Viral Memes of 2025
January
An image of Pepe from the 1999 Muppets movie was used as a background for TikTokers confessions or traumatic stories. When you read the stories (presented as a slideshow), your facial expression captures your amazement reminiscent of Pepe's expression.
February
The TikTok ban in the USA only lasted a few hours when President Trump issued an executive order to extend the period of time before the law goes into effect.
TikTok creators were in a frenzy looking for alternatives prior to the ban going into effect what some termed the "Great Migration" to an alternative app RedNote (Xiaohongshu).
March
Users started making fun of AI generated POV "you wake up as" videos by creating their own POV videos with a more humorous twist e.g. you wake up as a 20 year old girl after a night out (AC 2025).
April
The finale of Apple TV's Severance Season 2 led to the creation of some twisted and funny memes.
May
The Last of Us season 2 viewers were hit with a very unpleasant surprise in the second episode to do with Joel.
June
K-Pop Demon Hunters, a Netflix animated musical film about a K-pop girl group who secretly fight demons, exploded in popularity and goes viral. The righteous girl group Huntr/x and their rebellious counterparts Saja Boys dominated the global music charts, even surpassing K-pop powerhouses like BTS and Blackpink over the summer months.
July
The aura farming dance resurged thanks to Rayyan Arkan Dikha, aka the "Aura Farming Kid." A clip of Dikha dancing on a boat during a traditional race went viral on TikTok and Instagram, with celebrities like Travis Kelce joining in.
August
The Sydney Sweeney "great jeans/great genes" debate following the Sydney Sweeney American Eagle ad.
September
Creators started using Justin Bieber’s new track "Go Baby" to spotlight their loved ones’ quirks and habits, pairing on-screen text with the lyrics - it worked for being jokingly affectionate or ridiculing.
October
Taylor Swift enters her fiancée/showgirl era by releasing “The Life of a Showgirl,” her 12th studio album, in October. The 14-time Grammy winner reunited with Swedish producers Max Martin and Shellback for the album.
November
The TikTok trend started by Bobby Hill telling Hank, his dad, about "wabi-sabi" the Japanese way of finding beauty in things that are imperfect, impermanent, and unfinished.
December
Movie night snack challenge - head to the store with your friend, partner or housemate, pick your snacks and prepare to reveal them with your backs to each other, then turn around on a countdown to reveal your choices before mutually deciding together which one wins.