10 Greatest American Music Award Performances

With the American Music Awards quickly approaching, fans are gearing up for performances from Taylor Swift, Cardi B, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez, Carrie Underwood, Post Malone, Shawn Mendes, Twenty One Pilots and more. Hosted by black-ish star Tracee Ellis Ross, the awards ceremony will be the first of its kind for Swift in nearly three years, as well as Cardi B’s first since delivering her and husband Offset’s daughter, Kulture.

Before settling in for Tuesday night’s AMAs, relive some of the most memorable performances from the iconic fan-based awards show.

Prince & The Revolution, “Purple Rain,” 1985

Not only did Prince take home three awards at the 1985 AMAs, but he also delivered one of the show’s most iconic performances in its nearly 50-year history. With “Purple Rain,” he showed off his stratospheric vocals, insane guitar solos and his seemingly effortless ability to transcend the stage.

Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, “We Are The World,” 1986

Pop music icons Diana Ross and Michael Jackson led a number of artists who appeared on the recording for “We Are the World,” a single organized for charity. Proceeds for the song’s sales, which exceeded 20 million copies, went toward the eradication of hunger in Africa. In addition to Ross and Jackson, the star-studded performance included singers like Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, Sheila E., Elizabeth Taylor, Smokey Robinson, Kim Carnes, Michael Douglas and Janet Jackson.

*NSYNC, “Bye Bye Bye,” 20000

Who could forget *NYSNC’s dramatic lookalike puppets and iconic boy band dance moves when the Justin Timberlake-led group took the AMAs stage in 2000? This performance not only forever solidified them in boy band history, but also helped launch their most successful album yet.

Britney Spears, “I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman,” 2002

Britney Spears went from a “not that innocent” temptress in “Oops!…I Did It Again” to a maturing young woman with her personal performance of “I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman” at the 2002 AMAs. The ballad allowed her to show the world a different side to her, strengthening her roots as a pop music heroine.

Beyoncé, “Single Ladies,” 2008

Years before Beyoncé wowed the world with Lemonade, she embodied her onstage persona as Sasha Fierce and performed “Single Ladies” from her album I Am…Sasha Fierce. The performance with just two backup dancers (including Glee and Dancing With the Stars alum Heather Morris) showed the world exactly how fierce Queen Bey could be.

Janet Jackson, Medley, 2009

Five years after her and Justin Timberlake’s “Nipplegate” fiasco at the 2004 Super Bowl Halftime Show, Janet Jackson took the AMA stage for a medley of songs that spanned the entirety her incredibly successful career. Including hits like “Control,” “What Have You Done for Me Lately” and “Together Again,” she dedicated the heartfelt number to her late brother, Michael Jackson, who died earlier that year.

Miley Cyrus, “Wrecking Ball,” 2013

Who could forget Miley Cyrus’ bizarre “Wrecking Ball” performance at the 2013 AMAs — or the larger-than-life lip-synching cat that stole the spotlight behind her? Just months after delivering her controversial “Blurred Lines” performance with Robin Thicke at the MTV Video Music Awards, the nation’s eye was on this new, edgy Miley, who seemed determined to prove she was no longer the Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana sweetheart.

Taylor Swift, “Blank Space,” 2014

Leaning into the success of her then-new single “Blank Space,” Taylor Swift ignited the start of the 2014 AMAs with a flying, flame-filled performance. The world was fully introduced to the country-pop crossover’s love for theatrics and dragging exes as she gave “Blank Space” the extravagant performance it deserved.

Jessie J, Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj, “Bang Bang”, 2014

The supergroup every pop music fan is dying for came together to perform “Bang Bang” during the 2014 AMAs — with a little added star power, to boot. Jessie J kicked off the hit by dancing with A-list celebrities in the audience like Khloé Kardashian, Taylor Swift, Sam Smith, Karlie Kloss and Lorde before kicking it off to Grande, who held her own onstage Nicki Minaj came out for her verse. It’s safe to say there wasn’t a single person in the audience not dancing during the powerful performance.

Alanis Morisette, Demi Lovato, “You Oughta Know,” 2015

Fans flashed back in time at the 2015 AMAs during Alanis Morisette’s iconic “You Oughta Know,” power ballad, for which she brought out Lovato in a fresh rendition. The two shared the stage, smoldering stars and badass outfits during the 1995 single off Jagged Little Pill.

The 2018 American Music Awards debut from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles at 8 p.m. Tuesday on ABC.