Grammys 2025: The Best, Worst, and Most WTF Moments

Beyonce and Kendrick Lamar win, Chappell Roan, Doechii, and Sabrina Carpenter have great performances: The best and worst moments from the 2025 show

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Awards Night

Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar win big, Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter give unforgettable performances... and then there were the moments of cringe

February 3, 2025

The 2025 Grammys faced tougher circumstances than most awards shows, taking place just weeks after devastating fires upended thousands of lives in Los Angeles and raised the question of whether the show would go on at all. The Recording Academy met that challenge admirably well, with performances that acknowledged and addressed the disaster while also keeping the music of the past year at center stage. Of course, no awards show is perfect, and there are always at least a handful of miscues at even the best-intentioned nights like this. Here are the best and worst moments from the 2025 Grammys — and the ones that made us say, “Wait, what?”

Over the past 15 years, the Grammy Awards nominated Beyoncé five times in the Album of the Year category for a string of albums that could have easily all claimed the top honor, including 2008’s I Am … Sasha Fierce, 2013’s Beyoncé, 2016’s Lemonade, and 2022’s Renaissance. Finally, at Sunday’s ceremony, her country album, Cowboy Carter, won. The looks of delight and shock on her face spoke volumes. “I just feel very full and very honored,” she said when she got to the podium with her daughter, Blue Ivy Carter. “It’s been many years.” Then she laughed in a way that seemed like she never thought the day would come. Equally special: She dedicated the award to country pioneer Linda Martell, saying, “I hope we just keep pushing forward opening doors.”

Like Marilyn Monroe in a Billy Wilder screwball comedy, Sabrina Carpenter charmed her way out of (staged) mishap after mishap during her Grammy medley. She dropped her cane, the spotlight wouldn’t land on her as she sang a jazzy version of “Espresso” while descending an epic staircase à la Goldie Hawn, and she had to sing “When they act this way” over and over like it was a mistake during a costume change. (Her backup singers even joined in, singing, in harmony, “Someone’s getting fired.”) Her jokes were short and sweet, of course, and it all seemed like a nice tribute to Old Hollywood as she dipped into “Please Please Please” and back into “Espresso.” It was a charming reminder of what made Carpenter great in the first place, between her Dunkin Donuts and Redken commercials. She even stuck to her guns and said “motherfucker” on TV, though nobody at home got to hear it. Some like it hot (but maybe not CBS’ censors).

Winning Best Rap Album over some seriously stiff competition — including artists with decades at the top, compared to her very recent breakout — Doechii took the stage to accept her first Grammy in tears. “This category was introduced in 1989, and two women have won,” she said before correcting the number to three, including herself. The award was presented by Cardi B, the last woman to win it for Invasion of Privacy. Cardi herself beamed with surprise and joy when she opened the envelope. Doechii took the opportunity to deliver a stirring testimony. She said that to make the now-Grammy-winning Alligator Bites Never Heal, “I dedicated myself to sobriety and God told me that I would be rewarded and He would show me just how good it could get.” 

Though she repped hard for her hometown of Tampa and praised her mom who stood next to her, the words of encouragement that visibly moved Gayle King and then the rest of the audience to a rousing standing ovation were for Black women like her.  “I know that there are so many Black women that are watching me right now, and I want to tell you: You can do it,” she promised. “Don’t allow anybody to project any stereotypes on you that tell you that you can’t be here, that you’re too dark, or that you’re not smart enough, or that you’re too dramatic or you’re too loud. You are exactly who you need to be to be right where you are.” And with that, she proved just why so many have fallen in love with her with a high-level performance of “Catfish” and “Denial Is a River” that stunned Billie Eilish, SZA, and even Jay-Z in the audience. It was couched in a medley with other Best New Artist nominees, but hers was a clear standout.

The opening performance of Randy Newman’s acerbic “I Love L.A.,” as rendered by California sons Dawes, could have landed with a tone-deaf thud. Fortunately, some thoughtful lyrical changes to the 1983 anthem and an all-star band kicked off the show on an uplifting note. Backed by John Legend, Sheryl Crow, Brittany Howard, Brad Paisley, and St. Vincent, Dawes singer-guitarist Taylor Goldsmith and his drummer sibling Griffin delivered an earnest love note to fire-ravaged Los Angeles (both brothers lost their homes in L.A.’s Altadena neighborhood). While Newman’s original lyrics snarked about a “bum over there, down on his knees,” Dawes and Co. altered the line to be about the city “getting up on its feet.” Instead of fawning over the pretty women of the City of Angels, they shouted out the firefighters — “ain’t nothing like them nowhere.” It was all a little bit earnest and dorky, yeah, but sometimes, that’s exactly what the doctor ordered.

Trevor Noah’s opening monologue hit a rough patch when he decided to tell an insensitive, overused joke about Colombia. “Three-time Grammy winner Shakira is in the house… the greatest thing out of Colombia that isn’t a felony,” he chuckled. He could have used his this as an opportunity to land some punchlines about current events; after all, he poked fun at Trump’s destructive tariffs against Canada elsewhere. Instead, Noah went with a joke about Colombia that felt both lazy and harmful, especially as Latino immigrants across the U.S. face mass deportations and are actively being dehumanized by the Trump administration. Super lame.

Kendrick Lamar spent 2024 pursuing a spiteful agenda of Larry Davidian proportions, making song after song denouncing Drake in the harshest imaginable terms. The results? Among other things, a hit song, critical raves, a defamation suit… and a clean sweep of the 2025 Grammys. “Not Like Us” was nominated for Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, Best Music Video, Song of the Year, and Record of the Year. And “Not Like Us” won every last one of those categories. The Recording Academy probably would have given this song a Best Audio Book award, too, if they could have. “There is nothing more powerful than rap music,” Kendrick said in his last acceptance speech of the night. “I just hope you respect the artform.” 

If Chappell Roan had sung “Pink Pony Club” by herself at the Grammys, it would likely have been a powerhouse performance. But the Best New Artist winner did much more than that — turning it into a a spectacular performance, riding the titular foal and singing alongside a whole bunch of rodeo clowns, who, to their credit, looked pretty happy and weren’t scary at all, which is hard to do with one clown (let alone dozens). She also turned the performance into a welcome nod to queer rights and history, singing about West Hollywood as the clowns danced, and she crawled over to the performance’s guitarist on her hands and knees just like David Bowie once did to Mick Ronson. Her cohort even waved flags bearing the pink, white, and blue colors of trans pride at the end of the performance. It wasn’t really the end, though: They’re gonna keep on dancing. 

In a striking feat of creativity, Billie Eilish, Finneas, and their band managed to make their inescapable hit “Birds of a Feather” feel new with a set that placed them in the heart of Altadena’s San Gabriel Mountains and Eaton Canyon. In sparse moments, childhood photos of the sibling stars were superimposed into the video backdrop of the gorgeous landscapes — pictures from time they spent hiking and playing with their dogs in the hills near their lifelong home. Eilish wore a crisp denim L.A. Dodgers fitted and cooed a sweet “I love you L.A.” as they wrapped.

Instead of taking the predictable route and singing their current hit “Die With a Smile,” Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars surprised us with a rendition of the Mamas and Papas’ classic “California Dreamin’,” bringing some much-needed optimism to the city of Los Angeles. Mars and Gaga traded verses, with Gaga belting Denny Doherty’s iconic lines “I got down on my knees and I pretend to pray” in a white gauzy, flowery dress. The sunny Sixties anthem turns 60 years old this year, but the performance proved that it’s as timely as ever.

We know it’s hard fitting in every musician or industry legend we lost since the last Grammys, and props to the Grammys for remembering plenty of legends who passed away in the past year (Kris Kristofferson, Cissy Houston, Dickey Betts, JD Souther, Phil Lesh, Sergio Mendes, Duke Fakir, Garth Hudson, and sadly so many more). But it was still sad to see that the memorial list didn’t have room for heroes of power pop (Greg Kihn), hip-hop (Ka, OG Maco), indie rock (the Replacements’ Slim Dunlap, the Chills’ Martin Phillipps, Olivia Tremor Control’s W. Cullen Hart), classic rock (Iron Butterfly’s Doug Ingle, Moby Grape’s Jerry Miller), rap metal (Crazy Town’s Shifty Shellshock), folk (Happy Traum, Bernice Reagon, Spider John Koerner), Indian classical music (Zakir Hussain), singer-songwriterdom (Dave Loggins, Libby Titus, Mike Brewer of Brewer & Shipley), doo-wop (the Zodiacs’  Maurice Williams), alt-rock (World Party’s Karl Wallinger), metal (Great White’s Jack Russell), blues (the Electric Flag’s Nick Gravenites), prog (King Crimson lyricist Pete Sinfield), and the production world (Shel Talmy). They were missed.

Her Album of the Year win at the end of the night was the big headline, but first came this moment of triumph earlier in the show. After being shut out of any nominations at the Country Music Association Awards in November, Beyoncé took home the Grammy for Best Country Album for Cowboy Carter, beating out past winners like Chris Stapleton and Lainey Wilson. Even Queen B couldn’t quite believe it. Looking genuinely shocked, Beyoncé implored artists to “stay persistent” in pursuing the art they want to make. “I think sometimes genre is a code word to keep us in our place as artists,” she said, “and I just want to encourage people to do what they’re passionate about.” That Taylor Swift, herself a country chameleon, presented the award made it all the more, well, iconic. Take that, CMAs.

Since co-founding the Red Hot Chili Peppers more than four decades ago, Flea has been an icon of Los Angeles, as recognizable as the Hollywood sign and Randy’s Donuts. He’s also become the most omnipresent Chili Pepper, a fixture of awards show and all-star jams. Just three days ago, he played “Higher Ground” with Stevie Wonder at the FireAid benefit in Inglewood, California ­— less than a half an hour’s drive (even in meh traffic) to the Crypto.com Arena, where the Grammys were held. And hey, maybe he had a good excuse to be elsewhere, in which case, no shots intended. But still… How come the only present Peppers were Anthony Kiedis and Chad Smith? Whither art thou, Flea? We miss you! (John Frusciante is welcome, too.)

Raye may not have won Best New Artist, but her show-stopping rendition of “Oscar Winning Tears” during a medley of songs by artists nominated in that category was artistic, felt new, and was certainly one of the night’s best performances. In a sparkly dress with a Shirley Bassey–like big band backing her, the singer leaned into the emotion of the song, reaching deep within herself to get the most out of the song’s drama, and getting lost in the song’s final notes: “Cry those Oscar-winning tears.” Has anyone in the history of music ever made the word “those” (sorry, “thoooose”) sound so musical or meaningful? Only Raye.

The Weeknd popped up for a surprise performance of “Cry for Me” and “Timeless,” a Grammy Moment that afforded the Recording Academy a much-needed touch of transparency and an opportunity to boast about their diversity initiatives. (The Weeknd has famously boycotted the awards since his ultra-popular After Hours and hit “Blinding Lights” were snubbed in 2021.) However, the vibes were just off. The tone of the the show prior to had been earnest and optimistic, especially as it fundraised for fire relief, but the Weeknd’s performance was dark and brooding, lined with aggressive strobes, dancers in red bodysuits moving like wacky arm-flailing inflatable tube men, and a guest appearance from Playboi Carti that felt out of place. It was a great idea in theory (and probably great promo for the Weeknd’s Hurry Up Tomorrow) with truly head-scratching execution.

Sixty years after the Supremes lost Best R&B Performance to Nancy Wilson’s “How Glad I Am,” unannounced guest Diana Ross returned to the Grammys stage to present the Song of the Year award. Looking ageless just a few weeks shy of her 81st birthday, Ross was greeted by a standing ovation. (Bizarre Grammy trivia: Ross never won a Grammy as a solo artist or a member of the Supremes until a 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award.) The Grammys have worked hard to make up for their sins of the past, and giving a living legend a spotlight moment to hand out felt like a step in the right direction. And with Stevie Wonder honoring Quincy Jones earlier in the show, the evening became a reunion for two of the last living Motown icons. They should invite Martha Reeves, Otis Williams, and Smokey Robinson next year and hold a grand Motown reunion while such a thing is still possible.

Look, no one could follow Cynthia Erivo’s impeccable “Fly Me to the Moon” in the Grammys’ tribute to the late Quincy Jones, but slotting Lainey Wilson between that rock and a hard place was a choice. The Louisiana country singer (and Grammy winner) is a stunning vocalist and proved it by slaying the final note in “Let the Good Times Roll,” but aside from that climax, her performance couldn’t have been more awkward. The outfit of cowboy hat and fringed leather pants validated country tropes, the exaggerated Southern accent nearly devoured the lyrics, and the choreography was rodeo bull in a China shop. Yes, country is cool again, but not when it’s so heavy-handed.

Charli XCX’s Brat was one of the biggest, wildest, most fun pop albums in recent years, so it’s only fitting that the British superstar briefly turned the Grammys into an impromptu rave on Sunday night. After taking home two trophies earlier in the evening — one for Best Dance Pop Recording and another for Best Dance/Electronic Album — Charli kicked off “Von Dutch” at what appeared to be an underground parking garage, before moving to the main stage to crank up “Guess” while surrounded by the Dare, Julia Fox, Gabriette, supermodel Alex Consani, and others, in a scene of scantily clad revelry. (“It’s like Bushwick up there,” one Rolling Stone staffer noted in our Grammys Slack.) Taylor Swift, dancing with an open champagne bottle, clearly approved. Only a killjoy wouldn’t.

Given all the, let’s just say, rattling events of the last two weeks, one would have thought that more than a few musicians would want to speak out about the barrage of attacks on the very foundations of the country. A few comments emerged over the course of the night: Shakira’s show of support for immigrants, Lady Gaga’s shout-out to trans rights, and Stevie Wonder’s comment about how we should “celebrate each other’s cultures all the time” were all welcome. But the ceremony wrapped up with an overall lack of political commentary about the attacks on law and order, immigrants, trans people, and … well, you know the list. Maybe next year, assuming that the 2026 Grammys won’t be impacted by any cuts to arts funding.

Neither Taylor Swift nor Billie Eilish took home a single trophy at the 2025 Grammy Awards, despite making some of last year’s most notable hits. Swift and Eilish were both nominated across big categories like Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year, but they went home empty-handed in all of them. While the artists who did win in their nominated categories were a refreshing surprise and well deserved, the fact that these Grammy darlings didn’t receive a single award between them is noteworthy — and might just signify a new direction for the Academy.

Contributors: David Browne, Mankaprr Conteh, Maya Georgi, Andy Greene, Kory Grow, Christian Hoard, Joseph Hudak, Angie Martoccio, Simon Vozick-Levinson

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