The Best, Worst, and Weirdest Moments of the 2022 Grammy Awards

The 64th Annual Grammy Awards aired Sunday night from Las Vegas, taking place in the shadow of a wildly controversial Oscars ceremony from just one week prior. It’s been a tough few years for the Recording Academy, which has dealt with internal strife, accusations of backdoor dealing, and the defection of some of music’s biggest stars: Drake and The Weeknd have publicly renounced the Grammy’s legitimacy, while Kanye West was banned from this ceremony due to “concerning online behavior.” But in their place, a younger group of superstars asserted their claim to the center of the pop world at the 2022 Grammy Awards, from Olivia Rodrigo to Billie Eilish to Lil Nas X. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Jon Batiste was one of the big early winners, scooping awards for both his album We Are and for composing the music for the Disney film Soul. The Foo Fighters, mourning the death of drummer Taylor Hawkins, swept all three categories in which they were nominated, including Best Rock Album (Medicine at Midnight) and Best Rock Song (“Waiting on a War”). Trevor Noah hosted for the second year in a row. Here are some of the best and worst moments of the night. Best: Olivia Rodrigo’s debut Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The Recording AcademyOlivia Rodrigo performs onstage during the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on April 03, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. It’s been a long fifteen months since Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drivers License” took the internet by storm, breaking all sorts of streaming records and soundtracking countless re-enactments and tributes on TikTok. On Sunday, Rodrigo proved on music’s biggest stage that “Drivers License” wasn’t just a flavor-of-the-month TikTok trend but an era-defining torch ballad. She howled with anguish, as if reliving her first teenage heartbreak, on a cinematic set of a dusty small town, with birds (or maybe debris) fluttering in the background. On shows like Tiny Desk, Rodrigo has shown that she has huge pipes despite not performing live until last year—and her Grammy debut firmly inserted her into a lineage of great balladeers like Stevie Nicks, Brandi Carlile, and Adele. Rodrigo later won Best New Artist, proclaiming onstage, “This is my biggest dream come true.” Most Vegas: BTS Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty ImagesBTS perform onstage during the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on April 03, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. BTS was practically made for Vegas: a slick and ultra-polished group of multi-hyphenates fueled by perfectionism, gaudy showmanship, and a love for pop culture. So they looked completely in their element in their performance of their #1 hit “Butter,” delivered with the craftsmanship and practiced joy of the most seasoned performers on the strip. The group began with V flirting with the it-girl of the night, Olivia Rodrigo, and Jungkook descending from the ceiling. .@oliviarodrigo makes an appearance in @BTS_twt's #GRAMMYs performance of #BTS_Butter pic.twitter.com/yVUmbINreb — MTV NEWS (@MTVNEWS) April 4, 2022 The group, dressed in monochrome suits, proceeded to live out their cosplay dreams of Mission Impossible and Now You See Me, jumping over laser beams and flinging cards across the room. As their shiny shoes swept across the floor, nary a heel kick or jump was out of place.