The Best Memes & Tweets From The 2023 Grammys

Even before the ceremony officially began on Feb. 5, the 2023 Grammys promised to be a pretty buzzy evening. For starters, there was Beyoncé’s historic nomination count. Not only was she the most-nominated artist of the year with nine nods, but she tied with her own husband, Jay-Z, as the most-nominated artist in history. (Ultimately, she would become the most-awarded artist ever — more on that below.)

There was also plenty to look forward to, like seeing Adele, who promised she’d return to the show six years after 25 and “Hello” swept the 2017 Grammys — leaving fans to wonder whether she might have a repeat success with 30.

Of course, there was rampant speculation about who might perform on music’s biggest night — a guessing game that was only exacerbated when host Trevor Noah teased a few surprise performances ahead of the big night.

When it finally arrived, Twitter was all over every moment.

Bad Bunny’s Opening Act

Bad Bunny began the show on a lively note, with a performance of “El Apagón” and “Después de la Playa” from his latest release, Un Verano Sin Ti (an Album of the Year nominee). The high energy was enough to get several stars up on their feet to dance, including Taylor Swift. “Award shows are good again,” remarked the Los Angeles Times’ David Viramontes about the playful scene.

Incidentally, both Bad Bunny and Swift have the distinction of being 2022’s first and second most-streamed artists globally, per Spotify — so they’re definitely in good company with each other.

Jack Harlow had to get in on the fun, too.

Beyoncé’s Late Arrival

As the artist with the most nominations at this year’s Grammys, it’s no surprise that Beyoncé was on many viewers’ minds — even if she wasn’t on their screens. Yep, the Renaissance musician was nowhere to be found when “Cuff It” was announced as Best R&B Song, one of the first awards of the evening.

Host Trevor Noah promised that she was simply caught in LA traffic. Of course, that didn’t stop the Beyhive from buzzing about her absence in the meantime.

Later on, Noah paused the show to announce Beyoncé was finally in the building.

Kim Petras’ Historic Win

While the 2023 Grammys was filled with chaotic moments, it also included several heartfelt ones — like when Sam Smith and Kim Petras won Best Pop Group/Duo Performance for “Unholy,” making Petras the first openly transgender woman to win the award.

She thanked her friend, the late musician Sophie, “who told me this would happen and always believed in me.”

Harry Styles’ Performance

Harry Styles took to the stage to perform “As It Was,” after winning Best Pop Album for Harry’s House earlier in the evening. Fans noticed that his reported ex, Swift, was cheering him on from the audience. (Fitting, because Styles was dressed like a literal “mirrorball.”)

A bird’s eye view of the audience confirms Swift was, in fact, dancing along to the song.

It was a sweet callback to a moment the pair shared two years ago at the 2021 Grammys, when Swift celebrated Styles winning Best Pop Solo Performance for “Watermelon Sugar.”

Beyoncé’s Record-Breaking Win

The biggest moment of the evening happened when Beyoncé won Best Dance/Electronic Music Album for Renaissance — officially making her the most-awarded artist in Grammy history.

A Controversial Album Of The Year

The final award of the evening went to Styles, which surprised viewers — including many who were hoping that Beyoncé’s Renaissance would win to cap off her historic night.