The 2022 VMAs are slated to kick off at 8 p.m. ET/PT on August 28, but everyone knows the party actually starts much earlier than that. For proof, look no further than the VMAs Pre-Show, set to begin at 6:30 p.m. ET/PT, which will feature Tate McRae as a special celebrity correspondent and Murda Beatz as the Kraft Singles House DJ. The Pre-Show also boasts an exciting line-up of performers all its own: Dove Cameron, Saucy Santana, and Yung Gravy will take the stage during the 90-minute event.

It will be Cameron's Pre-Show debut, a fitting showcase as the actress and singer has garnered her first VMA nom this year in the Best New Artist category. Santana, the current MTV Global PUSH Artist for the month of August, will also take over the Pre-Show stage for a performance of “Booty.” Rapper Yung Gravy, meanwhile, is expected to get the audience into the groove as well — his recent single “Betty (Get Money),” which sampled Rick Astley’s signature hit “Never Gonna Give You Up,” reached No. 45 on the Billboard Hot 100, earning his first hit on the chart.

In addition to the impressive squadron of Pre-Show performers, MTV also unveiled the VMA nominees in the social categories for 2022, including Group of the Year, Song of the Summer, and Album of the Year.

Group of the Year is stacked, featuring a few performers who are set to appear and take the stage at the VMAs this year: Blackpink, Måneskin, and Red Hot Chili Peppers. They're in the category alongside BTS, City Girls, Foo Fighters, Imagine Dragons, and Silk Sonic.

The field for Song of the Summer is likewise staggering, and boasts some nominations that change the state of the nods ahead of the show. Because of their appearances in this category, Doja Cat, Harry Styles, and Jack Harlow are now all tied with the most VMA nominations in 2022. Each artist boasts eight. (Find the full list of nominees below.)

The final social category, Album of the Year, includes five of the most blockbuster achievements of the past year: Adele's 30, Bad Bunny's Un Verano Sin Ti, Billie Eilish's Happier Than Ever, Drake's Certified Lover Boy, Harry Styles's Harry’s House.

Beginning Monday, August 22 at 11 a.m. ET, fans can vote for Group of the Year on @MTV’s Instagram Story by tapping to vote for their faves. Voting for Song of the Summer will be available a few days later on Thursday, August 25 at 11 a.m. ET and Album of the Year on Saturday, August 27th at 11 a.m. ET. Scroll down for the list of new social category nominees, and find the full list of nominees right here.

Group of the Year

Blackpink

BTS

City Girls

Foo Fighters

Imagine Dragons

Måneskin

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Silk Sonic

Song of the Summer

Bad Bunny & Chencho Corleone: “Me Porto Bonito” 

Beyoncé: “Break My Soul” 

Charlie Puth: “Left And Right (feat. Jung Kook of BTS)”

Doja Cat: “Vegas (From the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Elvis)”

Future ft. Drake, Tems: “Wait For U” 

Harry Styles: “Late Night Talking” 

Jack Harlow: “First Class” 

Kane Brown: “Grand”

Latto x Mariah Carey: “Big Energy (Remix) ft. DJ Khaled”

Lizzo: “About Damn Time”

Marshmello x Khalid: “Numb” 

Nicki Minaj: “Super Freaky Girl” 

Nicky Youre, Dazy: “Sunroof” 

Post Malone with Doja Cat: “I Like You (A Happier Song)” 

Rosalía: “Bizcochito” 

Steve Lacy: “Bad Habit” 

Album of the Year

Adele: 30

Bad Bunny: Un Verano Sin Ti

Billie Eilish: Happier Than Ever

Drake: Certified Lover Boy

Harry Styles: Harry’s House

The 2022 MTV Video Music Awards will take place at New Jersey’s Prudential Center in Newark on Sunday, August 28. The ceremony previously hit the Garden State in 2019, hosted by Sebastian Maniscalco; last year’s show aired from Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. Find more info at vma.mtv.com.