Katy Perry Gets Awesome 'American Idol' Tribute on Her Final Episode

Katy Perry got a sweet sendoff on the TV show she's been on for 7 years -- with "American Idol" paying tribute to her by having the remaining contestants sing a bunch of her songs.

The pop star showed up on 'Idol' Sunday night for the season finale ... and before they announced the winner (Abi Carter), Ryan Seacrest and co. gave KP her own special moment in the broadcast ... and of course, it included music.

The 'Idol' producers brought back the Top 12 girls -- several of whom had already been eliminated, but only appeared for this highlight -- to belt out a medley of Katy's biggest songs ... including "Teenage Dream," "Dark Horse" and "California Girls."

As you can imagine ... it made for an awesome performance -- both in-person and on TV -- with all the ladies harmonizing as they hop-scotched their way through Katy's most iconic hits.

Katy herself looked on from the judge's table ... and once the tribute wrapped, she gave a big round of applause -- and even hopped up on the table itself to show her approval.

It was a fitting farewell for Katy -- who's been with the show since 2018, when 'Idol' was revived at ABC ... this after being on FOX for years. Her, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan were the new trio of judges ... taking the reins from past icons such as Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson.

Katy's been a bit polarizing at times ... kinda serving as the tough-love judge. But, she's been crucial in the new wave of 'Idol' success -- which is why her sudden departure was shocking.

As we reported ... Katy announced her departure earlier this year, suggesting she wanted to get back into music of her own full-time, news she seemed to drop without a heads up to Lionel or Luke.

Now, in terms of who'll replace her, Katy has name-dropped Jelly Roll, and he seems game.