Creator Rewind Pop Culture

#CreatorRewind: Pop culture moments of 2025 that easily justify our screentime

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Smrithi Mohan
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What is social media if not a series of instances that stir conversations online? This year witnessed a list of such notable moments that will forever grace the internet's hall of fame.

It's never valid to question why one piece of content is viral on the internet. Most times than not, the lack of reason makes the conversations we have even more interesting. We as social media users love the ambiuity that comes with them. Meanwhile it's even more exciting to see a moment that needs to be celebrated become a viral moment on the internet, adding to the joy of celebrating it. 2025 was filled with such content that managed to keep us hooked to our screens and forcing us to flood our friends DMs with Reels. From a random doll taking over and making us question it's charm to fans celebrating the arrival of their favorite international player in India, being on the internet was worth the screentime.

Also Read - 2025: The year that brought back men who yearn!

Check out if your favourite pop culture news made it to the list:

Vishal Mega Mart

The trend began when Vishal Mega Mart, a major Indian retail chain, announced a large-scale hiring drive for security guard positions across India. What caught the internet's attention was the perceived absurdity of such an intense process for a job typically seen as entry-level. Social media users latched onto this, turning the security guard role into a satirical symbol of an ultra-competitive, almost mythical "dream job.”

ICC Women’s World Cup win

Beating South Africa by 52 runs in the final at the Dr. DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Sunday, Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh, Yastika Bhatia, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Sree Charani, Radha Yadav, Amanjot Kaur, Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gaud and Renuka Singh Thakur create history as they take home the ICC Women's World Cup 2025 trophy for the first time in 47 years. This nationwide celebration translated into our social media as people shared their pride, making it the top trend on social media.

Group 7 

A 'scientific experiment' by singer Sophia James, who decided to use her TikTok platform to try and understand how algorithm works, also turned out to be a genius plan to promote her album Unfair. She made seven consecutive videos, addressing people without knowing who would see them. Each video was posted without having a target group in mind, but totally as an experiment. While each group had its own video, the one for Group 7 caught on quickly. Despite not knowing what part of Group 7 meant, people still took it as a compliment and made it into a popular meme.

6,7 meme

The infamous meme, originating from the song "Doot Doot (6 7)" by Skrilla, has become a viral slang term among Gen Alpha and Gen Z. This meme is often accompanied by a hand gesture that suggests "so-so" or "maybe," and it is something that parents around the world are encouraging their kids to avoid. Despite this, "6 7" was recently named Word of the Year by Dictionary.com. The meaning behind this meme still remains unclear, but the internet has clearly embraced it.

Bandana Girl

A simple video shared by Priyanga in her auto ride, to show off her look, turned into a viral moment with people recreating and complimenting her. But this also led to people trolling, doxxing, and harassing her while many shared non-consensual AI-generated images. She, however, ended up donating the earnings from her viral video to an NGO that works for autism awareness.

Harry, the British vlogger, during the Nepal protest

The entire world was eyeing Nepal, not just for its beauty, mountains, and infrastructure, but for the historic uprising that inspired youths worldwide. British vlogger, Harry, aka wehatethecold, accidentally turned into an on-ground reporter, documenting the protests. While the YouTuber made it clear that he is not a reporter but only a tourist visiting, he and his videos gave people a view into what was happening during the protest.

Rayyan Arkan Dikha - Aura farming 

An 11-year-old, Rayyan Arkan Dikha, dancing on the tip of a racing boat, gave the internet the ultimate display of nonchalance, or as the internet calls it, 'aura farming.'

Matcha love 

A Japanese drink, Matcha, became the most popular drink this year. From different versions of the drink to match flavoured items, the matcha wave took over the internet and our cafes.

Labubu

The popularity of these dolls started when people spotted fashion and culture icons like Blackpink’s Lisa using them. It soon became the internet’s obsession with a section of people who are genuinely charmed by its quirky, slightly creepy cuteness, loving it for the collectable appeal and playful design. 

RCB winning IPL 

Marking the end of an 18-year wait that had become an emotional moment for both players and supporters, especially for Virat Kohli, the former captain and the soul of the team finally brought the trophy home.

Zohran Mamdani 

The infamous New York Mayoral elections gained all the hype this year, even from people who were not a part of the city. This craze can be traced back to one person and that is NYC’s new Mayor and the internet’s favourite South Asian, Zohran Mamdani. With an election campaign that has the groundwork of how a candidate should promote themselves, to how to craftfully highlight the issues that concern the general public, Zohran became everyone’s favourite.

Celebrity engagement

From showgirl-era Taylor Swift stepping into the next chapter in her love life, to Tom Holland and Zendaya getting secretly engaged, it was a love aware for fandoms across the world.

Youtubers vs ANI controversy

A major controversy has erupted between Asian News International (ANI), one of India’s most prominent news agencies, and a number of Indian content creators, following serious allegations regarding a copyright strike. Creators have alleged that ANI has misused YouTube’s copyright strike mechanism to issue takedown notices, subsequently demanding exorbitant licensing fees. 

Asian News International (ANI) and YouTuber Mohak Mangal have filed a defamation suit in the Delhi High Court. The lawsuit, submitted on May 28, 2025, accuses Mangal of making false and damaging allegations in a viral video that claims ANI engaged in extortion and copyright abuse.

India’s Got Latent controversy and cancellation 

India’s Got Latent (IGL), hosted by Samay Raina, featured a panel of well-known influencers, including YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia, Ashish Chanchlani, Apoorva Mukhija, and stand-up comedian Jaspreet Singh in its recent episode. Known for its "edgy humor",  many viewers found the episode crossing a line, which led to ongoing backlash. The backlash escalated when a formal complaint was filed against Ranveer Allahbadia, Apoorva Mukhija, Samay Raina, and the organisers of India’s Got Latent. The show soon ended up being cancelled.

Ashton Hall’s routine 

A Florida-based fitness trainer, Ashton Hall, is known for sharing his daily routine. Hall is a former college football running back who has 4.8 million followers on TikTok, with almost double that on Instagram, and another 2.96 million subscribers on YouTube. His routine was something you would expect from a fitness influencer and more. 

Akshay Khanna Dhurandhar

While fans had their complaints on having to spend 4.5 hrs in the theatre to watch the movie, they had all praise for Akshay Khanna. The actor who was one of the many stars in the film, managed to steal the spotlight with his small performance on FA9LA

Summer I Turned Pretty - Conrad vs Jereminah

The Summer I Turned Pretty took over the internet with the Conrad vs Jeremiah debate, and honestly, no one was staying neutral. Timelines were full of clips, hot takes, and emotional breakdowns over which Fisher brother deserved Belly more. It was less about the love triangle and more about picking a side but mostly defending it like it was personal.

Blue Origin

Jeff Bezos owned the space rocket Blue Origin New Shepard rocket that launched with six women, Aisha Bowe, Amanda Nguyễn, Gayle King, Katy Perry, Kerianne Flynn, and Lauren Sánchez this year. What could have been a space adventure advancement ended up facing controversy, with many calling it fake, a PR stunt by Katy Perry for her album, frivolous in the face of the problems the world is facing.

Coldplay CEO controversy 

Former Astronomer CEO Andy Byron was caught on the British band Coldplay’s ‘kiss cam’ with his company's Chief People Officer, Kristin Cabot, while both were married to other people. The two dunking when they appeared on screen ended up becoming a viral moment that people went on to recreate for multiple concerts following that.

Lovure Heist

Like a movie, the Louvre Museum in Paris witnessed one of the most unbelievable heists in broad daylight, where thieves broke into the museum and stole valuables worth billions of dollars.

Vogue’s article on having a boyfriend 

Vogue's article titled "Is Having a Boyfriend Embarrassing?" by Chante Joseph unexpectedly became a viral topic of discussion this year. Readers have engaged with the article not just as a cheeky piece but also as a guide for their dating standards in 2025.

Kendrick Lamar Super Bowl performance 

The American rapper, who has been having his infamous beef with Drake, performed at the Super Bowl. While the songs were already a hit, a segment of his dance routine became a viral sensation that people couldn’t help but recreate.

Bads of Bollywood giving Emraan Hashmi his flowers 

A single scene featuring Raghav Jugal singing one of the most iconic Bollywood songs to the man who originally performed it unexpectedly turned into a viral moment. Watching Imran Hashmi, who was also part of the scene, receive recognition shows just how influential he still is.

Sydney Sweeney American Eagle and Katseye Gap jeans ad 

The American actress appeared in the American Jeans ad as a brand ambassador. But instead of people indulging in the brand’s products, they found the ad quite offensive, calling it racially insensitive. While people continued to bash the actress for choosing to be part of the "I have great genes/jeans" advertisement, Gap, another apparel brand, released its own advertisement featuring the popular K-pop group Katseye. This ‘Better in Denim’ ad, where the group performed on ‘Milkshake’, received praise as it featured diverse artists. 

Performative male 

For a generation that celebrates soft boy, the idea of a performative male becomes another phenomenon. A performative man is someone who adopts an image of sensitivity, progressivism, or "softness" (like drinking matcha, carrying tote bags, discussing feminism) in order to be socially validated, especially among women. 

Stranger Things 

With the popular Netflix series ending in 2025, the show took over social media in the last few months. From fan theories on how the show will end to edits on saving, praying for Steve were doing the rounds. What surprised fans was Will’s character development, which they translated into their most creative posts online.

Indian Baddies create a storm online

Thanks to Tyla's India tour, the world surprisingly witnessed the uprising of Indian baddies. Indian women have always had their exotic charm, but it seems like half of the world only discovered it when content creators and models shared a video dancing to Tyla’s “PUSH 2 START”. 

Messi’s India Tour 

Lionel Messi, accompanied by Inter Miami teammates Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul, walked onto the pitch, kicked balls into the stands, passed with a group of children and acknowledged the crowd as chants of his name echoed through the stadium. Fans across India took to social media to share their excitement, posting photos, videos and messages celebrating Messi’s visit.

It was, without a doubt, a great year for all the chronically online people. And maybe these also made our 2025 suck less! Drop them in the comments below!

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This article is a part of our #LetsKetchup series that sums up the year from our perspective!

social media trends creator rewind Pop culture moments of 2025