformers | Mikaela Banes |
| 2008 | Jonah Hill | Superbad | Seth |
| 2008 | Christopher Mintz-Plasse | Superbad | McLovin' |
| 2008 | Seth Rogen | Knocked Up | Ben Stone |
| 2009 | Robert Pattinson | Twilight | Edward Cullen |
| 2009 | Ben Barnes | The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian | Prince Caspian |
| 2009 | Taylor Lautner | Twilight | Jacob Black |
| 2009 | Dev Patel | Slumdog Millionaire | Jamal Malik |
| 2009 | Bobb'e J. Thompson | Role Models | Ronnie Shields |
| 2009 | Ashley Tisdale | High School Musical 3: Senior Year | Sharpay Evans |
| 2009 | Miley Cyrus | Hannah Montana: The Movie | Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana |
| 2009 | Kat Dennings | Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist | Norah |
| 2009 | Vanessa Hudgens | High School Musical 3: Senior Year | Gabriella Montez |
| 2009 | Freida Pinto | Slumdog Millionaire | Latika |
| 2009 | Amanda Seyfried | Mamma Mia! | Sophie Sheridan |

### 2010s

| Year | Winners and nominees | Film/Show | Role |
| 2010 | Anna Kendrick | Up in the Air | Natalie Keener |
| 2010 | Quinton Aaron | The Blind Side | Michael Oher |
| 2010 | Zach Galifianakis | The Hangover | Alan Garner |
| 2010 | Logan Lerman | Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief | Percy Jackson |
| 2010 | Chris Pine | Star Trek | Captain James T. Kirk |
| 2010 | Gabourey Sidibe | Precious | Claireece "Precious" Jones |
| 2011 | Chloë Grace Moretz | Kick-Ass | Hit-Girl |
| 2011 | Jay Chou | The Green Hornet | Kato |
| 2011 | Andrew Garfield | The Social Network | Eduardo Saverin |
| 2011 | Xavier Samuel | The Twilight Saga: Eclipse | Riley Biers |
| 2011 | Hailee Steinfeld | True Grit | Mattie Ross |
| 2011 | Olivia Wilde | Tron: Legacy | Quorra |
| 2012 | Shailene Woodley | The Descendants | Alexandra "Alex" King |
| 2012 | Elle Fanning | Super 8 | Alice Dainard |
| 2012 | Melissa McCarthy | Bridesmaids | Megan Price |
| 2012 | Rooney Mara | The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo | Lisbeth Salander |
| 2012 | Liam Hemsworth | The Hunger Games | Gale Hawthorne |
| 2013 | Rebel Wilson | Pitch Perfect | Fat Amy |
| 2013 | Ezra Miller | The Perks of Being a Wallflower | Patrick |
| 2013 | Eddie Redmayne | Les Misérables | Marius Pontmercy |
| 2013 | Suraj Sharma | Life of Pi | Piscine "Pi" Patel |
| 2013 | Quvenzhané Wallis | Beasts of the Southern Wild | Hushpuppy |
| 2014 | Will Poulter | We're the Millers | Kenny Rossmore |
| 2014 | Liam James | The Way, Way Back | Duncan |
| 2014 | Margot Robbie | The Wolf of Wall Street | Naomi Lapaglia |
| 2014 | Michael B. Jordan | Fruitvale Station | Oscar Grant |
| 2014 | Miles Teller | The Spectacular Now | Sutter Keely |
| 2015 | Dylan O'Brien | The Maze Runner | Thomas |
| 2015 | Ansel Elgort | The Fault in Our Stars | Augustus Waters |
| 2015 | David Oyelowo | Selma | Martin Luther King Jr. |
| 2015 | Ellar Coltrane | Boyhood | Mason Evans, Jr. |
| 2015 | Rosamund Pike | Gone Girl | Amy Elliott-Dunne |
| 2016 | Daisy Ridley | Star Wars: The Force Awakens | Rey |
| 2016 | Amy Schumer | Trainwreck | Amy Townsend |
| 2016 | Brie Larson | Room | Joy "Ma" Newsome |
| 2016 | Dakota Johnson | Fifty Shades of Grey | Anastasia Steele |
| 2016 | John Boyega | Star Wars: The Force Awakens | Finn |
| 2016 | O'Shea Jackson Jr. | Straight Outta Compton | Ice Cube |
| 2017 | Daniel Kaluuya | Get Out | Chris Washington |
| 2017 | Riz Ahmed | Rogue One: A Star Wars Story | Bodhi Rook |
| 2017 | Chrissy Metz | This Is Us | Kate Pearson |
| 2017 | Issa Rae | Insecure | Issa Dee |
| 2017 | Yara Shahidi | Black-ish | Zoey Johnson |
| 2018 | Tiffany Haddish | Girls Trip | Dina |
| 2018 | Iain Armitage | Big Little Lies | Ziggy Chapman |
| 2018 | Iain Armitage | Young Sheldon | Sheldon Cooper |
| 2018 | Timothée Chalamet | Call Me by Your Name | Elio Perlman |
| 2018 | Katherine Langford | 13 Reasons Why | Hannah Baker |
| 2018 | Katherine Langford | Love, Simon | Leah Burke |
| 2018 | Nick Robinson | Love, Simon | Simon Spier |
| 2018 | Letitia Wright | Black Panther | Shuri |
| 2019 | Noah Centineo | To All the Boys I've Loved Before | Peter Kavinsky |
| 2019 | Awkwafina | Crazy Rich Asians | Goh Peik Lin |
| 2019 | Ncuti Gatwa | Sex Education | Eric Effiong |
| 2019 | Haley Lu Richardson | Five Feet Apart | Stella |
| 2019 | Michaela Jaé Rodriguez | Pose | Blanca Rodriguez |

### 2020s

| Year | Winners and nominees | Film/Show | Role |
| 2020 | Ceremony not held due to COVID-19 pandemic; Greatest of All Time special aired instead | Ceremony not held due to COVID-19 pandemic; Greatest of All Time special aired instead | Ceremony not held due to COVID-19 pandemic; Greatest of All Time special aired instead |
| 2021 | Regé-Jean Page | Bridgerton | Simon, Duke of Hastings |
| 2021 | Maria Bakalova | Borat Subsequent Moviefilm | Tutar |
| 2021 | Antonia Gentry | Ginny & Georgia | Ginny Miller |
| 2021 | Paul Mescal | Normal People | Connell Waldren |
| 2021 | Ashley Park (actress) | Emily in Paris | Mindy Chen |
| 2022 | Sophia Di Martino | Loki | Sylvie |
| 2022 | Ariana DeBose | West Side Story | Anita |
| 2022 | Hannah Einbinder | Hacks | Ava Daniels |
| 2022 | Alana Haim | Licorice Pizza | Alana Kane |
| 2022 | Jung Ho-yeon | Squid Game | Kang Sae-byeok |
| 2023 | Joseph Quinn | Stranger Things | Eddie Munson |
| 2023 | Bad Bunny | Bullet Train | The Wolf |
| 2023 | Bella Ramsey | The Last of Us | Ellie |
| 2023 | Emma D'Arcy | House of the Dragon | Rhaenyra Targaryen |
| 2023 | Rachel Sennott | Bodies Bodies Bodies | Alice |