As 2025 comes to an end, multitudes of viral videos, shared through various platforms, have circulated the internet. While there were many notable Reels and TikToks this year, here are the top 15 most influential and memorable viral moments of 2025.
15. Coldplay kiss cam
The Coldplay “kiss cam” incident occurred in July 2025 when a video of Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and People’s Officer Kristin Cabot were caught embracing on the Coldplay Jumbotron. This video circulated the internet at that time, and resulted in multiple scandals and a divorce between Byron and his wife.
14. Katy Perry’s hate-ship
Katy Perry faced significant online hate for her April 2025 Blue Origin space flight, with viewers calling her both entitled and out of touch. The flight was an eleven minute suborbital flight, in which Perry sang Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World” with her other crew members. Many critics accused her of promoting a wasteful, oligarchic stunt, especially since Perry spent millions on the trip, only to stay in space for mere minutes.
13. Labubus
The launch of the Labubu created shockwaves across the world, sparking long lines, auctions and blind box openings everywhere. The design was curated to an unique aesthetic—a blend of spooky folklore, big eyes and big mouths with large, shark-like teeth, and deliberate imperfections that made each figure feel handmade and alive.
12. Louvre heist
The Louvre Museum in Paris was closed after thieves stole eight royal artifacts in broad daylight, worth an estimated 88 million euros in jewels, in eight minutes. The internet erupted at this robbery: writing fanfiction, creating scenarios and posting potential suspects.
11. 100 men vs one gorilla debate
“100 Guys vs. 1 Gorilla”, refers to a viral debate about who would win in a fight to the death. It sparked on X and Reddit in late April of 2025.
10. Haunted doll Annabelle
When the creepy and infamous Annabelle doll went missing, the internet was in complete disarray. While some prophesied about where she had gone, others made memes about the doll and its disheartening escape. Thankfully, the rumors were confirmed falsified, though Annabelle had been on a “Devils on the Run Tour” throughout the country.
9. Matcha
Matcha took the internet by storm in early July of 2025. What started as a drink turned into cake, tiramisu, chocolate and various other desserts. In addition, it served as a sign of a “performative male,” which is a male who adopts various traits that show signs of emotional intelligence and wokeness (ex. reading feminist literature, a tote bag, etc.).
8. Nothing beats a Jet2 holiday
The audio “Nothing beats a Jet2 holiday” served multitude memes, voiceovers and videos that circulated the internet. It was made to contrast epic travel fails or funny mishaps with the promise of a hassle-free holiday.
7. American Eagle’s controversial jeans
This ad utilized Sweeney’s face and voice, saying, “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans,” a pun on “jeans” (denim) and “genes.” This made many believe that the ad was promoting Sweeney’s “genes” as the only “good” genes, which led to backlash and a huge hate train against Sydney Sweeney.
6. GAP’s great jeans
In contrast to American Eagle, GAP’s ad “Better in Denim” showcased all six Katseye members dancing to the viral song “My Milkshake Brings All the Boys to the Yard.” This was extremely successful and appealed to the general Gen Z public.
5. TikTok dances
Over the course of 2025, multitudes of TikTok dances have sprung up, such as the “Babyboo” or Zara Larson’s Lush Life dance. These dances have fostered community across different platforms and brought strangers and influencers together.
4. “Love Island”
“Love Island USA” season seven was a huge hit in the summer of 2025. From influencers like Huda Mufasta to horse-riding cowboys like Taylor Williams, the TV show was all over every platform, sparking many memes like “I pick Clarke,” and the “escape goat.”
3. “KPop Demon Hunters”
Netflix’s “KPop Demon Hunters” released in June of 2025, and quickly became the platform’s most-watched film of all time, with more than 236 million global streams.
2. Artificial intelligence (AI) and some bunnies
A few months back, AI generated a clip of bunnies jumping on a trampoline. Despite it being completely AI-generated, over a million people watched and believed the clip, forwarding it to their friends and family.
1. TikTok goes dark
For the number one spot of the most viral moment of the year, in Jan. 2025, TikTok was banned from America for 24 hours. However, the ban was short-lived. Following the inauguration of President Donald Trump on Jan. 20, an executive order was signed delaying the enforcement of the ban for 75 days.