The “Anti-Hero” singer thanked voters for supporting her after releasing four original albums and two re-recordings in the last three years.
“I cannot express how unbelievable it is to me that I still do this and that you still care,” she said on stage at the awards show in Los Angeles.
Earlier, Swift’s re-recording of her 2012 record “Red” took the trophy for favourite pop album. The 32-year-old singer has been making new versions of albums from her past after a dispute with her former record label.
“I cannot tell you how much my re-recorded albums mean to me, but I never expected or assumed they’d mean anything to you,” she said.
Swift did not mention last week’s controversy over Ticketmaster’s sales for her upcoming tour, which were filled with glitches and prompted the company to apologise to her.
In the artist of the year category, Swift triumphed over formidable names including Beyonce, Harry Styles, The Weeknd, Drake, Adele and Bad Bunny.
Singer Pink opened the awards show dancing and singing on roller skates to her upbeat song “Never Gonna Not Dance Again”.
Comedian and host Wayne Brady rapped in his monologue. “Ain’t nobody getting slapped tonight,” Brady joked, referencing Will Smith’s infamous attack on Chris Rock at the Oscars.
Dove Cameron, a former Disney Channel actress who reached the Billboard charts this year with the pop single “Boyfriend”, earned the first trophy of the night with her best new artist win.
Machine Gun Kelly, wearing a purple suit with long silver spikes, was named favourite rock artist.
Here is the complete list of winners in key categories:
- Artist of the year: Taylor Swift
- New artist of the year: Dove Cameron
- Collaboration of the year: Elton John & Dua Lipa, “Cold Heart”
- Favourite touring artist: Coldplay
- Favourite music video: Taylor Swift, “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)”
- Favourite male pop artist: Harry Styles
- Favourite female pop artist: Taylor Swift
- Favourite pop duo or group: BTS
- Favourite pop song: Harry Styles, “As It Was”
- Favourite male country artist: Morgan Wallen
- Favourite female country artist: Taylor Swift
- Favourite country duo or group: Dan + Shay
- Favourite male hip-hop artist: Kendrick Lamar
- Favourite female hip-hop artist: Nicki Minaj
- Favourite rock artist: Machine Gun Kelly
- Favourite pop album: Taylor Swift