Justin Timberlake and hip hop duo Gnarls Barkley each won two awards and rap star Kanye West stormed the stage after not winning best video at the MTV Europe Music Awards on Thursday night.

Timberlake won for best male and best pop act in addition to hosting the 13th annual event in Copenhagen.

Justin Timberlake holds one of his two awards - best pop act and best male - as he hosts the MTV Europe Music Awards at The Bella Centre in Copenhagen on Thursday.
(Jon Super/Associated Press)

Hip hip duo Gnarls Barkley won for best new act and best song, for Crazy.

West, who earlier was named best hip-hop artist, stormed the stage to protest losing the best video award to Justice and Simian, who won for We Are Your Friends.

"Best video should have been mine. I should have won," West said in reference to his video for Touch the Sky, arguing it "cost a million dollars, Pamela Anderson was in it. I was jumping across canyons."

The 1970s-style video portrays West as a daredevil named Evil Kanyevel about to attempt a suicidal stunt, with Anderson playing West's girlfriend.

West protested because best video was the only award not chosen by MTV viewers.

"If I don't win, the awards show loses credibility," he said.

West's protest was similar to that of the Beastie Boys in 1994 after the video for Sabotage — directed by Spike Jonze and also an homage to the 1970s — lost to R.E.M.'s Everybody Hurts. Beastie Boy Adam Yauch took the stage dressed as Swiss alter ego Nathaniel Hornblower, and declared the awards show a farce.

West said in his case the award went to another band as a "spreading-the-wealth type thing."

The Red Hot Chili Peppers, who led all acts with four nominations, won for best album for Stadium Arcadium.

Christina Aguilera was named best female artist, Barbadian singer Rihanna won best R&B artist, Muse won for best alternative group and Depeche Mode won best group.

Nelly Furtado, Madonna and Shakira were all nominated for three awards but won none.

Rapper Snoop Dogg and Las Vegas band The Killers were among the acts to perform before a crowd of 10,000 in the Danish capital's main square, while the rest of the ceremony took place in the city's Bella Centre Convention Hall.

Last year's host, the Kazakh reporter character Borat played by British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, made an appearance speaking to Timberlake via a mock video link, poking fun at Madonna's attempt to adopt an African child.

"My only concern is that this singing transvestite will not be such a good father," he said.

The MTV Europe Music Awards are held in a different city each year, with winners selected by fans across Europe.