Videos moved to late-night or obscure rotation

In attempt to address criticism over risqué content, MTV has sometimes moved certain videos to late-night rotation in censored format.

From MTV in the United States

Several videos have been perceived as too controversial to play on MTV even in censored form, for varying reasons. In the 1980s, parent-media watchdog groups such as the PMRC criticized MTV over certain music videos that were claimed to have explicit imagery of Satanism. MTV has developed a strict policy refusing to air videos that may depict devil worship or anti-religious bigotry.^[18]

• "American Life" (Madonna) – pulled by the artist and replaced with a second version^[29]
• "Arise" (Sepultura) – banned for apocalyptic religious imagery, including crucified figures wearing gas masks^[30]
• "A Tout Le Monde" (Megadeth) - banned for alleged suicide lyrics
• "Be Chrool to Your Scuel" (Twisted Sister) – banned for showing zombies in a school engaging in suggestive acts^[31]
• "Body Language" (Queen) – banned due to erotic and homoerotic content^[32]
• "Bombs" (Faithless) — banned over use of violent imagery to convey an anti-war message^[33]
• "California" (Wax) — banned due to its depiction of a stunt involving a man on fire
• "Closer" (Nine Inch Nails) - banned for depiction of nudity, S&M bondage, a live monkey being strapped to a crucifix, and sexually charged lyrics. An edited version was also made to censor some of the explicit content.
• "Erotica" (Madonna) – banned from the MTV music channel but later seen in the Beavis and Butt-Head episode "Door to Door"^[34]
• "Ghost Ride It" (Mistah F.A.B.) — banned due to allegations of encouraging dangerous driving behavior; as well as copyright complaints about the car used in the video^[35]
• "Happiness in Slavery" (Nine Inch Nails) - banned for nudity, simulated gore, and unsimulated sexual torture by performance artist Bob Flanagan
• "Hurricane" (Thirty Seconds to Mars) – banned for containing sexually explicit scenes and violent imagery^[36]
• "In My Darkest Hour" (Megadeth) – banned for alleged suicide references^[37]
• "I Want to Break Free" (Queen) – banned for depicting crossdressing and tran-sexuality.
• "Jesus Christ Pose" (Soundgarden) – banned for depicting a blindfolded girl and a mechanical skeleton on a cross, followed by several crosses that flashed repeatedly from upright to inverted positions^[38]
• "Justify My Love" (Madonna) – banned for containing explicit imagery of sadomasochism, voyeurism, and bisexuality^[39]
• "Lacquer Head" (Primus) – banned for lyrics describing minors using drugs; the music video also featured a child watching TV while a devilish creature administers gasoline to the child, who then explodes into a frenzy (with the creature riding on him) and ultimately crashing into a wall, burning to ashes^[40]
• "Quote Unquote" (Mr. Bungle) - banned due to creepy imagery and several characters being hanged.
• "Reckoning Day" (Megadeth) — allegedly banned due to management conflicts^[41]
• "s(AINT)" (Marilyn Manson) - banned for explicit depictions of sex, drug use, and self-inflicted violence.
• "Six, Six, Six" (DeGarmo and Key) — pulled due to images of an Anti-Christ engulfed in flames; later re-added to rotation in an edited form^[42][43]
• "Sunshowers" (M.I.A.) — banned for objectionable lyrics^[44]
• "The Creature from the Black Leather Lagoon" (The Cramps) - banned for erotic content
• "The Price of Beauty" (Suicide Silence) — banned for gore^[45]
• "Tormented Mind" (Burning Human) — banned for violence^[46]
• "Try That in a Small Town" (Jason Aldean) = banned for criticisms of selected organisations. ^[47]
• "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Madonna) — banned for violent content throughout^[39]

From MTV in the United Kingdom

• "My Favourite Game" by The Cardigans — filmed with five different endings; most of which were banned on MTV UK due to fears that the video could encourage joyriding and cause car accidents.^[48] The two least-violent endings were eventually selected for MTV UK rotation.