2015
Zendaya made her Met Gala debut in 2015, opting for a custom Fausto Puglisi sun-motif dress to coincide with the year's theme, "China: Through the Looking Glass."
The Euphoria star, who only tried on the dress twice before making her appearance at the New York City event, later admitted to People that the high-pressure night was "overwhelming but in the best way."
2016
Keeping with the "Manus x Machina" theme for 2016's ball, Zendaya rocked a bronze one-shoulder gown by Michael Kors and a chic mushroom-cut wig.
2017
Zendaya looked ethereal in her tropical-print Dolce & Gabbana gown at the 2017 event, which boasted a "Rei Kawakubo & Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between" theme.
The get-up turned so many heads that even Rihanna had to take note. Sharing a photo of the Challengers actress on her Instagram, Rihanna wrote in the caption, "Brown goddess."
2018
The Disney Channel alum had her Joan of Arc moment in 2018, arriving to the Metropolitan Museum of Art clad in a silver, armor-inspired Atelier Versace dress with chain mail detailing. She completed the look—which gave a nod to the theme of "Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination"—with metallic Jimmy Choo heels and a red bob similar to the French saint’s hair.
Zendaya later declared it one of her favorite red carpet looks of all time, telling InStyle in October 2021, "I was like a warrior."
And she wasn't the only one who was a big fan. Her Spider-Man costar Tom Holland—whom she started dating in 2021 before the pair confirmed their engagemend in 2025—also gave the daring attire a special shoutout at the time, writing on Instagram, "All hail the queen. Killing it mate."
2019
Zendaya channeled her Disney roots to transform into a real-life princess in 2019. Since the theme was "Camp: Notes on Fashion," the Shake It Up actress didn't shy away from going all-out with a blue Tommy Hilfiger gown that lit up. To cap off her Cinderella moment, she was accompanied by her stylist Law Roach, who was dressed as her fairy godmother.
But as iconic as her outfit was, Zendaya said the logistics behind the it made her walk down the red carpet pretty anxiety-inducing.
"This Met stressed me out," she told British Vogue afterward. "I was basically wearing a dress that was electronic. I got there, and it wasn't ready. It was supposed to do a little bit more than it did, like it was supposed to start smaller and get bigger."
2024
As a cochair for the 2024 event alongside Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny, and Chris Hemsworth, the Challengers star rose the occasion, sporting two separate red carpet looks. Her first, pictured, was a garden-inspired gothic look by John Galiano fitting well with the Sleeping Beauties theme's "Garden of Time" dress code.
It certainly made her return to the ball after five years all the more exciting.
2024
Put this look on replay. The Dune actress shocked fans by returning as one of the last people to walk the Met Gala carpet in 2024, donning another John Galliano look, along with a rose hairpiece.