2025 was full of funny moments. TikTok fueled this from Labubus to 67; TikTok trends took over the world. Known as brainrot, these somewhat meaningless words became the centerpiece of Gen Z life. Every day, I find myself talking about or quoting these. It’s a habit now; everywhere I turn at school, I hear these references. Here are my top 10 2025 trends.
67
67 took over the world by storm. No one actually knows what it means. There is a song called “Doot Doot (6-7)” by Skrilla. People used this song for TikTok edits of professional basketball players, mostly LaMelo Ball, because he actually is 6’7. I did not think that it would stick around for as long as it did. It’s just so funny to say and do the hand motions. Whenever anyone is counting and says 67, now I can’t help but do the handmotions. Even though the trend is meaningless, it’s still very popular even to this day.
Love Island
I’m sure over the Summer you saw all of the Love Island Season 7 clips. From Huda’s crashouts to Amaya’s sensitivity this season is one the world won’t forget. It became so popular that they made a Beyond the Villa show about most of the contestants. It now follows their journeys through newfound fame and their relationships outside of the show. Amaya and Bryan ended up winning the show because everyone loved Amaya Papaya. However, their relationship did not last, and they ended things only a month after the show ended. The show provided plenty of memes that I still quote today, such as Nic’s conversation with Huda about being a mom, Kaylor’s anger towards Aaron, and Huda’s conversation with Chris. All of the drama kept me entertained this Summer and even now, I follow so many of the lovable contestants on social media.
K-Pop Demon Hunters
This Netflix movie, meant for kids, became a massive success with its catchy songs and important message. People made dances to the things, and so many edits were created depicting the main characters and their personalities. I loved this movie so much that I’ve watched it four times. The main character, Rumi, is very relatable with her inability to ask for help. By the end, she discovers that she needs her friends to succeed and save the world. It’s a really great message, and it really showed that trusting your friends to help is very important. Not to mention the songs are so good, they get stuck in my head at least twice a week.
100 Men vs. 1 Gorilla
This sparked arguments throughout many social media platforms. Who would win? There were many mixed opinions; some people thought that gorillas are too strong to go against humans and would somehow win, but others thought that 100 men could do it, but there would be some sacrifices. All really agreed that if weapons were allowed, the men would automatically win. Different twists of this question emerged when people started changing the ratios and putting their friends as the men. I thought that this was very creative, and it was fun to think about the different outcomes based on who was fighting.
ChatGPT
In today’s world, so many people rely on ChatGPT. Not just teenagers using it for school. Adults in the workforce use it for ideas and help on projects. Even teachers will use it for lesson planning and, in some cases, grading. I personally don’t use it besides making funny Love Island scripts with my friends. However, I know that a lot of people use it for ideas and help with assignments. With it being banned on Chromebooks, many people switched to using Gemini. Although Gemini can’t do everything that ChatGPT can. It’s been very important this year, and the change in the greater use of AI.
Coldplay Kiss Cam
Imagine getting caught cheating on the big screen while at a Coldplay concert. That’s exactly what happened to Andy Byron, the CEO of Tech Company Astronomer. When the kiss cam went on them the girl immediately covered her face, making the moment very obvious for the rest of the world. The video went viral, and the company even did an investigation on Byron since the woman was the Chief People Officer for the company. People recreated the video on different social media platforms, and the parodies went viral. The scandal was trending for a while, and I occasionally will see it pop up again on TikTok. It always makes me laugh with the way the camera pans on them, and they freak out. I guess that’s why you shouldn’t take your affair partner to a concert, you never know what could happen.
Labubu
These little surprise stuffed animals became a massive hit on social media. Even though they are very expensive, people still want to collect and sell them. People became obsessed with them and would go to crazy lengths just to obtain them. They were consistently selling out. Famous actors and influencers were promoting them on their social media, leading to more people falling for the trend. This may be a controversial opinion but I think this trend was weird, I just didn’t see the point of it. Why would I spend that much money on a stuffed animal that I don’t really find the cutest?
Quarter Zip and Matcha
This is more of a recent trend. It’s all over TikTok right now with the sound about guys switching from wearing Nike Techs and drinking coffee to wearing quarter zips and drinking matcha. It’s gained so much popularity that the Student Government even made it one of the spirit days, it would’ve been a huge hit if school didn’t get cancelled because of snow. I think it’s a funny trend but since it’s so new it’s not really on the top of my list for 2025.
Italian Brainrot
In case you don’t remember this very random version of brain rot. Phrases like “Ballerina Cappuchina,” “Tung Tung Tung Sahur,” and “Bombardiro Coccodrillo.” The random AI edits of these brainrot characters on TikTok definitely did make me laugh. I thought that the trend was dragged on and did not make any sense. After like three weeks of getting the same TikToks, I got bored. Then Steal a Brainrot on Roblox became my little brother’s favorite game to play with his friends. Now not only was I seeing it on TikTok but I was hearing it all the time at home. It got so annoying so yes I thought it was funny at first but eventually I could not stand it.
Sydney Sweeney American Eagle Commercial
This commercial that Sydney Sweeney did for American Eagle became very controversial because many people didn’t appreciate the way that she was speaking and acting. It started the slogan, “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans,” people saw the commericial not as an ad for jeans but as promoting herself and eugenics. Sweeney did not mean for the commercial to be projected in that way and had a very emotional response to all of the hate. She explained that she really just loves jeans and wears them everyday. I think that the ad was a little bit weird but should not have sparked all of the hate it did, I think that cancel culture it really dangerous and we should not be promoting it.
2025 was a great year with some interesting social media trends. I don’t know how the new year is going to top these but I think it possible. Especially with the creativity of Gen Z on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram. I can’t wait to see what 2026 has to offer.
