By Jessica Wedemeyer
10:14pm PDT, May 26, 2025
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The 2025 American Music Awards had a little something for everyone: a jaw-dropping show opener featuring one of Hollywood's biggest stars, a music legend's first televised performance in nearly a decade, an octogenarian's high-energy closing number, the debut of not one but two country music stars' newest singles and so much more.
But not every act hit it out of the park during the May 26 show in Las Vegas…
Join us as we look back at every performance from the 2025 AMAs, which aired live on Paramount+ and CBS, from worst to best — with the big caveat that, by and large, the evening was stuffed with solid numbers.
Keep reading to see the evening's top performer…MORE:
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No. 11: Renee Rapp
Just five days after Renee Rapp's new single "Leave Me Alone" debuted, the singer-actress channeled early Britney Spears to perform it live for the very first time at the 2025 American Music Awards. Her energetic performance kicked off on a set resembling a nightclub bathroom and featured early 2000s-inspired choreography and backup dancers clad in black-and-white fits straight from the era. What it did not feature, however, was much live singing from the Mean Girls star, who was apparently more focused on her hair flips. (Hey, Britney would be proud.)
No. 10: Becky G and Manuel Turizo
Becky G and Manuel Turizo pulled off a fun though ultimately forgettable performance of their new collaboration "Que Haces" that featured one noteworthy detail: It kicked off with a split-screen setup that showed the Blue Beetle actress singing and dancing her way down the center aisle at the BleauLive Theater to join the Colombian singer on stage.
No. 9: Alex Warren
Alex Warren lifted spirits with a powerful (though somewhat standard) rendition of his hit 2024 single "Ordinary" accompanied by a harpist and a choir of 40 singers. Beautiful, yes, but also a little boring… Next!
No. 8: Blake Shelton
Blake Shelton honored Memorial Day with a rendition of his new single "Stay Country or Die Tryin'" — which debuted just a week earlier — before an American flag backdrop. He elevated a somewhat rote performance with his solid vocals and powerful backing band and ended with a salute to the troops.
No. 7: Janet Jackson
Yes,
Janet Jackson still sounds great and looks incredible, but we were expecting more from her first televised performance in seven years. Instead of an epic medley of her biggest hits, we got just two tracks: 2001's "Someone to Call My Lover" and "All for You." The number featured backup dancers, pyrotechnics and some solid choreography, but ultimately, it was nothing to write home about. Bummer!
No. 6: Gwen Stefani
Gwen Stefani delivered a fun though somewhat random medley including two of her biggest hits — 2006's "The Sweet Escape" and 2004's "Hollaback Girl" — that kicked off with her 2024 single "Swallow My Tears." The transition was jarring, to say the least. How did we get from the No Doubt front-woman singing on a set designed to resemble a field of wheat to shimmying alongside a troupe of backup dancers dressed like drum majors in a plaid-clad marching band? We may never know. Her voice sounded better than it has in years, though!
No. 5: Lainey Wilson
Lainey Wilson hit all the right notes with the debut performance of her brand new single "Somewhere Over Laredo." Clad in all-white and accompanied by a pianist on a white piano, the country music star sounded lovely as she belted out each heartbreaking lyric before a backdrop of clouds. It was heavenly – and extremely fitting for the Memorial Day-set award show.
No. 4: Gloria Estefan
She's still got it! Gloria Estefan proved you don't need much to win over a crowd when you've got this much star power in your bones. The 67-year-old singer celebrated the 40th anniversary of "Conga" with a medley of three songs including the 1985 hit, plus 1987's "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You" and her new 2025 track "La Vecina (No Sé Na')." Who needs backup dancers or pyrotechnics?! Not this legend!
No. 3: Benson Boone
Benson Boone brought his signature pizzazz to the 2025 AMAs with a rendition of his new single "Mystical Magical." The performance featured other key details we've come to expect from the singer: a colorful, retro-inspired fit, a death-defying flip off the stage and even an assist from two stars seated in the audience — Heidi Klum and Nikki Glaser, spoofing their
2025 Grammy Awards stunt in which the two women ripped off Boone's tuxedo to reveal the sparkly jumpsuit he was wearing underneath. He also added a little something extra: an unnecessary but lovely all-female string quartet.
No. 2: Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart may have turned 80 this year, but as his high-energy rendition of "Forever Young" proved, the octogenarian is still quite youthful at heart. The singer had the audience on their feet as he danced across the stage backed by bagpipes, tap dancers and dueling violinists, delivering a stellar if vocally imperfect finale to the 2025 AMAs.
No. 1: Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez set the bar high straight out of the gate with her opening number during the 2025 American Music Awards. After singing a snippet of her 2012 single "Dance Again," the singer-actress launched into a six-minute spectacle of flawless choreography. Backed by pyrotechnics and a troupe of dancers – including three she kissed – who had her flying through the air at times, she shimmied along to 23 of the year's biggest hits. As J.Lo later noted herself while pulling double duty as the evening's host, she danced her heart out — and we ate up every second of it!
