Mariah Carey and Anderson .Paak are doing little to dispel dating rumors ... because he was by her side as she accepted a big honor at an award show.

Mariah and Anderson hit up the iHeartRadio Music Awards together Monday, and .Paak helped her up the stage, where she accepted her Icon Award.

They've been working on new music together but have been keeping dating rumors alive for months ... including a couple handsy dinner outings in Aspen.

Mariah and Anderson were first spotted hanging out during the holidays, and it's been a while since we've seen them together in public ... so this is pretty significant.

Despite some PDA back in December, we've been told Mariah and Anderson are not actually an item.

Still, it's worth noting they are still spending time together ... so there's always a chance something's changed.

Stay tuned ...