The best Coachella headliners ever (2024)

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Breaking a record set only a few years prior, Billie Eilish became the youngest to headline Coachella in 2022. The “Bad Guy” singer, who was only 20 then, apologized to an energized crowd that she wasn’t Beyonce but let them know how grateful she was to be there. However, it wasn’t like this was her first rodeo. Eilish had already headlined a handful of headlining tours before wowing the Coachella crowd for the first time.

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Coachella had a lot of amazing headliners in 2018, and while it was hard to top one of them, Eminem came pretty close when he brought out the likes of his mentor Dr. Dre, his protégé 50 Cent, and his “Last One Standing” partner Skylar Grey. It was a star-studded set overflowing with all the hits fans came to see, plus more, playing over 30 songs that night.

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For those looking for a bit of trivia to impress their friends, it’s important to note that Rage Against the Machine has not only played Coachella twice but also was one of the first headliners of the world-renowned festival back when it kicked off in 1999. They would’ve been back a third time in 2020, but everyone knows why that year was eventually canceled.

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Not only did he bust out a One Direction cover alongside Lizzo, but he also brought out one of his personal favorites, Shania Twain, for “Man! I Feel Like a Woman.”

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Aside from the first, Coachella is always held in April in the depths of the California desert. So it can be a little more than toasty, but that did not stop the diehard goth fans of The Cure from coming out and supporting the ‘80s darlings who headlined the festival in the 2000s.

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For the longest time, Coachella leaned more toward rock and alternative when it came to headliners, but it was Jay-Z who broke the hip-hop seal when he headlined in 2010. Since then, a number of hip-hop artists have added “Coachella Headliner” to their resumes, and it’s all thanks to Hova himself.

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If there was one rock band no one could escape in the 2010s, it was Muse, so much so that they headlined the festival twice in less than five years.

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When it comes to modern-day pop stars, Ariana Grande is it, but when it came time for her to headline Coachella, she used it as an opportunity to not only pay homage to one of the biggest names in music but also live out the fangirl fantasy of every millennial. She performed with four members of NSYNC. That was enough to make her name synonymous with the festival forever.

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The first time Arcade Fire headlined Coachella, they’d just won Album of the Year at the Grammys for The Suburbs. Not too long after, they were back for another stunning performance alongside another iconic rock band, Muse.

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In a set with almost a dozen and a half songs, The Weeknd amazed with his material but also with a couple of covers of songs by hip-hop artists who helped pave the way, headlining before him: Drake and Kanye West.

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Many wondered whether the band many knew as animated would show up or if it’d just be a cartoon performance when the Gorillaz were announced. Luckily for fans there, it wasn’t some Nicktoons-like concert. The band was there and left the crowd wanting more.

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Those who’ve seen Lady Gaga live know all too well that she does not merely come out and sing. She performs with every ounce of her being. Her vocals matched with the high-octane dance routines she’s known for, it was a moment.

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Bjork is one of those performers who, even if someone is not her biggest fan, will make sure to stay until her set just to see her eccentricities for themselves.

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The thing about OutKast and Coachella is that their performance came several years after their last official release. They’d been on a sort of hiatus, and many fans thought seeing them was a dream that’d be left unrealized. However, the Atlanta pair came out of semi-retirement for one show-stopping performance with the likes of Future and Sleepy Brown accompanying them.

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If there is one thing Coldplay can and will do, it’s put on a show for a festival. Coachella was just one of the many as they’ve done Austin City Limits, Glastonbury, Lollapalooza, Rock in Rio, and many, many more in their incredible career.

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Prince could have walked out, played no more than two seconds on his guitar, walked off, and he’d still be one of the best Coachella has and will ever have. Alas, he delighted the crowd with two dozen songs, including all the signatures that made him a household name like “1999,” “Purple Rain,” and “Let’s Go Crazy.”

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Depeche Mode may have gotten their start in the ‘70s, but concertgoers in the 21st century couldn’t get enough of them when they took the stage.

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Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre are icons when it comes to music. They helped establish West Coast rap in the ‘90s and were welcomed to Coachella for that reason alone. However, they made history when joined by the festival’s first-ever…hologram. Yes, if a Coachella moment gets talked about in history classes, it will be the time Snoop and Dre brought out a hologram of their late friend, Tupac Shakur.

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The Beatles never got the chance, but Sir Paul McCartney was definitely more than enough.

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The only artist that may come close to topping what Beyonce did at Coachella is, well, Beyonce.