2025 Coachella headliners this year, and her first weekend was full of great performances. The singer headlined the festival back in 2017, too, but this year, she went to new extremes to entertain her massive audience.

Gaga may have pivoted away from pop music for a while, but Mayhem was Gaga's big comeback. The album was a success, debuting at number one, and her Coachella performance proved she's here to stay. Here are the 11 best songs from her entire Coachella weekend 1 set, ranked.

11 How Bad Do U Want Me

Mayhem (2025)

When Mayhem dropped on March 7th, 2025, "How Bad Do U Want Me" became an instant viral hit on TikTok. The song received a lot of comparisons to Taylor Swift's music, and Gaga seemed to love that, as she reposted the comparison videos to her TikTok profile. Its success made "How Bad Do U Want Me" the perfect fit for Gaga's Coachella setlist. Playing into its synth beats, the singer started her performance at her keyboard. However, it wouldn't be a Gaga show if her keyboard wasn't decorated accordingly; this one was covered in skulls.

It wouldn't be a Gaga show if her keyboard wasn't decorated accordingly.

By the second verse, Gaga stepped away from her keyboard and performed the rest of the song, strutting up and down the runway like a true superstar. The singer was also dressed in a blue Victorian-era coat, fitting the theme of her performance, with black Maleficent-esque horns on her head. The "How Bad Do U Want Me" performance was high-energy and had the Coachella audience dancing and singing the words right back to Gaga.

10 Shallow

A Star Is Born (2018)

When Lady Gaga starred in the 2018 adaptation of A Star Is Born, it changed the trajectory of her career. She had dominated the music industry as one of the biggest pop stars of the late 2000s and 2010s, and now, she'd proven she was also a skilled actor. While she didn't take home the Best Actress Oscar, she did win Best Original Song for "Shallow."

The win would cement the song as one of Gaga's most popular and will likely make it onto the setlist of all her future tours. While Gaga is an A-plus performer when it comes to her pop hits, she's also incredible in her stripped-down performances. With just her vocals and piano, Gaga connected with her endless sea of fans who came out to the California desert to see her.

What made the performance especially touching was, after singing the line "In the bad times, I fear myself," Gaga told the audience, "If you're having bad times, I'm so sorry. I'll sing you this song." Gaga has always been incredibly comionate and aware of how her music has positively impacted her fans. Her "Shallow" performance and her mini-speech further showcased her desire to help others through her music.

9 Alejandro

The Fame Monster (2009)

It's always exciting when singers revisit their older, most popular songs. When "Alejandro" came out in 2008, it became Gaga's seventh consecutive Top 10 single on Billboard's Hot 100. It was all over the radio, and its accompanying music video drew a lot of attention due to Gaga's unique artistic style. When Gaga looked out into the Coachella crowd and asked, "Alejandro, is that you?" the audience went wild.

Gaga gave her performance a Victorian twist, standing on one of her stage's balconies as if she was in an opera house. While her dancers performed choreography on the main stage, Gaga remained on the balcony for the entirety of the performance. While the singer has performed "Alejandro" countless times throughout her career, the opera-inspired performance gave it new life. It proves how much of a creative genius Lady Gaga is and reiterates her innovation as an artist.

Don't call my name, don't call my name

Alejandro

I'm not your babe, I'm not your babe

Fernando

Don't wanna kiss, don't wanna touch

Just smoke my cigarette and hush

Don't call my name, don't call my name

Roberto

The coolest part was seeing the crowd of Coachella goers waving their hands in the air as Gaga sang her iconic chorus. While the singer puts a lot of effort into her choreography, the "Alejandro" performance proved her stage presence is strong enough that all she has to do is stand on a balcony and sing in order to get the crowd going.

8 Killah

Mayhem (2025)

Another popular Mayhem track is "Killah." Lady Gaga performed it live for the first time on Saturday Night Live, the weekend that Mayhem was released. While that performance had its own uniqueness to it, Gaga completely reinvented it for Coachella. "Killah" was the opening song for Act III of Gaga's set, titled "The Beautiful Nightmare That Knows Her Name." While it's easy to get on stage and sing well-known, decade-old hits, it's tougher to get crowds excited over new songs. However, Lady Gaga made it look effortless.

Strutting out in a one-piece blue and black ensemble, Gaga fit "Killah" perfectly onto her set list in between her well-known singles. Gaga performed iconic choreography alongside her backup dancers before moving toward her keyboard player to dance alongside him. However, the coolest part of the "Killah" performance was when Gaga started banging on a drumset for the song's outro.

While the singer is mainly known for her piano skills, she's actually skilled at various instruments, including the drums. The "Killah" outro was the perfect way for her to impress the audience by showcasing just how vast her talents range.

7 Born This Way

Born This Way (2011)

Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" was arguably the biggest song of 2011, and while it resonated with a vast audience of people, it was especially impactful for her LGBTQ+ fans. The community has always made up the majority of Gaga's fanbase, mainly because the singer has been so ive of them. While "Born This Way" was significant when it came out, it's even more necessary in today's political climate. Before her performance, Gaga gave a touching speech with a spiritual perspective, telling her audience, "We are all one."

While "Born This Way" was significant when it came out, it's even more necessary in today's political climate.

The speech felt extremely necessary in this divided world. Gaga remained high energy throughout the entire performance, even as she did mostly choreography with her backup dancers for the entire song. However, the most exciting part of the performance was when Gaga made her way down the runway, singing the song's bridge and final chorus as the audience soaked in the enthusiasm of Gaga and her dancers.

6 Garden Of Eden

Mayhem (2025)

For "Garden Of Eden," Gaga came on stage in a little black dress and a matching black veil while her stage lit up green. However, what really set the performance apart from the rest was when her background dancer handed her an electric guitar. She finished the remainder of the song, guitar in hands, even shredding the strings as she led her background dancers down the runway.

Like her drum playing, Gaga showcased how multi-talented she is. However, the "Garden Of Eden" performance also proved that while Gaga may be one of the best pop stars of her generation, she's a certified rockstar too.

5 Bad Romance

The Fame Monster (2009)

"Bad Romance" will always be one of Lady Gaga's best-known songs, which is why it's such a great closing song. Gaga left the stage before coming back out for her "Bad Romance" encore. However, while she was away, her fans were already preparing. One of the most emotional parts of the performance was when, during the silence before the encore, her fans began singing "Bad Romance" amongst themselves.

It showcased just how connected Gaga is with her fans, as they knew she would never finish a performance without singing the iconic hit. When Gaga did come back out, it was just as iconic as it was when the song was first released. It was extra special, as Gaga brought her dancers and band to the front of the stage to take their bows, giving them their moment to shine after a night of hard work and incredible performing.

4 Paparazzi

The Fame (2008)

"Paparazzi" is another one of Lady Gaga's most popular hits from her early career. However, for Coachella, she switched things up. In her bionic suit and crutches, inspired by the 2009 "Paparazzi" music video, Gaga climbed out of her sandbox from her previous song. For the live performance, the production was much different than the recorded song. Instead of an upbeat pop song, Gaga's band played a slower, rock-inspired melody.

I'm your biggest fan I'll follow you until you love me

Papa-paparazzi

Baby, there's no other superstar you know that I'll be

Your papa-paparazzi

Promise I'll be kind

But I won't stop until that boy is mine

During the second chorus, Gaga released her crutches and allowed the length of her dress to blow behind her. The side view was a beautiful expression of Gaga's artistic style. However, it also felt like a metaphor for freedom. Gaga has been open about her mental health experiences and feeling trapped by her public persona and fame itself. In the breathtaking "Paparazzi" performance, Gaga reinvented the song for a new decade and freed herself from her past.

3 Poker Face

The Fame (2008)

For "Poker Face," Gaga's stage transformed into a chess board. Gaga and her half of the background dancers were dressed in all black while the other half of the dancers were dressed in white, battling each other. However, the coolest element was that one dancer was dressed in an outfit inspired by Lady Gaga's The Fame Monster era. This was the leader of the white chess pieces and Gaga's nemesis. Gaga is very metaphorical in her performances and has emphasized her internal struggle between her good and bad sides throughout her career.

Gaga seemed to be representing her dark side, dressed in all black, while fighting with her more pure side, the Gaga in all white.

Gaga seemed to be representing her dark side, dressed in all black, while fighting with her more pure side, the Gaga in all white. In the end, Gaga's dark side won and demanded that the all-white Gaga be beheaded. This seemingly represented Gaga killing the part of her that felt pressured to be good and embracing the part of herself she previously felt ashamed of.

2 Perfect Celebrity

Mayhem (2025)

Act II of Gaga's Coachella set was titled "And She Fell Into A Gothic Dream." Gaga opened the second act with "Perfect Celebrity," Mayhem's fourth track. The song is about Gaga's experience in the spotlight, which she brought to life by lying in a sandbox alongside a skeleton. Dressed in white to match the skeleton, Gaga represented death and the way being in the spotlight often makes her feel like she's been murdered.

However, as the song went on, Gaga seemed to embrace this, even singing the song to the skeleton lying next to her. This was her first big performance of "Perfect Celebrity," which was a lot of pressure, but Gaga nailed it. The creative stage design and concept made it one of her best performances of the night.