The 2023 Grammy Awards have been a hot topic from the red carpet looks, celebrity meet-ups and winners. CommRadio’s Sophia D’Ovidio ranks the night’s performers from worst to best.

*The In Memorium performances will not be part of this ranking*

#11- Harry Styles- “As It Was”

Between reports from dancers that there were technical difficulties with the set and Styles has been on what seems like a never-ending tour, it feels like this performance was doomed from the start.

Styles looked tired, and his vocals were notably off, which is extremely unlike the energetic stage presence he is known for. Someone give this kid at least a month off, please.

#10- DJ Khaled with Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend and Friday- “God Did”

With an extremely surprising final award winner coming at the end of a FOUR HOUR SHOW, no one was sticking around to watch this, and the performance didn’t really give the audience a reason to want to.

#9- Luke Combs- “Going, Going, Gone”

A very solid performance that was just slated at a weird time of the night, which ultimately made it forgettable.

#8- Mary J. Blige- “Good Morning Gorgeous”

Blige is a music legend; her performance was similar to Combs, good but was forgettable, likely due to the time slot it was at.

#7- Brandi Carlile- “Broken Horses”

Carlile was initially a weird pick for the second performer of the night, considering she’s not as big a name as others on this list. The rocker was incredibly captivating and energetic.

#6- Sam Smith and Kim Petras- “Unholy”

I hate this song. The performance was exciting, and it’s fun to have some trivial controversy at award shows again.

#5- Bad Bunny- “El Apagón” and “Despúes de la Playa”

A great choice for an opener. Bad Bunny brought so much energy to this award show, and both the live audience and viewers at home had a great time during this set.

#4- Steve Lacy and Thundercat- “Bad Habit”

“Bad Habit” is still such a hit, even with its extreme popularity. Lacy’s live vocals were phenomenal.

If you have Taylor Swift, SZA and Beyoncé standing up and singing your song to you, you know you did something right.

#3- Lizzo- “About Damn Time” and “Special”

Lizzo is one of our best celebrities. It’s predictable she’d be near the top of this list.

She’s a fantastic live performer and played it smart. Leading in with her now-record-of-the-year hit “About Damn Time” and performing another track from her album.

#2- Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson and Chris Stapleton- “The Way You Do the Things You Do”, “Tears of a Clown” and “Higher Ground”

From the Motown tribute and the live vocals of these three, this performance was a necessary jolt of energy into the night. Stevie Wonder is exceptionally deserving of this lifetime achievement award, and Robinson and Stapleton were welcome additions to the set.

#1- The 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop

The tribute to Dr.Dre and also a celebration of the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop was the clear best performance. Curated by Questlove and the Roots, some of the biggest names in Hip Hop came to the Grammys and put on a show.

Between LL Cool J, OutKast, Missy Elliot, Nelly and younger artists like Lil Baby, Glorilla and Lil Uzi Vert, these performers kept the hits coming and had fun doing so.

Whoever decided to end the set with Lil Uzi Vert’s “I Just Wanna Rock” deserves a raise.

Sophia D’Ovidio is a second-year majoring in digital and print journalism. To contact her, email sgd5184@psu.edu.