Gaga performed the song at the 2013 YouTube Music Awards on November 3 , 2013 . She arrived on the red carpet of the event wearing the same pair of rotten , yellow teeth she wore on the cover art . John Walker from MTV News analyzed Gaga 's look to be a combination of the snake from Tim Burton 's 1988 fantasy film , '' Beetlejuice '' , the Scarecrow character from DC Comics and the rocker Marilyn Manson . During the performance , the singer wore a flannel shirt , her natural hair and a snapback with the NASA symbol altered to read DOPE and her face was devoid of any make-up . She performed a piano only version of " Dope " , without any other instrumentation and with tears falling down her face . Gaga exited the stage while shaking hands and hugging the members of the audience
2013 YouTube Music Awards
2013 YouTube Music Awards
Dope (Lady Gaga song)