The 19 Most Epic Glee Performances of All Time

The much-hyped 300th performance in the show's history didn't disappoint. While Glee is known for its clever mashups, it's only one of a handful where both songs come from the same artist. In this case, it was Adele's "Rumour Has It" and "Someone Like You." Bringing Mercedes and Santana together for these duets proved that Naya Rivera can hang with powerhouse Amber Riley.

Swoonsville! Enter Blaine Anderson (Darren Criss), as he makes his big debut in season two. It is during the Dalton Academy Warbler rendition of "Teenage Dream" that we see the potential Kurt and Blaine have together. Oh, and it made Darren Criss the crush of teenage girls around the world.

This rendition of "Teenage Dream" gave Glee its second No. 1 single on the Billboard Digital Songs Chart.

Sam (Chord Overstreet) and Quinn (Dianna Agron) were the picture-perfect couple of season two. Their duet of Jason Mraz's "Lucky" showed off Chord Overstreet's musicality and catapulted him to heartthrob status.

Glee's duets episode (episode four of season two) was a fan favorite, mostly because we got to see our favorite characters team up and build off each other. Just like Sam and Quinn stole our hearts with "Lucky," Mercedes and Santana proved they were a force to be reckoned with. This was the second duet from the ladies in Glee's history — most likely a result of their first performance of "The Boy Is Mine."

In season three's "Saturday Night Glee-ver," Unique (Alex Newell) is introduced to the show as a shy but confident student who heads up the New Directions' competitor Vocal Adrenaline. Unique, whose birth name is Wade Adams, is the first transgender character the show introduced. Unique is most confident when performing as a woman, and we get a first taste of this as she belts out the energetic and sassy "Boogie Shoes" as such — much to the dismay of her coach, Jesse St. James.

Glee is known for its bevy of flawless mashups, but the girls' rendition of The Rolling Stones' "Start Me Up" and Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer" could easily be in the top three. For many teen fans who didn't recognize these songs on their own, this was a great song! And for the adults who loved both singles, it was a fun, impressive take, syncing the two tracks together.

The only person missing from this powerhouse team is Artie (Kevin McHale)! During their tribute episode to Whitney Houston, Mercedes, Santana, Kurt, and Rachel sing one of Whitney's first hits, "How Will I Know" a cappella. The performance showed off the power of Adam Anders, Glee's executive music producer — he took a normally jazzy and upbeat song and molded it into something poignant and somber.

Naya Rivera's performance of Taylor Swift's country single "Mine" brought tears to most Gleeks' eyes. A pivotal point in Brittany and Santana's relationship, this moment universalized the song for the masses.

We've got to give it up for Gwyneth Paltrow. Her stint on Glee was a bit unexpected, but we were pleasantly surprised to see Holly Holliday had some pipes. Not to mention that this was the first appearance on the show by a bona fide movie star, which gave Glee some bragging rights. Picking a favorite performance was a toss-up, but ultimately we had to give it to her cover of "Landslide." Paltrow ended up winning an Emmy for her performance in 2011.

This is the very first mashup the show ever introduced as part of the sixth episode of season one. The magic of taking two completely different genres of music — rock and r&b — and syncopating them perfectly into a high-energy number was what captivated Glee fans and made mashups an integral part of the show's repertoire.

The power of Glee on the music industry is undeniable, as it could take relatively unknown songs and create legions of fans for those bands. One example of this was "We Are Young," originally performed by Fun. with Janelle Monae. The song was released by the band in September 2011; three months later, the song was covered by Glee, which helped gain the song massive commercial success. It's a favorite because it equally showcases all of the cast's vocals.

The first themed episode came from season one's "The Power of Madonna," which included some inspired numbers: "Express Yourself," "4 Minutes," and "Like a Virgin" (the first time we hear Santana sing!) all brought the house down. But the highlight of the episode is the gorgeous arrangement of "Like a Prayer."

When this song was performed, we were at episode five in the first season. And yes, we know all of these cast members are great singers — but we didn't realize their full potential until this song. We see Rachel and Finn shine in "Don't Stop Believin,'" but we get to hear Artie and Mercedes shine in the cover of the Queen classic. (Don't pretend like you don't get chills when Mercedes has her solo at the end.)

Following the death of Cory Monteith, we wondered how the show would handle losing a lead. While the tribute episode, "The Quarterback," had mixed reviews, something everyone can agree on is how beautiful the performance was at the top of the show. The New Directions (without Rachel), perform Rent's "Seasons of Love," before getting into any storyline in the show. They never discuss how Finn dies, and instead focus on the relationships he had within McKinley and the glee club.

Brittany might not have the strongest voice on the show, so putting her in a Beyoncé song isn't an obvious choice. However, she can dance better than anyone else — Heather Morris actually went on the tour with Queen B herself as a backup dancer, before Glee enlisted her as their resident airhead with a high IQ. Showing off her theatricality, performance skills, and her vocals, one of the more empowering numbers Glee had to offer was Britt's take on Beyoncé's "Run the World (Girls)."

The biggest twist of season one is Quinn's pregnancy, and it all culminates with her delivering the baby during the season finale, set perfectly to Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody."

I'm sure many of you were curious when we'd get to a Rachel solo! Here's the thing: there are too many to choose from. Lea Michele is a star in her own right, so there could easily be a whole list dedicated to her solos alone. When it comes down to it, "The Only Exception," a cover of Paramore's ballad, was a perfect Rachel Berry moment: a moment where we see her as a vulnerable teenage girl falling in love, instead of the a driven, type-A nuisance that many of her fellow glee club members have come to know. Plus, it's one of the best performances, both vocally and acting-wise, that Michele has in the history of the series.

OK, I know that "Loser Like Me" was the first original song released by Glee, and it did land them on the top of the iTunes charts, but "Light Up the World" is so much catchier! Like "Loser Like Me," producer Max Martin — who is known for producing hits for Britney Spears and Katy Perry — teamed up with executive music producer Adam Anders to create this single. It was one of three original songs performed in season two and, frankly, is still my favorite.

Where it all started is where it ends for me, too. Finn, Rachel, Kurt, Tina, Mercedes, and Artie put together a performance of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" that serves as the marquee performance of Glee's six-year run.

This performance is how Glee became a worldwide phenomenon.