The top TV honors were broadcast live on the Fox broadcast network. The show was postponed from September because of labor disputes last year.
Organizers were using this year's milestone - the 75th Emmys - to honor classic television shows with cast reunions and other moments.
Host Anthony Anderson opened the show with a choir singing theme songs from shows such as "Good Times" and "The Facts of Life." Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker joined to play the drum solo from "In the Air Tonight," a song that aired during a pivotal moment in 1980s hit "Miami Vice."
Heading into the ceremony, HBO's media dynasty drama "Succession" led all nominees with 27 nods for its fourth and final season, the one that resolved the question of who would win the battle to control a global business empire.
Nearly two-thirds of the Emmy-nominated shows came from streaming platforms, their highest share ever, according to data from Nielsen's Gracenote.
"Succession" stars Kieran Culkin and Sarah Snook were among the actors vying for trophies, as well as "The Bear" duo of Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri, and Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey from "The Last of Us."
The awards ceremony was moved to Monday, which coincided with the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday in the United States as well as the Iowa caucuses, the kickoff to the U.S. presidential election.
Anderson, who previously starred on the show "Black-ish," said the broadcast was being run by an all African-American production team and emcee for the first time.
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Mark Porter and Jonathan Oatis)