In 2025, being tired is no longer a temporary state. It is a personality trait. Most students are running on minimal sleep, maximum expectations and caffeine instead of rest. Drinks are no longer about flavor or health. They are about identity, routine and survival. This ranking looks at the beverages students rely on to get through the school day and breaks them down not by how good they taste, but by the type of person who drinks them and the energy they give off.
- Prime Energy
Prime Energy drinkers are almost always middle school boys who worship Logan Paul and KSI like they personally raised them. The drink itself feels more like merch than fuel, and the hype surrounding it does all the heavy lifting. It is less about needing energy and more about wanting to be a part of something viral. By the time you actually need caffeine in your life, Prime has already let you down.
- Bang
Bang is for chronically online TikTok users who probably prefer Youtube Shorts on the downlow. The branding is aggressive, the caffeine content is extreme, and the drink’s energy feels unregulated. Seriously, it feels like it may be recalled at any second. This drink hits fast and leaves faster, somehow making you more distracted than productive. Bang is the epitome of overstimulation in a bottle.
- Plain hot coffee
Not many high school students drink plain hot coffee, and the ones who do probably have a few screws loose. Choosing hot muddy water when iced options exist is a bold move. Do note that it is okay to drink things that actually taste good. You do not need to force yourself into drinking garbage to make you seem mature, you still have your whole adult life ahead of you to do that.
- Iced coffee
This drink is efficient and gets straight to the point, being one of the most popular addictions in all of America. Mostly consumed by obsessed millennials, iced coffee is and will always be a classic. If you’re not obsessed already, it is only a matter of time. For those of you who swear by iced Americanos specifically, please do your homework instead of binging Korean dramas all night. I know what kind of person you are.
- Celsius
Celsius, the biggest scam of all energy drinks. It has a terrible after taste, and yet everyone who drinks this has convinced themselves that it’s good. It is astonishing. Celsius drinkers will absolutely judge you for drinking anything else, even though they’re clearly suffering, whether they realize it or not. Though their confidence is impressive, their taste in drinks is not.
- Arizona Tea
Arizona Tea drinkers are confusing in the most neutral way possible. They’re definitely not trend hoppers as the hype for this tea died down in 2016. But this delectable, yet sorry excuse for a tea, is sweet sugary bliss. Despite the tastiness, it does nothing to keep you awake. It’s just that drink you grab when you go to the gas station occasionally or if you are headed on a long road trip, yet those who are passionate about this drink are extremely passionate. These are the kind of people who buy expensive retro digital cameras off Depop to get that 2014 peak teenager life.
- Green tea
Green tea drinkers don’t drink this for energy, but for routine. They are usually organized, have good grades and actually like the taste. These are the kind of people who wake up at 5 a.m. to do a yoga routine and get some extra studying in before school. I really admire these people, though they are rare.
- Gas station energy drink you have never heard of
This is the purest form of survival. There is no concern for the taste or long term health, only staying awake. These are the kind of people to drink three energy drinks a day and wonder why they can feel their heart beating out of their chest. I respect the hustle, but maybe you should try to respect your long term health first. If this is how you obtain your energy for the day, you should consider donating your body for scientific research when you die. But make sure to sign that paperwork soon, because your impending doom isn’t too far in the future.
7. Ghost energy
Ghost energy is for those with an expensive gaming setup in their room, and those 2020 LED lights still lining their ceiling. You’re either a theatre kid or a wannabe Twitch streamer. You definitely study with gaming Youtube videos in the background followed by a lofi beats playlist. They’re not everyone’s cup of tea, but they are true to themselves and still somehow get their assignments done. After their sensory overload is over from this intense drink, they can be quite chill people to be around.
- Red Bull
Red bull is the face of energy drinks, with most people hearing about it from their tough, football-loving uncle at the ripe age of nine years old. It’s the kind of drink you try once and never branch out again. It just has that kind of aura. Their ads consist of crazy stunts and cool tricks, which makes up for the fact that the drink tastes like battery acid. Red bull drinkers are probably the least performative people you’ll ever meet, but they’re a bit hard headed and stick to their ways, which is not always a good thing.
- Alani Nu
Alani Nu is not just a drink, but a lifestyle. People who drink it are deeply committed and fully convinced that their energy drink is the best for staying productive. Which would make sense due to the fact that everyone I know who drinks this has amazing grades. This drink is seen less as an energy drink, and more as a productivity tool. Though it cannot be certain that this drink necessarily is best for studying, or if the predominantly female fanbase just have a harder work ethic than others. Either way, Alani Nu’s reputation far exceeds most out there.
- Matcha latte
Mitski! Tote bags! Wired earbuds! Did I get your attention? Hello to all my fellow performative beings out there. Despite the fact that they will all tell you they liked matcha before it was trendy, we know the reason you drink matcha. Carrying a matcha latte around school or even on the street is more like an accessory than a food item. Why is there no ice in your latte? Because it all melted due to the hours upon hours that matcha has been sitting in your hand to fit your aesthetic. You are one Labubu and bar of Dubai chocolate away from unlocking your true potential.
- Monster
Monster is not a drink you choose, it chooses you. It’s like a parasite; you consume it once and it never leaves your thoughts. Those who drink this may not be loyal to most things in life, but this drink is the exception. People who consume this monster of a beverage are so sleep deprived that caffeine doesn’t even work on them anymore, they just drink it for the love of the game. A lot of Monster enjoyers even keep the empty cans as trophies of their addiction. The obsession runs so deep that this dependency will never leave them; they’ll be buried with this drink in their casket.
- Chai latte
Chai latte drinkers think they are superior for not liking matcha. They will tell you, completely unprompted, that chai is better and that they’ve liked it their whole life. They actually do enjoy the flavor, but with great confidence comes even greater arrogance. These people believe wholeheartedly that they are niche and cultured without being trendy, but the truth is you are not as rare as you think. However, at least you genuinely like what you drink, and that does make you better than many, in a way.
- White Monster
People who drink white monster deserve their own category separate from other monster flavors. It’s the most popular flavor for a reason, and the fanbase mostly consists of male manipulators and adrenaline junkies. These are the kind of people to never try another flavor again, and through their avoidant attachment style, at least they have one consistency in their life.