Yungblud has reignited his war of words with The Darkness after the band criticised his tribute to the late Ozzy Osbourne at the MTV Video Music Awards — delivering a brutal response that suggested his critics were simply trying to gatekeep a rock scene they no longer controlled.
The singer, whose real name is Dominic Harrison, performed alongside Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Joe Perry and Extreme’s Nuno Bettencourt during the star-studded Ozzy tribute. The performance was met with a divided reaction, with The Darkness’ Dan Hawkins publicly attacking the set and describing it in extremely harsh terms.
Justin Hawkins later defended his brother’s criticism, questioning Yungblud’s position within rock and arguing that his use of real-time pitch correction made the performance worthy of scrutiny. He also questioned comparisons between Yungblud and Ozzy, sparking an increasingly heated exchange between the musicians.
But Yungblud clearly had no intention of backing down.
Speaking to Billboard, the singer delivered his sharpest response yet, saying the criticism came from people who were “trying to be doormen at a party that they weren’t invited to.” He argued that provoking strong reactions is part of what drives artists forward, rather than simply trying to make everyone happy.
The controversy has also taken on a more personal dimension because Yungblud had previously spoken about Ozzy’s support for him. Ozzy’s family had asked him to participate in the VMAs tribute, while Yungblud had also performed Ozzy’s music at Black Sabbath’s farewell event earlier in 2025.
For Yungblud, the backlash appears to be another chapter in his determination to carve out his own place in rock rather than satisfy traditional expectations of what the genre should look or sound like.
And with The Darkness showing no sign of completely backing away from their criticism, the dispute has become one of the more talked-about clashes over who gets to define the future of rock.
