A Year on YouTube: The trending topics that defined 2023
Dec 04, 2023 – minute read
In 2023, you turned talking toilets into a global hit, took regional Mexican music to the top of the charts, and found your place in a Barbie world.
Major moments in the zeitgeist came to life in new and more varied ways than ever before on YouTube.
As the year comes to a close, it’s time to look back at the trending topics and creators you couldn’t stop talking about over the last 12 months.
Trending Topics of 2023 (US)
2023’s Trending Topics in the US reflect fandom’s increasingly important role in transforming cultural moments into fully immersive phenomena that play out across Shorts, longform, livestreams, and podcasts. From original series like Skibidi Toilet to the release of Barbie, fans came to YouTube to put their personal spins on memes, movies, and more.
Creator communities turned the Grimace Shake into an unexpected piece of analog horror-inspired lore; used Jack Black’s — er Bowser’s — “Peaches” to engage with the Mario universe; found new adventures within the open world of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom; and made Miley Cyrus’s “Flowers” a hit with multiple Shorts trends and explorations of easter eggs.
This year’s Trending Topics also include the rise of artificial intelligence, which inspired new challenges and experiments among creators; a must-stream indie horror game; an artist who helped bring Música Mexicana center stage; and the search for authoritative news about Israel Palestine.
Top Creators (US)
Among top creators in the US, MrBeast continued his reign for the fourth consecutive year, but was joined by plenty of fresh faces who found success in multiple verticals, from sketch comedy to sports. These creators saw the greatest growth in US-based subscribers in 2023:
Breakout Creators (US)
Meanwhile, this year’s US Breakout Creator’s list features multiple gaming creators as well as the creator behind the unexpected series of the year. This list features creators who saw the greatest growth in US-based subscribers in 2023, including new creators, as well as existing creators whose subscriber base at least tripled in size compared to subscribers gained in 2022.
Top Songs
Shorts trends helped drive tracks from Toosii and Miley Cyrus to the top, while Música Mexicana had a major year thanks to artists like Peso Pluma and Grupo Frontera.
- Toosii - Favorite Song
- Miley Cyrus - Flowers
- Eslabon Armado, Peso Pluma - Ella Baila Sola
- Yng Lvcas, Peso Pluma - La Bebe (Remix)
- Morgan Wallen - Last Night
- Fuerza Regida, Grupo Frontera - Bebe Dame
- Rema, Selena Gomez - Calm Down
- Carin León, Grupo Frontera - QUE VUELVAS
- SZA - Snooze
- Lil Durk - All My Life ft. J. Cole
Take a closer look at what trended around the world at yt.be/top10.