The American singer, songwriter, and actress Ariana Grande has appeared in various visual media. She has starred in 61 music videos and acted in numerous films and television shows. She began her career at age 15 by appearing in the Broadway musical 13 (2008) and rose to fame as Cat Valentine in the Nickelodeon television series Victorious (2010–2013) and its spin-off series, Sam & Cat (2013–2014). In 2013, Grande launched her music career with her debut studio album, Yours Truly (2013), and released music videos for the singles "The Way", "Baby I", and "Right There". From 2014 to 2015, music videos for "Problem", "Break Free", "Bang Bang", "Love Me Harder", and "One Last Time" were released—singles from her second studio album, My Everything (2014).
Grande's third studio album, Dangerous Woman (2016), spawned videos for the eponymous lead single, "Into You", "Side to Side", and "Everyday". Her fourth studio album, Sweetener (2018), was preceded by the singles "No Tears Left to Cry" and "God Is a Woman", whose music videos were directed by Dave Meyers, and followed by "Breathin". Her album Thank U, Next produced the music video of the same name and the 2019 music videos for "7 Rings" and "Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored", all of which were directed by Hannah Lux Davis. At the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards, Grande received twelve nominations and won three awards including the MTV Video Music Award for Artist of the Year. At the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards, she received nine nominations, winning four awards including three for "Rain on Me" with Lady Gaga. Grande released three music videos for her sixth studio album, Positions (2020)—"Positions", "34+35", and "34+35 (Remix)". Grande's seventh studio album, Eternal Sunshine (2024), was supported by four music videos—"Yes, And?", "We Can't Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)", "The Boy Is Mine", and "Supernatural"—all for which she enlisted Christian Breslauer to direct.
Grande has increasingly incorporated cinematic elements into her music videos, often drawing inspiration from classic films. She frequently pays homage to films through recreations of scenes, character portrayals, and overall aesthetic choices. The "Thank U, Next" music video is a direct homage to several teen rom-coms, including Mean Girls, Legally Blonde, 13 Going on 30, and Bring It On. Grande recreated iconic scenes, outfits, and got cameos from some of the original movie stars. The movies' "burn book", is used in the video, to fill positive affirmations about her exes and includes references to iconic teen movies. Grande's album Eternal Sunshine is heavily inspired by the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. In the "We Can't Be Friends" video, Grande plays a character named Peaches, a nod to the film's lead, Clementine, and featuring a memory-erasure clinic. The short film Brighter Days Ahead, which continued the narrative, featured detailed references to the film's plot and characters, and incorporated elements from the movie, including a memory-recovery machine reminiscent of Cerebro from X-Men. Inspired by the Austin Powers movies (specifically the Fembots), with having the bra missile in "Break Free", referencing upgrading the bra pistols to a more powerful weapon, while Grande and her dancers embodying their robotic aesthetic in "34+35". In addition, Grande has mentioned other movies as influences on her work, including Metropolis, Barbarella, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Star Trek, Sixteen Candles, and Batman Returns. Grande is also known for her visually striking music videos, that often delve into personal experiences and emotions, creating a connection with her audience. She uses "easter eggs" in her music videos, filled with nods to her personal life, past relationships, and cinematic inspirations, which her fans actively seek out and discuss, searching for hidden clues and references, often discussing them on social media. Grande's use of easter eggs helped her to build intricate narratives and provide deeper meaning for her fans.
Grande has over forty music videos surpassing 100 million views, while seven have over a billion views on YouTube. On November 30, 2018, Grande released the music video for her single "Thank U, Next". Directed by Hannah Lux Davis, the video broke the record for most-watched music video in YouTube within 24 hours, officially achieving 55.4 million views on the platform in its first day. It also became the fastest Vevo video to reach 100 million views on YouTube, in three days and ten hours. Her YouTube channel is one of the most viewed music channels on the platform, having attracted nearly 30 billion views. With over 56.3 million subscribers, she is the third-most-subscribed female artist and held the record for female musician with the most subscribers for six years. Grande has won 15 MTV Video Music Awards for her music videos so far, receiving Artist of the Year in 2019 and Video of the Year in 2025, respectively. She is the fifth most nominated artist of all time—with 65 nominations overall—including six for Video of the Year and a record six for Artist of the Year.
Grande's subsequent television work included a recurring role in the first season of the Fox series Scream Queens (2015), Penny Pingleton in NBC's live musical television special Hairspray Live! (2016), and a guest appearance in the Showtime series Kidding (2020). Grande has hosted and performed on Saturday Night Live in 2016, 2024, and 2025, showcasing her comedic and hosting talents. She served as a coach on The Voice in 2021 and has been a guest judge on RuPaul's Drag Race in 2015 and 2023. Grande was the focus of documentary films/specials: Dangerous Woman Diaries (2018), a four-part YouTube Originals docuseries that offered behind-the-scenes access during her Dangerous Woman Tour and the creation of her Sweetener album; and Excuse Me, I Love You (2020), a Netflix concert film documenting her Sweetener World Tour.
She appeared in Adam McKay's film Don't Look Up (2021). With streams of more than 152 million hours in a week, it broke the record for the biggest viewership week in Netflix history, at the time. Grande starred as Galinda Upland in Wicked (2024). A critical and commercial success, it was listed amongst the best musical and fantasy films of the 21st century by various media, grossed $756 million worldwide, and became the highest-grossing musical adaptation film of all time. Her performance drew widespread acclaim and earned her nominations for the Golden Globe Award, Critics' Choice Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, BAFTA Award, and Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.Awards and nominations for Wicked: Academy Awards: BAFTA Awards: Critics' Choice Awards: Golden Globe Awards: Screen Actors Guild Awards: The second part of the film adaptation, Wicked: For Good, was released in November 2025, earning her second nominations for the Golden Globe Award, Critics' Choice Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actress, becoming the second actress to receive nominations for a reprised role at the Critics' Choice Awards and Screen Actors Guild Awards. She starred as the protagonist Peaches in the short film Brighter Days Ahead, which she directed and wrote with Christian Breslauer. This 26-minute film, accompanying the deluxe version of her album Eternal Sunshine, was inspired by the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. It explores themes of love, loss, and memory, featuring both real-life home videos and fictionalized scenes from her album's narrative. The short film also marked her directorial debut. Grande's upcoming film projects include Focker-in-Law (2026) and an animated film adaptation of Dr. Seuss's 1990 book Oh, the Places You'll Go!, slated for release in March 2028.
Music videos +Key Denotes music videos directed by Ariana Grande
As lead artist