Ranking Super Bowl Halftime Shows of the Last Decade
For many artists, the Super Bowl halftime show is the pinnacle of their musical career. Offering the opportunity to be seen by millions globally, promoters seek out popular artists with strong American presence to perform a medley of their biggest hits. Nowadays, however, with each new headliner announcement, the Super Bowl’s intentions and relevance in a modern era are widely debated. In this article, I will be ranking the last ten years’ worth of Super Bowl halftime shows, looking closely at the quality of performances and the trajectory of performers.
11. Justin Timberlake (2018)
2018 was a crazy choice for Justin Timberlake to do the Super Bowl Halftime Show. He opened the show with his freshly released single, “Filthy”, which had been panned by critics. Comparing it to other opening songs, or even highlights from Timberlake’s discography, choosing to set the tone with a song that few found memorable, and doing so in a confusing nightclub-esque setting hidden somewhere within the stage, felt underwhelming. Furthermore, the aesthetic, which drew from the 2018 Man of the Woods album, is genuinely perplexing considering “Filthy” is the only song from the album he performed. The aesthetic isn’t great to look at either, with one of the dancers wearing a bright orange fanny pack. It made the Super Bowl Halftime Show, which may have been a cumulation of his entire career up to this point, behave like a Man of the Woods promotional campaign.
While I only want to rate this performance based on the content provided, I do have to mention that an ‘NSYNC cameo would’ve been perfect for this halftime show. Just as Beyoncé brought out Destiny’s Child during her show, an homage to what launched his career would’ve brought some much-needed nostalgia.
Justin Timberlake is a great dancer, but most of the performance felt awkward. Many artists try their very best to look like they’re not trying at all, but he looks like he simply isn’t trying at all. Ending the show somewhere in the stands taking a selfie reiterates this point. There isn’t a level of pride within the artistry.
10. Maroon 5 (2019) (ft. Travis Scott and Big Boi)
My tentative ranking of Super Bowl halftime shows of the last decade had this one last, but I take that back. If Adam Levine had energy, this would be a pretty decent show. The song choices were fine, and they would’ve been good even, but he delivers such a lackluster vocal performance and doesn’t really have any stage presence. I did think that Travis Scott landing on stage via an asteroid was funny, but the yell-rapping was nearly unbearable. This show ultimately felt careless in its execution and would’ve benefited from a bit of soul.
9. Rihanna (2023)
Rihanna absolutely has the catalog for the Super Bowl, and it was great to see a lot of her most memorable work featured in the setlist. That being said, I think that the show was just sort of… there. There weren’t any particular moments that had me on the edge of my seat, or excited to see more, though I do like the design of the stage. Rihanna performed all of her hits and left, which is what she signed up to do, but this show was missing a stellar performance or true embodiment of the music.
8. Usher (2024)
While I enjoyed the intro, and thought all of the dancers did a wonderful job throughout, I think Usher’s performance only really picks up around “Confessions”, which is nearly halfway through. H.E.R.’s guitar cameo was cool, and the performance of “Yeah!” was a lot of fun. This show is good, but I think the primetime for Usher to have done this was a decade ago. He still had a catalog of hits and probably would’ve found his groove from the outset of the performance.
7. Dr. Dre (2022)
This performance is a lot of things. It’s a Dr. Dre show, it’s a Snoop Dogg show, it’s a Tupac tribute, it’s a 50 Cent show, it’s a Mary J. Blige show, it’s a Kendrick Lamar show, it’s an Eminem show. But it’s not exactly a cohesive show. I appreciate what this show attempts to do by showing Dr. Dre with his musical protégés and celebrating his influence on music. However, by including so many artists—all of whom could host their own halftime shows—and shoving them into a fourteen-minute time slot, the show felt all over the place in its messaging and execution. That isn’t to say that the performances were bad. I thoroughly enjoyed Kendrick Lamar’s performance of “Alright”—the dancers were on point and the message was powerful—but the performances were rushed because of the time constraints. Picking two to three artists and giving them a chance to shine on stage would’ve made for a far less disorienting show.
For years before this halftime show, discourse had been swirling around that the Super Bowl was not interested in giving hip-hop artists the halftime show. Maybe this show intended to quell that critique, but the lesson learned became clear with Kendrick Lamar’s future halftime show: the fewer artists on stage, the more engaging and thoughtful the performance.
6. Coldplay (2016)
Coldplay can always put on a great show. They have incredibly vibrant songs and have a lot of audience engagement. They make sense as a Super Bowl headliner. However, choosing Beyoncé and Bruno Mars as special guests means that I will only talk about Beyoncé and Bruno Mars, who are in a league of their own as performers.
When Bruno Mars headlined the Super Bowl in 2014, as a relatively new artist, he already had a catalogue of hits up his sleeve. Some highlights from that show include “Locked Out of Heaven” and “Runaway Baby”. But the Super Bowl hadn’t seen the mega smash hit of “Uptown Funk”, which would release later that same year. “Uptown Funk” is truly the perfect Super Bowl halftime show, and Mars’ performance of it at this halftime show was incredible.
Beyoncé headlined the halftime show in 2013 which was equally as momentous. And by the time this Super Bowl rolled around, she had just released, “Formation”, the lead single from her monumental album Lemonade; the performance was showstopping, from Beyoncé’s entry to the dancers to the palpable energy.
I of course have to mention the dance battle between Beyoncé and Bruno Mars with the reprisal of “Uptown Funk”. I genuinely forgot this was Coldplay’s halftime show until Chris Martin popped up out of nowhere towards the end. The finale with Beyoncé, Bruno, and Coldplay at the end was nice, but it almost felt like a reminder that this was supposed to be the Coldplay show. It was great to watch, but that was all because of the special guests and the unmatched energy they brought.
5. The Weeknd (2021)
The COVID show. The Weeknd definitely makes the most of it, though!
The scenery and intro are captivating, and it’s refreshing to watch a spectacle of an intro. “Starboy” was an excellent opener, and The Weeknd is a great vocalist who has the energy to maintain a show, especially one with no audience where he’s singing to a camera at all times. I also love the creativity throughout—especially during the performance of “Can’t Feel My Face” with all the dancers running around. “Blinding Lights” was of course an excellent closer, and overall this is a great halftime show, especially for one that didn’t have the benefit of the crowd.
4. Katy Perry (2015)
Katy absolutely delivers on the visuals of this show. This felt like a mini–California Dreams Tour rather than a halftime show. MULTIPLE costume changes, entering by standing on top of a giant lion as she belted “Roar”, flying around the stadium on a shooting star, and somehow managing all of that in less than fifteen minutes was an impressive feat. The rendition of “I Kissed A Girl” with Lenny Kravitz was my highlight of this show—I appreciate Katy’s big pop hits, but choosing an innovative angle and playing with the artistry of her music made this show even more exciting.
3. Kendrick Lamar (2025)
This was such a great performance! The metaphor of Uncle Sam throughout the show was engaging commentary. Kendrick also had great song picks throughout. I think the natural highlight of this show was “Not Like Us”, but that isn’t necessarily just because of the song’s excellence! Kendrick has a lot of fun with this performance and builds the anticipation for the song part of the performance itself, which was very creative. I’m also glad he ended the show with “tv off”: the perfect choice to conclude a both entertaining and thought-provoking halftime show.
2. Shakira and Jennifer Lopez (2020)
Shakira and Jennifer Lopez’s halftime show sparks a similar debate to Dr. Dre’s—Shakira and Jennifer Lopez are both incredibly well-established artists with enough hits to headline the Super Bowl solo. While the decision to have them share a show is questionable, the show itself is excellent. Shakira is a once-in-a-generation performer; not only does she sing incredibly well, but she is also dancing throughout the show AND playing various instruments. Jennifer Lopez’s set was just as amazing, especially the flow between her and J Balvin’s appearances (the remixes were seamless and made for an awesome dynamic). I thoroughly enjoyed watching this performance, and I think it strikes the perfect balance between bringing the spectacle that the Super Bowl is known for and making that feel grounded and sincere.
1. Lady Gaga (2017)
This may be my favorite halftime show of all time. It’s genuinely breathtaking. Opening with “God Bless America” on the stadium’s roof before skydiving on stage will always be iconic. I love halftime shows with grand entrances, and Gaga absolutely nails it. But she maintains this show-stopping energy throughout the show, from when she’s singing, dancing, and playing the keyboard all at once during “Just Dance” or captivating the audience with “Million Reasons”. Gaga not only understood what the halftime show meant like legends before her, but exceeded every bar to create a show that had a lasting impact and redefined what it means to be a superstar and an entertainer in this century. I just really love this show. Crafted with such a clear intention, the show was absolute perfection!