YouTube has released its 2025 Year-End Trending Lists, recognizing creators, songs, podcasts and cultural moments that defined 2025.
The Bruno Mars/Lady Gaga hit “Die With a Smile” leads YouTube’s 2025 year-end top songs list, which also includes the ROSÉ/Bruno Mars hit “APT.,” and four songs from the Kpop Demon Hunters soundtrack, “Golden,” “Soda Pop,” “How It’s Done,” and “Your Idol.” The top songs list is based on in-country views of songs that debuted in 2025, or saw considerable year-over-year growth, including official music videos, lyric videos and art track videos.
Contemporary Christian artist Forrest Frank’s 2025 hit “Your Way’s Better” leads YouTube’s top songs on shorts list. The song, propelled in part by a viral dance, also rose to the pinnacle of Billboard’s Hot Christian Songs chart and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. Other songs making the list are “Ocean Eyes” (Billie Eilish) and “Doot Doot (6 7)” (Skrilla). The top songs on shorts list is based on in-country shorts creations for songs that debuted in 2025, or saw significant year-over-year creation growth.
The trending lists come as YouTube celebrates its 20th anniversary year.
“Our End Of Year trending lists continue to capture the cultural zeitgeist. This year, we saw creators take new releases — from Squid Game to KPop Demon Hunters — and propel them into global phenomena. Whether it’s the resurgence of classic songs like “Pretty Little Baby” through Shorts or the rising influence of international products like “Labubu,” YouTube remains the ultimate engine for shared pop culture experiences,” Kevin Allocca, global director of YouTube culture & trends, said in a statement.
See the lists for YouTube’s 2025 Year-End top songs, top songs on shorts, trending topics, top creators and top podcasts below:
Top songs:
Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga – “Die With A Smile”
ROSÉ, Bruno Mars – “APT.”
HUNTR/X (KPop Demon Hunters Cast) – “Golden”
Saja Boys (KPop Demon Hunters Cast) – “Soda Pop”
Saja Boys (KPop Demon Hunters Cast) – “Your Idol”
Victor Valverde, Jr Torres – “El Mayor de los Ranas”
HUNTR/X (KPop Demon Hunters Cast) – “How It’s Done”
Alex Warren – “Ordinary”
Kendrick Lamar, SZA – “Luther”
Kendrick Lamar – “tv off”
Top songs on shorts:
Forrest Frank – “Your Way’s Better”
ATLXS – “Passo Bem Solto (Slowed)”
Black Eyed Peas – “Rock That Body”
Connie Francis – “Pretty Little Baby”
Joyful – “Chess”
Doechii – “Anxiety”
Skrilla – “Doot Doot (6 7)”
Saja Boys (KPop Demon Hunters Cast) – “Soda Pop”
Jiandro (feat. ola.wav) – “Confess your love”
Billie Eilish – “Ocean Eyes”
Trending topics of 2025 (not ranked):
Squid Game
User-Generated Roblox Experiences: Grow a Garden, Dandy’s World, Forsaken, Steal a Brainrot
KPop Demon Hunters
Brainrot
Charlie Kirk
Labubu
Nintendo Switch 2
Cookie Run Kingdom
Blue Lock
KATSEYE
Top creators:
MrBeast
CaylusBlox
IShowSpeed
Double Date
Cadel and Mia
Charlie Kirk
Law by Mike
CoryxKenshin
Zack D. Films
Outdoor Boys
Top podcasts:
The Joe Rogan Experience
KILL TONY
Good Mythical Morning
Rotten Mango
The MeidasTouch Podcast
48 Hours
Shawn Ryan Show
Smosh Reads Reddit Stories
This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von
The Diary Of A CEO
soul, classic soul, motown,
