The 5 best Super Bowl halftime shows - ranked

The Super Bowl is the most-watched television event in the US, which means whoever performs during the halftime show is playing the biggest stage in the country.

Which makes the stakes of that short burst of entertainment relatively colossal. 

The modern Super Bowl halftime show as we know it started in 1991 with New Kids on the Block (previous shows featured a theme with marching bands and various performance groups), and it's stayed relatively consistent since: A pop star (or stars) takes over the field with props, backup dancers, probably pyrotechnics, and possibly even a live band, and goes through a rundown of their hits in a handful of minutes.

But the quality and tone of the shows have been all over the map, from the save-the-world vibe of early years with NKOTB and Michael Jackson, to Janet Jackson's Nipplegate and Katy Perry's campy Left Shark.

We revisited all the halftime shows since 1991 and ranked the very best: