Every 2025 Grammy Performance Ranked

After a handful of pop-spectacle performances, psych-rock trio Khruangbin made the most of their very short spotlight to kick off the best new artist medley, delivering a speedy rendition of their shaggy track “May Ninth.” The trio sounded nimble and game — not their fault that they only had a few seconds to appeal to primetime viewers, but the truncated performance unfortunately didn’t shed enough light on their aesthetic.

The “In Memoriam” segment of an awards ceremony typically calls for a current artist performing a mournful standard, but Coldplay frontman Chris Martin instead opted for his stadium band’s own recent song, the Moon Music track “All My Love.” With a small band supporting him, Martin delivered a muted take on a heartfelt song, soundtracking plenty of lump-in-throat images (none more emotional than the opening clips of One Direction’s Liam Payne).

During the cold open of the Grammys ceremony, host Trevor Noah told viewers around the world that, just a few weeks ago, no one was sure that the awards show would even happen, thanks to the wildfires that caused incalculable loss across Los Angeles. “And despite all the devastation,” Noah said, “the spirit of the city has emerged.” The 67th annual Grammy Awards would be celebrating not just the best music of the year, but the city that has been the ceremony’s longtime host city.

With that, an all-star collection of artists came together to kick off the ceremony, with folk-rock band Dawes (whose members suffered devastating losses in the wildfires) leading the supergroup through a jaunty rendition of Randy Newman’s “I Love L.A.,” as clips of firefighters and first responders played on the screens behind them. Instead of commemorating the city’s hellish past month with a sorrowful tribute, the performance kept the occasion upbeat — and while Dawes effectively led the sing-along, one wishes the other members of the performance had their respective presences highlighted a bit more, other than exclaiming “We love it!” on cue.

In the middle of a best new artist medley that featured several crowded stages, Teddy Swims opted to stick to the basics — just keys and guitar behind him, a violinist to his right, and “Lose Control,” the biggest Hot 100 hit of 2024, front and center. Wearing a long white coat with huge red roses stitched in, and with close-up shots focusing on his tatted face, Teddy Swims allowed his voice to shine on a stage in the middle of the crowd, many members of which were swaying along with his ubiquitous hit.

Arriving with a spotlight shining bright behind him, Shaboozey launched into a few seconds of recent single “Good News” — but the entire arena understood that he had to perform the smash that helped him set Hot 100 history. Months into its chart run, “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” remains a giddy delight to hear in a communal setting, and Shaboozey was grinning from ear to ear as he lightly two-stepped to his twist on country, while his backup dancers dipped their cowboy hats in time. At one point, he raised his hand to feel the crowd singing along to one of the biggest hits in recent memory — a young, talented artist who was relatively unknown this time a year ago, now getting to live out his dream.

In a truly unexpected appearance, The Weeknd graced the Grammys stage following Recording Academy head Harvey Mason jr.’s extended address of the positive changes that the Grammys have made in recent years, in light of Abel Tesfaye’s public boycott of the ceremony. The timing was perfect — The Weeknd’s just-released album Hurry Up Tomorrow was able to receive a primetime showcase, with “Cry for Me” segueing into a Playboi Carti-assisted performance of their shared hit “Timeless” as dancers spookily writhed between them — but more than an effective promotional strategy, The Weeknd’s performance signaled an overdue, and meaningful, return of one of pop’s biggest names to music’s biggest night. It’s good to have him back in the mix.

If you’re a U.S. music fan and only knew Raye through her breakthrough hit “Escapism,” chances are the British singer-songwriter’s powerhouse tone made quite the impression on the Grammys stage, as she closed out the best new artist medley with a full-band take on her song “Oscar Winning Tears.” Wearing a black sequined floor-length gown, Raye epitomized elegance as the string section heightened the drama of her melisma; even though she didn’t win best new artist, she made her presence felt in front of a much wider viewership.

Sometimes, a hit is big enough that you get invited to perform it at the Grammys, start singing it a few feet from Jennifer Lopez in the arena crowd, and get Heidi Klum and Nikki Glaser to dramatically tear off your outfit to reveal a powder blue jumpsuit. Such was the case with Benson Boone, who has been ruling stages with his mega-hit “Beautiful Things” for a year, and whose Grammys performance was fittingly rousing even before the backflips started. Boone contains plenty of charisma as a performer, and he’ll likely use “Beautiful Things” as a springboard to a long run as a live act.

The pair of superstars currently resides atop the Billboard Hot 100 — but instead of playing “Die With a Smile” at the Grammys, Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars continued the night-long homage to the city of Los Angeles by lending their pristine pipes to the Mamas & the Papas’ “California Dreamin’.” The move was the definition of class: by shrugging off self-promo for a cause more significant than their hit single, Gaga and Mars got to simultaneously posit themselves as thoughtful industry leaders, and have a ball duetting on a classic.

During an evening full of bright new talent, the image of Herbie Hancock playing a grand piano while Stevie Wonder sat alongside him and slowly lifted a harmonica to his lips represented a necessary tether to the Grammys’ past, a pair of icons wordlessly owning the stage. The collaboration was part of an extended tribute to the legendary Quincy Jones (who passed away in November), which also included Cynthia Erivo effortlessly belting out “Fly Me to the Moon” while accompanied by Hancock, as well as Jacob Collier stomping along with Lainey Wilson as they put a country twist on “Let the Good Times Roll.”

The tribute hit a bit of a lull as Wonder honored Jones with “We Are the World” and Will Smith told an extended story about the advice Jones gave him as a young actor, but the energy ratcheted back up when the segment reached its conclusion: Janelle Monáe embodying MJ for a riotous take on “Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough.” The multi-hyphenate star nailed the dance moves, paraded through the crowd and sported a “I <3 Q J>

“I had to find a way to put myself back together,” Shakira declared during a video testimonial that introduced her Grammys performance, her winding personal and professional life leading back to this coveted stage for the first time in over a decade. Shakira is no stranger to humongous pop moments after playing stadiums around the world as well as a Super Bowl halftime show, but her Grammys performance made for a nifty change-up: she began in the middle of the arena floor with an intimate understanding of the camera during “Ojos Asi,” then snaked toward the stage to join her dancers for an exuberant “Bzrp Music Sessions Vol. 53.” Even after arriving onstage, Shakira’s energy was looser than expected — instead of looking for pinpoint accuracy, she treated the Grammys set as a playful exercise, which ultimately made for a more satisfying viewing.

Billie Eilish always approaches her stage show with thoughtful visuals, and for her showcase of her nominated smash “Birds of a Feather,” the pop superstar continued the ceremony’s tribute to Los Angeles, playing alongside her brother Finneas and her backing band on transported hiking terrain that re-created San Gabriel Mountains and Eaton Canyon in Altadena. The sky moved behind her on the video screen, the trees swayed, and images flashes of the siblings’ shared childhood in the City of Angels, before Eilish concluded with an emphatic “I love you, L.A.” The result was a subtle yet genuinely touching tip of the Dodgers cap to the city that made Eilish who she is, as well as a gorgeous rendition of a months-long hit.

Arriving onstage covered in sparkles and oozing confidence, Sabrina Carpenter harkened back to soft-shoe showbiz before fumbling her cane with a wink, ditching the pseudo suit-and-tie and presenting “Espresso” as a big-band show-stopper, complete with a tap-dance breakdown. She then switched to a dreamy version of “Please Please Please” while surrounded by tuxedo-clad dancers before toggling back to the final chorus of “Espresso,” finishing with pyrotechnics exploding atop a towering staircase and fists proudly on hips.

Capping off a breakthrough year just minutes before winning her first Grammy presented on the telecast, Carpenter played the role of old-school hitmaker with plenty of self-deprecating humor, immaculate hits and oodles of pure fun. Her Grammys debut ultimately demonstrated why she’s become an in-demand arena headliner, and broke through to the mainstream after years of honing her craft.

Following a video segment that captured her journey from Midwest dreamer to global superstar, Chappell Roan underlined how she made that leap with a rocking, audacious rendition of “Pink Pony Club” — complete with an enormous pink pony in the center of her stage. Yet no oversized animal could overshadow Roan and her gaggle of rodeo clowns, who joined her for a choreo-heavy, full-throated take on the anthem about finding your community and yourself.

Wearing a bedazzled black leather two-piece and a look of unflinching determination, Roan whipped her hair to the screaming guitar solos, flaunted her gargantuan vocals and blew a kiss to the arena audience as they gave her a standing ovation. Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess started off slowly upon its 2023 release and became a word-of-mouth sensation throughout 2024; by Grammy Night in 2025, however, it was crystal-clear that she was born to be a star, and her command of the moment was never in doubt.

First, the party was too boisterous for the Grammys stage. Just like Charli XCX has been operating in her own lane for years without awards recognition, she kicked off her performance on Sunday evening within the guts of Crypto.com Arena, black fur wrapped around her shoulders as “Von Dutch” connected Charli to a collection of rabid onlookers backstage. Soon enough, however, the Brat experience spilled into the Grammys, with Charli arriving in time to crawl along the rave onstage, engage in some feral screaming as the “Guess” beat kept thumping, watch underwear rain from the sky (an onscreen message read “All unworn undergarments will be donated to survivors of domestic violence through I Support The Girls”), and give birthday girl Julia Fox a shout-out.

If you’re among the many who have wrapped their arms around the bleary-eyed delights of Brat since its release, Charli’s Grammys performance was as unhinged, euphoric and secretly brilliant as you could hope for. We may never witness a Grammys performance like this again; it was a party frozen in time, even if Brat Summer lives forever.

When Doechii won best rap album during the Grammys telecast, making her just the third woman artist to win in the category, she was visibly emotional, marveling at the victory for Alligator Bites Never Heal and telling the world about the humble beginnings that brought her to the podium. Soon after, however, the Tampa native had sharpened her gaze, returned to the stage, and demonstrated why she belonged to an elite class of MC, and become one of the hottest names in all of popular music over the past few years.

Always an electrifying performer, Doechii maximized her Grammys slot by weaving high-concept visuals — dueling clones, twitchy choreography, ripped-away clothing and sliding floors — with breathless rhyming, opting to rip through “Catfish” and “Denial is a River” with a ferocity that no other performer on Sunday evening could equal. Jay-Z, SZA and Billie Eilish were among the stars blown away in the arena crowd, but millions watching around the world got to witness Doechii’s fusion of raw talent and action-packed execution. This was the sort of performance that levitates above everything around it, and is enough to convince that, right after a landmark best rap album victory, Doechii is just getting started.