Miley Cyrus' Coolest Award Show Hair Looks Of All Time

Miley Cyrus is the ultimate cool girl, and so it's no surprise that several of her red carpet hair styles have likewise been cool, setting her apart as the edgy, multi-faceted musician that she is. Cyrus can change and adapt. Her career should be proof of that enough, starting out as Disney's darling on "Hannah Montana," to later become one of the most successful artists of the 21st century. So on a more physical level, Cyrus' ever-evolving hair, in its drama and daring styles, point to her ability as an artist to morph with the zeitgeist, staying relevant long after a career as a child star.

She's never one to stick to a single hairstyle for very long, and at this point, we almost expect a surprise with each new, red carpet appearance. Cyrus was one of many celebs who rocked the trendy 'wolf cut,' a mix of shag and mullet combined. She also was one of the brave celebs who took an unexpected leap from long hair to short hair, surprising fans with her cropped transformation. She's always ahead of trends, trying daring, unexpected things. There's no shortage of changes that Cyrus has made to her hair, and she can proudly say that she's rocked the red carpet with some of the coolest hair-dos ever.

Miley Cyrus arrived at the 2024 Grammys with absolute enormous hair, unlike anything fans had previously seen on her. The mix of color patterns throughout her hair, from chunky highlights to rich lowlights, nailed the animal-inspired calico cat colored hair trend. Her hair had everything going on. It was voluminous to the utmost degree; it was long and richly textured, and rocked outrageous layers. Cyrus' hairstylist Bob Recine explained the inspiration behind this particular red carpet look to People. "I've been working with Miley for a long time and tonight we wanted to create [something] different than last year, with a style that felt like it had a '70s, Barbarella feel while still having a modern, punk edge," he began. "By creating a big hair look, while still leaving some of the teasing visible, it allows the look to maintain a fresh, sexy feeling." It was certainly both fresh and nostalgic at once. 

For the Golden Globes on January 5, 2025, Miley Cyrus changed things up and arrived on the red carpet with a choppy, unfussy updo. She was there because she received a nomination for her song "Beautiful That Way" from "The Last Showgirl." The film features Pamela Anderson, and it's fitting that Cyrus arrived with a revamped version of the Pam updo, a '90s hair trend that's been back in a huge way. While Anderson wore her updo in big, loose curls, Cyrus echoed Anderson's famous hair style, with a straighter, edgier twist. She wore her side fringe in straightened pieces, and sported full bangs. Hairstylist Bob Recine told Byrdie that Cyrus' updo was inspired by both Debbie Harry and "Japanese cartoon characters." It certainly was a modern take on a classic style. 

On March 9, 2023, for the the 2023 Versace fall/winter fashion show, Miley Cyrus arrived with an unexpected hair choice that many hadn't seen since the early 2000s: the two-toned hair color. Cyrus arrived with platinum blonde hair overtop of a chocolate brown base, leaving some dark roots peeking out at the top in case the style should look too pretty or perfect. She wore her hair parted down the middle, and styled it with unfussy, natural waves. The edgy appeal of Cyrus' two-toned do matched the layers of light and dark in her lavender and black Versace gown. It was a very cool look overall. 

Strutting her stuff in Los Angeles, Miley Cyrus took a page out of her godmother's book when she arrived at the LACMA Art+Film Gala in November 2021. Looking an awful lot like Dolly Parton, Cyrus sported platinum blonde hair in a shaggy cut with bangs and face-framing layers. She gave a nod to '70s makeup with sky blue eyeshadow and glossy, peach lips. The final effect was playful and didn't take itself too seriously, so a fluffy shag cut was the perfect red carpet hair choice there. It was all about big volume and big, bright colors. 

Never one to sit still with a hair style for very long, Miley Cyrus arrived at the 2020 Tom Ford show in Los Angeles with a bright blonde mullet. Teasing a balayage effect, Cyrus' ends were much lighter than her roots, giving the nostalgic haircut a fresh turn. Referencing her new hair cut, Cyrus posted a since-deleted clip to Instagram of herself in 2008, talking about mullets. In the video, a much younger Cyrus speaks to a reporter about the hairstyle and says, "You know what, it's kind of, like, getting in again! Like if it's edgy and spiky, it's actually kind of cool. I think it's actually starting to come back." In the caption, Cyrus writes: "The mullet is officially back when '08 Miley says so..... perioTTTTT." It was a very cute moment of self reference, and Cyrus actually made a mullet look good. 

In August 2019 at the MTV Video Music Awards, Miley Cyrus got creative with the hydro hair trend, which is hair that's styled into a wet look by using copious amounts of various products. More typically seen as a hydro bob, Cyrus carried over the look into her longer, blonde tresses. The final effect was a chic iteration of wet curls, with clinging bangs and added shine. Completing the glossy, dripping look, Cyrus wore glittery eyeshadow spread across her lids. She looked like she came in from a sexy rainstorm. 

While Miley Cyrus clearly doesn't have one standard hairstyle, she does favor loose curls and natural waves over a deliberately structured look, like something achieved with hot rollers or a hair straightener. However, at the 2019 Met Gala, Cyrus arrived with perfectly styled bangs and pin-straight hair. It was much more sleek than she usually goes for, but because she loves to change up her hair so much, the simple red carpet styling worked really well. In Instagram stories leading up to that Met Gala, Cyrus posted a video of herself with her hair hanging long and straight and wrote: "Fully addicted to hair cuts." So we know she got something new for the Met Gala. The cut and new styling choices worked well with her green and black sequin dress.