LOS ANGELES — “American Idol” finalist Casey Abrams ended his song with a smooch.

The eccentric 20-year-old of Idyllwild, Calif., planted a peck on “Idol” judge Jennifer Lopez after delivering a rockin’ rendition of Maroon 5’s “Harder to Breathe” during the Fox talent competition’s evening of 21st century songs Wednesday.

“You did what I’ve been trying to do for four months,” exclaimed Steven Tyler.

Scotty McCreery, 17, of Garner, N.C., kicked off the show with an eyebrow-raising take on LeAnn Rimes’ version of “Swingin’.” Randy Jackson dubbed his song choice as “safe.”

Lauren Alania, 16, of Rossville, Ga., and Jacob Lusk, 23, of Compton, Calif., were also prodded to push themselves further after taking on Sara Evans’ “Born to Fly” and Luther Vandross’ “Dance With My Father.”

Haley Reinhart, 20, of Wheeling, Ill., received a lukewarm reception for diving into Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep.” Jackson said it was “a perfect direction” for Reinhart, but Tyler noted it was a “little slow at the start.” Stefano Langone, 21, of Kent, Wash., had better luck with Ne-Yo’s “Closer.”

“Speaking for the girls in the audience, I thought it was very, very good,” Lopez told a smiling Langone.

James Durbin, 22, of Santa Cruz, Calif., donned an outlandish military-inspired ensemble and was accompanied by four marching drummers for Muse’s “Uprising.” Jackson and Lopez announced it would be the best performance of the evening.