Ah, the Super Bowl halftime show—a tradition as sacred as overpriced beer, soul-crushing commercials, and teams playing in a game no one outside of America cares about. While some halftime shows have been genuinely spectacular, others have been absolute dumpster fires, worthy of their own hot garbage praise. So let’s take a look at the highs and lows of Super Bowl halftime history, because if you’ve survived both, you deserve a medal.

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The 5 Best Super Bowl Halftime Performances

1. Prince – Super Bowl XLI (2007)

If you didn’t scream-sing to Purple Rain while actual rain poured down during this performance, do you even have a soul? Prince somehow made a rainstorm look like it was part of his grand plan, playing flawlessly and reminding everyone why he’s one of the greatest artists to ever walk the planet. And just to rub it in, he performed on a stage shaped like his own symbol. The only thing missing was him riding off on a cloud like the literal legend he was.

2. Beyoncé – Super Bowl XLVII (2013)

If you blinked during Beyoncé’s performance, that’s on you. Bey brought her usual dominance, delivering a performance that made people question whether they were watching a football game or the opening act to the end of humanity (in a good way). And then she brought out Destiny’s Child for a reunion that shook everyone to their core. The lights even went out after her performance—coincidence? Nah, that’s just Beyoncé shutting it down, literally.

3. Michael Jackson – Super Bowl XXVII (1993)

The King of Pop did what no one thought was possible: he made the Super Bowl halftime show an actual thing. Before MJ, the halftime shows were glorified marching band performances. Michael turned it into a concert, pulling out his greatest hits and dazzling with moves that are still iconic. Sure, it was lip-synced—but who cares when you’re seeing moonwalks and a stadium full of children holding hands?

4. Shakira & Jennifer Lopez – Super Bowl LIV (2020)

Was this performance basically a party disguised as a halftime show? Yes. Did we all love every second of it? Absolutely. Shakira’s dance moves, JLo’s energy, and the fact that this show was unapologetically Latin in the middle of mainstream America’s biggest event made it an instant classic. The duo gave us everything—vocals, choreography, spectacle, and a reminder that age is just a number.

5. U2 – Super Bowl XXXVI (2002)

U2’s halftime show wasn’t flashy or full of stunts, but it didn’t need to be. Coming just a few months after 9/11, the band delivered a tribute that felt deeply personal and meaningful. The names of victims scrolling behind them as they played Where the Streets Have No Name was enough to give everyone chills, and it was one of the few halftime shows that went beyond entertainment and hit something deeper.

The 5 Worst Super Bowl Halftime Performances

1. Black Eyed Peas – Super Bowl XLV (2011)

If auto-tune had a worst-case scenario, it would be this performance. The Black Eyed Peas tried to bring their futuristic vibes to the Super Bowl, but all they achieved was looking like the entertainment at a children’s birthday party on Mars. Between Fergie’s painful vocals and a staging that felt like a low-budget knockoff of Tron, it was clear this was an experiment that should never have seen the light of day.

2. Maroon 5 – Super Bowl LIII (2019)

Let’s be real: Maroon 5 was already skating on thin ice with their music by 2019, and their halftime show did nothing to redeem them. Sure, Adam Levine took his shirt off like it was going to save the day (it didn’t), and the performance was so forgettable that people were more excited about the SpongeBob meme that showed up than anything Maroon 5 did. Bland, boring, and barely a blip on the Super Bowl radar.

3. Indiana Jones & Patti LaBelle – Super Bowl XXIX (1995)

Okay, whose idea was it to mix Indiana Jones with the Super Bowl halftime show? This fever dream of a performance featured fire dancers, a giant golden idol, and Patti LaBelle singing New Attitude for some reason. It felt less like a halftime show and more like a rejected Disney World attraction. The result? A weird, disjointed mess that left everyone scratching their heads.

4. Coldplay – Super Bowl 50 (2016)

What do you get when you book one of the most chill bands in history for the most high-energy show of the year? A snooze fest. Coldplay tried, but let’s be honest: they were completely overshadowed by Beyoncé and Bruno Mars, who came in like the Avengers and stole the show. Coldplay might make great music for studying, but they are not halftime show material. This performance was so bland, people had to take a nap after watching it.

5. Justin Timberlake – Super Bowl LII (2018)

Timberlake came back to the halftime stage hoping to make people forget about the incident from 2004 (more on that later), but instead he just proved that maybe he should have stayed home. The setlist was all over the place, the visuals were a hot mess, and worst of all, he tried to pay tribute to Prince in the most cringe-worthy way possible. The backlash was swift, and the performance landed him on the list of halftime shows we’d all like to forget.

There you have it, the absolute best and worst of Super Bowl halftime history. Whether you’re a fan of the spectacular or a connoisseur of cringe, at least we can all agree that when halftime hits, you never quite know if you’re in for a legendary moment or something you’ll spend the next decade trying to forget.