2025 was full of surprises, especially in pop culture. There were very high highs and incredibly low lows.
One of the first major pop culture moments was the US TikTok ban by President Trump in January 2025. This shocked millions of creators, users and consumers across the nation as TikTok has taken over many livelihoods. Trump later paused the ban days after it was issued.
Speaking of TikTok, popular global girl group Katseye went viral on the platform, along with many other social media platforms, with their viral hit song “Gnarly,” which was released on April 30. The new sound and catchy lyrics took the world by storm and further solidified their place as one of the most successful girl groups in music history.
Another notable event was the all-female space crew of celebrities in April in which Katy Perry, Lauren Sánchez and several other celebrities flew into space aboard the Blue Origin’s “New Shepard” rocket. They did this to inspire women, promote STEM and experience space, but instead were met with harsh criticisms for the event being frivolous tourism.
A big part of 2025 is its significance to the global icons and worldwide superstars BTS. Since their departure to the military, fans across the globe have been waiting for what seemed like ages for this specific year to arrive: when BTS is discharged and can finally return home.
June of 2025 marked the start of their arrivals, starting with RM and V, with Jimin and Jungkook following only a few days later. By the end of June, all seven members were back together and working tirelessly to produce a new album, which will be released in March 2026.
BTS wasn’t the only thing that shook the world in June. On June 20, 2025, Netflix released their new animation movie “KPop Demon Hunters” and quite literally halted the world.
This movie was praised endlessly for its story, its message, the animation and, most importantly, its soundtrack. “Golden” became a global anthem overnight, breaking multiple records and staying number one on Billboard’s Hot 100 list.
Early in the summer, Coldplay suddenly became a trending topic after videos about an affair being revealed on the big screen during their concert shocked fans and caused a lot of mixed reactions.
Soon after, Sydney Sweeney’s jeans advertisement took over social media, and people couldn’t stop talking about underlying messages within it. Around the same time, Katseye’s GAP ad also went viral, and many people compared the two, saying Sweeney’s ad felt very fake and two-sided while Katseye’s felt simple, confident and more connected to Gen Z energy. Both ads proved how powerful celebrity marketing still is to get people to start talking.
Later on, Taylor Swift once again dominated headlines fresh off of the end of her record-breaking Eras Tour, with news about a new album and later her engagement, reminding everyone why she’s still one of the biggest stars in the world.
Not long after, Selena Gomez’s wedding made fans emotional, especially because it felt so personal and low-key. It wasn’t a quiet wedding, however, with rumors and opinions floating around online about supposed guests who weren’t invited.
As the year continued, the second Wicked movie “Wicked: For Good” finally premiered and lived up to its massive hype. Then, the year ended with the “Stranger Things” season finale, which left fans sad, shocked and already nostalgic.
Overall, 2025 felt dramatic, exciting and unforgettable in pop culture.
