There’s a reason why New Jersey has over the years produced so many alternative artists but only a handful of pop stars — it’s a breeding ground for underdogs.

Garden State natives are far more accustomed to smashing through stereotypes and persevering in spite of the obnoxious “Joisey” stigma than simply being gifted the spotlight and willingly celebrated before a global audience.

But that’s what took place Monday Night in Newark, as Prudential Center played host to the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards. It was the first time New Jersey had scored the star-studded VMAs — or any major music award show — and between glitzy performances by Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus and Shawn Mendes, MTV made sure to commemorate its state of honor at every pass. There were Jersey-bred presenters, including ex-Giant Victor Cruz and John freaking Travolta; a remote performance by the Bergen County-native Jonas Brothers in Asbury Park; and the three-hour show even concluded with a hip-hop finale loaded with locally raised rappers Queen Latifah, Redman, Wyclef Jean, Naughty By Nature and Fetty Wap.

New Jersey was on full display, finally given its moment in the sun as millions of viewers across the world looked on.

And it was … strange.

As “Sopranos” actor Vincent “Big Pussy” Pastore made dirty jokes, Devils’ defenseman P.K. Subban hyped his new team with a sea of red hockey towels swirling behind him, and comedian and host Sebastian Maniscalco jabbed at the fact that the Nets basketball team left for Brooklyn seven years ago, it felt as though MTV forgot it was producing a show designed to appeal to a massive young audience.

Really, who was this all for?

Maybe it’s just my inherent New Jersey skepticism talking, but were we somehow being scammed by all this pandering? What’s in it for MTV? Who’s getting a tax break from this? I want my lawyer.

Prior to the VMAs’ live taping Monday night, it was worth wondering if anyone would even mention Newark. After all, the entertainment business has masqueraded New Jersey as New York and other places for decades.

But this all felt like an over-correction, a sort of cloying apology for generations of mockery that harped too heavily on the novelty of MTV housing such a production in such an unlikely place. Someone should’ve just come out and said it: “can you believe the VMAs are happening in New Jersey this year? What were we thinking?!”

And of course, no one dared mention what’s actually happening in Newark — a massive lead crisis forcing the city to distribute pallet upon pallet of bottled water to its desperate residents. A protest on this very topic went down outside the venue Monday night.

Surely Miami and Las Vegas, which have hosted the event in a few off years between typical New York or Los Angeles dates, don’t get the same condescending treatment.

Admittedly, it was pretty cool seeing the storied Stone Pony stage at the outset of the Jonas Brothers’ explosive performance. And yes, hosting such a high-profile ceremony bodes well for Prudential Center scoring additional top-flight events in the future — and ever-redeveloping Newark proving that it can handle such a crush of people descending upon the city.

But it was all so gratuitous — and, again, for whom? Which segment of the MTV demographic is tuning in late on a Monday night to catch Naughty By Nature’s “Hip Hop Hooray” one more time? Was there no other way to fill the space? If MTV wanted to kick the Jersey influence into high gear, it could’ve loaded those spots with Edison native and Warren Hills High School graduate Halsey, whose video for her latest single, “Nightmare,” was nominated Monday, or Rumson’s hit-making star Charlie Puth, who just dropped his new song, “I Warned Myself” last week and could’ve used the promotional platform.

An even better idea: you know who recently released an album that debuted at No. 1 around the world and could’ve parlayed a VMAs performance into a world premiere of a fresh new tune?

Bruce Springsteen.

Instead, we got cheap jokes and Fetty Wap. Thanks, happy trails.

At least no one mentioned pork roll.

Bobby Olivier may be reached at bolivier@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@BobbyOlivier and Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.