SNL’s 51st season followed the milestone energy of season 50 and included notable cast turnover, including Bowen Yang’s departure. Musical guests remained varied and eventful, spanning contemporary chart-toppers, heavily promoted emerging artists, and established legends. The lineup included Sabrina Carpenter, Harry Styles, Noah Kahan, A$AP Rocky, Sombr, Olivia Dean, Olivia Rodrigo, Role Model, Dijon, Geese, Paul McCartney, and Cher. Ranking performances was difficult because sound mixes improved while outcomes remained unpredictable. The season’s musical performances avoided extreme failure, making evaluation especially tricky. The season’s video performances were available via YouTube links and also streamed on Peacock.
"SNL's 51st season was bound to feel transitional: It followed the round-numbered spectacle of Season 50, which produced many accompanying specials and celebrations, and it accompanied a fair bit of cast turnover including Bowen Yang, who departed with a song midway through the season, accompanied by Cher and Ariana Grande."
"But, in terms of official musical guests, the lineup was as eventful as ever, as bookers mixed contemporary pop, rock and hip-hop chart-toppers (Sabrina Carpenter, Harry Styles, Noah Kahan, A$AP Rocky, Sombr, Olivia Dean, Olivia Rodrigo), heavily promoted up-and-comers (Role Model, Dijon, Geese) and elder legends (Paul McCartney, Cher)."
"Ranking any given SNL season's music is always a fool's errand, a fact reflected in the byline at the top of this page. As always, many factors can affect where a performance ranks SNL's sound mixes were improved this season, but they're always a crapshoot and this season's crop felt particularly tricky to evaluate because nothing sank all the way into train-wreck territory."
"As always, we've included links for the videos that are still streaming on YouTube, but if you're all about rigorous cross-checking, each of these sets is still streaming on Peacock. 20. Role Model, "Sally, When the Wine Runs Out" and "Some Protector" (10/11/25)"
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