As our seniors enter their final semester at Oakmont, it’s time to take a look back at the trends and fads that defined the last four years of high school.

Freshman year – Fall semester

Fall 2020

• Online school memes
  • Perhaps the most memorable of all, school shutting down led to an abundance of Zoom-related memes 
• “M to the B” by Millie B
  • A video of ex-Navy SEAL Bella Poarch lip syncing to the song “M to the B” became the most liked TikTok ever, garnering 63.5 million likes. Her video spawned a trend that seemingly took over the TikTok For You page for weeks
• Fall Guys
  • In August and September, Fall Guys became one of the most played games of 2020 – before a steep decline in players in October
• Line filter
  • On TikTok, a “line filter” that created a growing freeze frame led to funny faces and alien-like creatures
• Among Us
  • Perhaps the most infamous trend, Among Us was released. Memes surrounding the game wouldn’t quite become ironic until 2021; nonetheless, the game was inescapable
• “Oh No”
  • This viral sound was used with a video of something going wrong, paired with a freeze frame right at the climax of the mishap
• The 2020 election
  • Joe Biden’s iconic line, “Come on, man!” spawned during one of the presidential debates
  • Memes surrounding Biden’s age and the incumbent Trump became popular during this time
  • Following a Biden win, Kamala Harris’ line “We did it Joe!” trended
• Dream SMP
  • The Dream SMP, a Minecraft server, hosted by popular YouTuber Dream, broke Twitch records around the world and created an infamously loyal fanbase known as “Dream stans”
• “WAP” by Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion
  • “WAP” remixes were a huge trend on TikTok, alongside a dance that even legendary comedian Jack Black recreated
• Top songs 
  • “WAP” by Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion, “Supalonely” by BENEE & Gus Dapperton, “Roses” by SAINt JHN, “Dynamite” by BTS, “Savage Love” by Jason Derulo, and “Roxanne” by Arizona Zervas

Freshman year – spring semester

Spring 2021

• “Amogus” meme
  • Among Us memes reached a point of irony, spawning the “amogus” meme often paired with the Imposter theme song
  • People began likening the Among Us characters to real-life objects, stating: “Get out of my head!”

• “SugarCrash!” by ElyOtto
  • “SugarCrash!” took social media by storm
  • TikTok creator Nick Luciano lip synced to the track, creating a new most liked TikTok
• “Driver’s License” by Olivia Rodrigo
  • The song initially went viral through a remix with Billie Eillish’s “Ocean Eyes”
• “Sheeeeeesh” 
  • The “Sheeeesh” meme spawned during this era, prompting people to say the line in a high-pitched voice
  • The line was paired with “bussin’ bussin’,” often in reference to tasty food
• Bernie Sanders’ mittens
  • Following Biden’s inauguration at the beginning of the semester, an image of Bernie Sanders sitting with his infamous mittens became an instant meme
• “The Backyardigans” songs
  • “We Are Castaways” was the top trending TikTok sound, even charting on Spotify
  • “Into The Thick Of It” also trended
• Adult Swim 
  • Videos featured cleverly hidden [AS] logos alongside the song “Running Away (Is Easy)” by Vano 3000
• DaBaby: “Let’s Go” meme
  • DaBaby’s line “Let’s Go” trended alongside an edit of his face as a convertible
• “Luca”
  • Edits of the new Disney film Luca began trending, paired with ABBA’s song “Chiquitita” with the line “Silencio Bruno!”
  • This resulted in ABBA’s “Chiquitita” charting on Spotify
• “Frenemies” end
  • The popular podcast “Frenemies,” hosted by Ethan Klein and Trisha Paytas, ended after a dramatic fight
• “Bo Burnham: INSIDE”
  • Bo Burnham’s new film, “INSIDE” released, resulting in songs such as “Bezos I” and “That Funny Feeling” trending on TikTok
• “Arcade Craniacs”
  • The YouTube channel Arcade Craniacs began trending
  • A sound using the line from the channel: “Yo bro, who got you smilin’ like that?” trended on TikTok
• Top songs
  •  “Kiss Me More” by Doja Cat and SZA, “Stay” by Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber, “Driver’s License” by Olivia Rodrigo

Sophomore year – Fall semester

Fall 2021

• Devious Licks
  • Stealing everyday objects – especially school property – became a trend, paired with the line “devious licks”
• “Oh no! Our table! It’s broken!”
  • A viral video of a boy breaking his table trended, sparking musical remixes
• “Berries and Cream”
  • An old Starburst commercial with the line: “Berries and cream! I’m a little lad who loves berries and cream” went viral on TikTok
• “Spider-Man: No Way Home”
  • Movie records were broken with the release of “Spider-Man: No Way Home”
  • A Spider-Man themed “Fortnite” season was paired with the film
• “Donda” versus “Certified Lover Boy”
  • Drake and Kanye released their new albums around the same time, sparking infamous beef on the internet
  • While Drake’s album ultimately outsold Kanye’s, Kanye’s album received much more critical acclaim
• “Squid Game” 
  • “Squid Game” trended on Netflix
  • This led to many people believing others “missed the point” of the show
• The Rock song feature
  • The iconic line “It’s about drive, it’s about power” trended alongside The Rock’s feature on Tech N9ne’s “Face Off”
• “Easy On Me” by Adele
  • This song blew up ahead of Adele’s new album, “30”
• “Number One Victory Royale”
  • A “Fortnite” parody of “American Boy” by Estele and Kanye West trended
• “Here Comes The Boy”
  • A video of a woman filming a cat is remixed with various instruments
• “Yassification” trend
  • This saying was often paired with a beauty filter
• Top Songs
  • “Heat Waves” by Glass Animals, “Way 2 Sexy” by Drake, “Easy On Me” by Adele

Sophomore year – Spring semester

Spring 2022

• Will Smith slapped Chris Rock
  • At the Oscars, Will Smith slapped Chris Rock over a controversial joke, causing an onslaught of memes
• “Doctor Strange and the Multiverse Of Madness”
  • This sparked the meme talking about “MY multiverse of madness”
• “Little Miss” memes
  • A parody of the old books, “Little Miss,” was paired with widespread memes
• “Hug Me” by Pharell
  • The song “Hug Me” by Pharell began trending, often paired with a clip of YouTuber Weston Koury dancing to the track next to his sister
• “Stranger Things” Season Four
  • The highly anticipated fourth season of “Stranger Things” released at the end of the semester, sparking internet-wide trends
  • “Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush and “Pass The Dutchie” by Musical Youth trended on Billboard 100
  • A remix called “Chrissy Wake Up” began to trend
• New Minions movie
  • “Rich Minion” by Yeat was paired with a trend where friends showed up to the movie dressed in full formal suits
• “My Money Don’t Jiggle Jiggle”
  • The sound was a remix of a Chicken Shop Date interview and was the #1 trending song on TikTok for months
• Top songs
  •  “First Class” by Jack Harlow, “As It Was” by Harry Styles, “About Damn Time” by Lizzo, “Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush

Junior year – Fall semester

Fall 2022

• Dream face reveal
  • Popular YouTuber Dream trended when he finally revealed his face in a YouTube video
• Andrew Tate
  • Andrew Tate became the most searched person on Google
  • His company, “Hustler’s University,” came under fire alongside his controversial comments
• “It’s corn”
  • An interview of a child who loves corn was remixed into a viral TikTok song
• “Forget” by Pogo
  • A Chinese actress dodging attacks from a man sparked a trend where people did slow gymnastics to Pogo’s “Forget”
• The Queen died
  • Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, a meme spread saying that Trisha Paytas’ baby was a reincarnation of the Queen
• “Big Boy” by SZA
  • This comedic song from an SNL episode trended on TikTok, but was never officially released
• CupcakKe remixes filled TikTok
  • Remixes featuring CupcakKe’s highly explicit adlibs flooded TikTok
• Brendan Fraser and KeHuy Quan made comebacks at the Oscars
  • They won for performances in “The Whale” and “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” respectively
• “Wednesday” 
  • Jenna Ortega blew up, gaining millions of followers overnight, as her show “Wednesday” broke records on Netflix
  • Ortega’s iconic dance, paired with a Lady Gaga song, went viral on and off the internet

Top songs

• “Anti-Hero” by Taylor Swift, “Bad Habit” by Steve Lacy, “Judas” by Lady Gaga

Junior year – Spring semester

Spring 2023

• “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” films announced
  • This sparked an early iteration of the “Barbie” versus “Oppenheimer” trend, due to their opposite themes and color palettes
• The Grimace Shake from McDonald’s
  • On TikTok, a trend grew where the shake “kills” people
• “Smooth Operator” by Sade and “Eyes Without A Face” by Billy Idol 
  • Top trending TikTok sounds
  • Slowed and sped up versions of the songs charted on Spotify
• Beyonce sang in Dubai
  • Beyonce hit a legendary riff in her private Dubai show, sparking widespread trends
• Ice Spice
  • Ice Spice blew up during this semester, launching her rap career
  • Her verse on “Boys A Liar Pt 2” went insanely viral
• Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour” began
  • The tour broke records, edging out Michael Jackson for world record sales
• “Karma” remix
  • Ice Spice featured on a remix of Taylor Swift’s “Karma”
• Oceangate
  • Several billionaires inside a submarine went to explore Titanic wreckage
  • They were later found to have died
• “The Toxic Gossip Train” by Colleen Ballinger
  • Colleen Ballinger’s controversial apology video, featuring a ukulele and musical number, faced widespread backlash
• Big Red Boots
  • A controversial fashion trend featuring huge red boots 
• Nepo Babies
  • A TikTok trend arose, where many celebrities were accused of being famous due to nepotism
• “Girl Dinner”
  • Irregular dinners were labeled as “girl dinners” on TikTok alongside a jingle
• Top songs
  • “Kill Bill” by SZA, “Die For You (Remix)” by The Weeknd and Ariana Grande, “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus

Senior year – Fall semester

Fall 2023

• Airplane freakout
  • A lady freaked out on a commercial flight, screaming: “That MF back there is not real!”
• Skibidi Toilet
  • Labeled as Generation Alpha’s “first meme,” a trend created by YouTuber DaFuqBoom blew up
  • Animated toilets with heads, known as “Skibidi Toilets,” got extensive lore on YouTube
• NPC trend on TikTok Live
  • TikTokers on Live pretended to be NPCs in exchange for donations
• Trump mugshot
  • A mugshot of Donald Trump instantly turned into memes
• Blue mushroom cat
  • A cat mixed with a blue mushroom trended to the song “We Live, We Love, We Die”
• “Five Nights At Freddy’s”
  • As a result of the movie release, the star Josh Hutcherson trended in a 2014 edit of himself that acted like a Rick Roll
• “Gyatt,” “Skibidi,” and “Rizzler” 
  • These Gen Alpha terms spawned the song with the popular lyric “sticking out your gyatt for the rizzler”
  • The term for these new phrases was coined as “brainrot”
• Boston Cop Slide incident
  • A Boston cop slid down a slide at inexplicably high speeds
• “Wonka” 
  • The film, starring Timothée Chalamet, trended at the end of the semester
• Roman Empire trend
  • A trend of asking men: “how often do you think about the Roman Empire?” began
• “Planet Of The Bass” by Kyle Gordon
  • A parody of old EuroPop songs went viral, eventually with a full music video and a performance at the Jonas Brothers concert
• OG “Fortnite”
  • Trends such as “(Current picture) won’t be playing OG “Fortnite,” (old picture” will,” showed the nostalgia many associated with the release of the original “Fortnite”
• Top songs
  • “Lovin On Me” by Jack Harlow, “Cruel Summer” by Taylor Swift, “First Person Shooter” by Drake, “Paint The Town Red” by Doja Cat