This year the event's being hosted by Nicki Minaj at the city's SSE Hydro.
U2, Alicia Keys and Ed Sheeran are set to perform but Calvin Harris pulled out on Saturday after a heart scare.
On Twitter, the DJ said: "No EMAs for me this weekend. Got some heart problems. Heading home to see if it can be fixed x."
With nominations across seven categories, Katy Perry leads the competition.
See a full list of this year's MTV EMA nominees
She's followed by Ariana Grande with six.
Both are up for best female, along with Minaj, Taylor Swift and Beyonce.
Pharrell Williams is up for five trophies, including best song and best video for Happy.
He is also among the nominations for best male in a category which includes Ed Sheeran, Eminem, Justin Bieber and Justin Timberlake.
The awards show is on MTV and Channel 5 on Sunday from 21:00 GMT.
Redfoo's presenting an award and told Newsbeat it's an "honour".
"They like what I do," he said. "They want the Redfoo energy, with the comedy, just the whole quirky and fun vibe that I have, and that's what they want.
"And that's exciting when someone wants you, you want them."
Labrinth lit up Glasgow ahead of the awards with a 3D video-mapping light, in George Square on Friday.
The video was timed to his new track Let It Be.
MTV held castings for more than 2,000 local music fans to be part of the audience for the show.
Enrique Iglesias, Kiesza and Royal Blood will perform at the 21st awards, which organisers say will have a time travel theme.
MTV also announced the 10 acts nominated for its worldwide act award.
Originally, the number nominated sat at 286 but that's been whittled down to 10 after seven weeks and three stages of voting.
One Direction are representing North Europe although Southeast Asia/China & Hong Kong/Taiwan have won the award for the past two years and are thought to be in front again.
Former Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash and actor David Hasselhoff will present trophies, while Black Sabbath legend Ozzy Osbourne is expected to attend to receive the EMA's Global Icon Award.
Grammy award-winning singer Alicia Keys is one of several artists to be nominated in a new category, best song with a message, for her song We Are Here.
She said: "I am crazy excited to perform on the global stage of the EMA and for my song to be nominated.
"We Are Here is a 21st century peace movement that believes if we all stand together and join our voices we can create a kinder world for everyone."
Keys' performance will take place in front of an audience at Glasgow's O2 Academy and be beamed live into the SSE Hydro.
The awards have previously been hosted in London, Liverpool, Belfast and Edinburgh.
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Katy Perry leads the nominations for Sunday night's MTV Europe Music Awards (EMAs), which are being held in Glasgow for the first time.