Who exactly was waiting for the American Music Awards to come back?

Not many of music’s hottest stars, who used to use the AMAs to shamelessly promote their latest projects in a way that wouldn’t be allowed on the Grammys. And with the awards driven by fan voting, the biggest acts could pretty much guarantee that they wouldn’t go home empty-handed — in fact, many A-listers may have known that fact in advance of showing up to the party.

But for the first time since 2022, the AMAs were back Monday night, in Las Vegas — rather than the usual Los Angeles — at the Fontainebleau. After last year’s 50th anniversary special, the 51st edition of the awards was also on a new network CBS — after its long history on ABC — on Memorial Day instead of its traditional pre-Thanksgiving slot in November.

The rumor was that Taylor Swift — who holds the record for the most AMAs with 40 — might show up to announce the release of her “Taylor’s Version” re-recording of 2017’s “Reputation.”

But alas, not even Swift — who has been a supporter of the AMAs while other superstars have snubbed it — was willing to pull herself away from her barbecue plate on this Memorial Day to attend the awards hosted by Jennifer Lopez for the second time.

Top nominee Kendrick Lamar, leading with 10 nods, didn’t bother to show either in the midst of a tour. (Although his tourmate SZA did.) Billie Eilish, the big winner picking up seven trophies, was also a no-show.

Instead, in the old tradition of Las Vegas, the show was filled with either old-timers or not-quite-old-timers, from J.Lo and Janet Jackson to Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton to Gloria Estefan and Rod Stewart.

It might have been better called the AARP Music Awards.

Here were the best and worst moments of an unmemorable Memorial Day night.

BEST: Jennifer Lopez’s dance opening

Just as she did 10 years ago in 2015, Lopez opened as host by performing a dance medley featuring some of the top hits of the past year, from Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather” and Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” to Shaboozey’s “Tipsy” and Lamar’s “Not Like Us.” And she even kissed both male and female dancers during her bit of Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things.”

It’s been a rough 15 months for Lopez — from the flop of her “This Is Me … Now” project to her canceled tour and divorce from Ben Affleck — but this reminded us of what J.Lo probably does best: dance. Which the former Fly Girl still does better than women half her age at 55.

WORST: Jennifer Lopez as host

Basically, Lopez was a non-host for most of the show — a point that was driven home when Nikki Glaser, who presided over the Golden Globes, appeared as a presenter and immediately injected more presence than J.Lo. Really, it was an excuse for Lopez to make some fabulous costume changes. Still, she brought much-needed star power to the whole affair.

BEST: Benson Boone

The “Beautiful Things” singer was one of the few hot young artists to show up this year, and he provided a welcome jolt of glittery, purple-suited swag — complete with his signature flips — when he crooned his new tune “Magical Mystical” from his upcoming album “American Heart,” due June 20. It was a reminder of the way the AMAs used to showcase the breakout artists of the moment. Boone, just 22, is certainly one of them.

BEST: Gwen Stefani

After an introduction by her husband Blake Shelton — who had made his debut AMAs performance with “Stay Country or Die Tryin’” earlier — Stefani took the stage to sing a medley of new song “Shallow My Tears” plus classic hits “The Sweet Escape” and “Hollaback Girl.” Although it felt a little Vegas-y — perhaps apropos for the setting — it was a nostalgic trip back to the days when she was one of the biggest pop divas in the game.

BEST/WORST: Janet Jackson

It was great to see Miss Jackson back performing on TV for the first time in seven years — and on the same network where all that Super Bowl drama went down 21 years ago. When she delivered “Someone to Call My Lover” — which has found new life and a new generation having gone viral on TikTok — and “All for You” before accepting the Icon Award, we were indeed witnessing a true icon.

But couldn’t she have gotten someone better than her “Why Did I Get Married?” co-star Tasha Smith to present her with the award? Or it could have been a series of tributes also including, say, Ciara, who was in the audience. Or SZA, whose “Ctrl” harks back to Jackson’s “Control.” Even J.Lo, who appeared in Jackson’s “That’s the Way Love Goes” video, would’ve made this moment more of a highlight.

WORST: Renee Rapp

Rapp hasn’t quite earned the right to perform a new song, “Leave Me Alone,” at a major awards show. But it says a lot about the lack of top-tier talent that she got to do just that. If you’e going to get such a showcase, you better blow us away, but this didn’t.

WORST: Eminem wins Favorite Male Hip-Hop Artist

How exactly did Eminem beat Lamar to win the award for Favorite Male Hip-Hop Artist? (Not to mention Drake, Future and Tyler the Creator.) Well, that sums up exactly why the American Music Awards aren’t taken seriously. Sorry, guys, this is 2025, not 2005. At least Lamar wasn’t present to get dissed like that in person. Adding to the ludicrousness of it all, why the hell was Heidi Klum presenting this?

BEST: Shaboozey’s side eye to Megan Maroney

As they presented Favorite Country Duo or Group — won by Dan + Shay — Shaboozey gave Megan Moroney the fiercest of side eyes when she said that the Carter Family “basically invented country music.” Of course, it wasn’t Moroney’s fault — she was just reading off the teleprompter. But it was clear that Shaboozey — who has tapped into the black roots of country music — wasn’t about to drink the Kool-Aid.

WORST: Artist of the Year no-shows

Eilish, Swift, Lamar, SZA, Ariana Grande, Chappell Roan, Post Malone, Sabrina Carpenter, Morgan Wallen and Zach Bryan were all nominated for the final award — Artist of the Year — but only SZA bothered to show. And the winner announced by Jon Batiste — Eilish — sent in a taped message.

When the awards can’t even get most of the nominees to show up, what’s the point?