Top 5 Most Memorable TikTok Trends

By Allan Tompkins

(Dreamstime/TNS)

Prior to the temporary TikTok ban on Sunday, January 19 which was enacted just as quickly as it was revoked, content creators across the platform began posting videos reminiscing on the greatest trends to have appeared on TikTok. While opinions widely varied amongst diverse audiences, the trend of remembering the best trends on TikTok was a great way to sort of bring to, what everyone thought, was the permanent end of TikTok in the United States.

As TikTok has now been unbanned for an undetermined number of days, I felt it'd be appropriate to name and rank 5 of the most memorable TikTok trends that have shown up throughout the decade. These trends will range from being funny to thought-provoking, to even just creative ideas that have really developed the app into what everyone knows today. So, without further ado, let's explore the memorable and creative TikTok trends and their impact on the app's evolution throughout the years.

#5: Kumalala vs. Savesta

Image of Kumalala and Savesta (photo credit: @rapsafe on TikTok)

Now while the name of this trend alone might lose some credibility for this list, I think it's important to establish the pretext that this trend has over the development of TikTok trends. Kumalala vs. Savesta was a fictional rivalry that featured two content creators (@thomsofficiel_ and @freddyt_smoove) who each fought for supremacy over the other.

Both creators would post videos of them dancing or smiling at the camera with the lyrics "kumalala kumalala kumala savesta" playing from the popular American campfire song known as "Flee Fly Flo." Despite the silly and immature humor behind the videos, the trend went viral on TikTok. Content creators would compare the strengths and weaknesses of Kumalala and Savesta despite their characters being completely fictional and people across social media took sides with who they supported.

While this trend may not be as highly regarded or known as the other trends on this list, Kumalala vs. Savesta acted as one of the first significant "rivalry memes" on TikTok which laid the foundation for later trends on the platform that followed a similar theme of taking ordinary creators and coming up with elaborate imaginative lore such as what has recently been seen with creators such as "The Rizzler." For those reasons, while many might disagree, I'm comfortable with giving Kumalala vs. Savesta the number 5 seat.

Here's a video of the character, Kumalala, duetting Savesta's video.

#4: The Pinegrove Shuffle

Image of the Pinegrove Shuffle (photo credit: @GarretLee39 on TikTok)

It's been almost two years since the Pinegrove Shuffle was trending on TikTok and I still find it difficult to explain its significance. There have been many dance trends not only on TikTok but throughout the internet—think of the Floss, the Harlem Shake, the Whip and Nae Nae, Gangnam Style—the list goes on. Yet, the Pinegrove Shuffle somehow differed greatly from these popular, upbeat dance trends and still became viral.

Originally posted by @GarrettLee39, the dance involves one or more people lunging forward on one leg, flopping their arms behind them, reversing the process and repeating it all together. It certainly sounds complicated but the dance itself is rather simple. All of this would be done with the song "Need 2" by indie band Pinegrove being played in the background.

The Pinegrove Shuffle doesn't deserve a spot on this list because of its cool dance moves or catchy song, but rather the emotions it evoked as a result of the combination of the two. "Need 2" is a rather mellow song and the Pinegrove Shuffle perfectly fits that toned-down mood with a sort of careless movement to it. The people who were seen partaking in the trend all did the dance with straight faces, seeming as though they were kind of just letting life happen. The Pinegrove Shuffle's ability to bring a sense of peace to viewers while also uniting people from all walks of life to participate in it is enough to grant it the number 4 spot on this list.

Here's a clip of the Pinegrove Shuffle from its creator @GarretLee39

#3: HopeCore

Image of a man featured in a hopecore video (photo credit: @erik_hilmann on TikTok)

The list of trends on TikTok that have ever existed is too much to put a number to. Due to this, many people in the past found it hard to find a thread of content that could satisfy what they were feeling at that moment. To solve this, content creators on TikTok began grouping aesthetics or genres of videos and applying the suffix "-core" to them (ex.: cluttercore, studycore etc.). However, the most known and influential of all of these subgenres is the hopecore trend.

Unlike the other trends on this list that went viral for a short time, hopecore has remained relevant since its origins in early 2023. This trend is exactly how you'd imagine it. The only guideline that directed this ongoing trend is that it fits the theme of hope. Many videos of hopecore usually involve inspiring speeches, beautiful sceneries and an encouragement for an appreciation of life. Others would feature game-winning comebacks or award-show gratitude speeches that all invoked a sense of hope and motivation in viewers.

Hopecore is such an impactful trend because it always appears when it's needed most. When you least expect it, a hopecore video will appear on your page and seldom fails in alleviating a lot of stress or worries that you might be experiencing. Yet, what separates hopecore from other motivational trends is that many influential speakers in the videos aren't historical figures or celebrities, but ordinary people who have wisdom to share with the rest of the world. Its ability to show human genuity and happiness in such a short amount of time brings smiles to people's faces, and that's important. Ultimately, that's what makes hopecore such a relatable and soothing trend giving it the number 3 spot on this list.

Here's an example of a hopecore video from when it was just kicking off in the summer of 2023.

#2: [as]

Image of the [as] Bump (photo credit: @adultswim on TikTok)

The Adult Swim trend is definitely one of the most creative trends that have been on TikTok. Adult Swim, a late-night program that features adult-oriented cartoon shows is famous for its inclusion of Bumpers, or Bumps for short, which are shown before and after commercial breaks that usually include satirical messages followed by the logo [adult swim] or [as] hidden in videos and images.

This served as the perfect inspiration for an eventual viral trend where creators included messages that advised you not to do something followed by funny phrases like, "We don't care," and then the [as] strategically placed somewhere in the video. The creativity seen within this trend is what makes it so memorable throughout the TikTok community. The endless possibilities for the placement of the logo were so satisfying to reveal and were topped off with the background song, "Running Away" by VANO 3000.

Overall, the Adult Swim trend doesn't deserve a number 2 spot because of any emotion-evoking sentiments to it such as what was seen with the hopecore and Pinegrove Shuffle trend but rather because of the entertaining aspect of it that provided the opportunity for people to get creative with it. No matter the differences that separated people, the Adult Swim trend united everyone to create and appreciate almost a form of art that will likely never be replicated again; therefore, it receives the number 2 seat.

Here's an example of the trend.

#1: Late Night Finds

Image of a "Late Night Finds" video featuring LeBron James (photo credit: @nbaxarchives on TikTok)

Without a doubt, Late Night Finds has to be the greatest and most memorable TikTok trend of all time. The trend involved posting old video clips of professional sports games such as the NBA, NFL or MLB with the lyrics, "Just one more lie and then I fall," being played from the song, "scars" by Novulent. The trend was named "Late Night Finds" to express the experience of looking through old videos at night and finding old clips of you experiencing legendary sports moments.

Many things made this trend special for people across the platform. For one, the clips weren't recorded on professional cameras but on regular smartphones which generated a sense of authenticity for the videos. On the other hand, the trend was also popular as it included old videos of athletes who have passed away such as Kobe Bryant.

The ultimate reason why this trend deserves the number 1 spot on this list, though, is because it achieved a little bit of what every trend on this list did, in one video. It not only had its creative aspect, but it also had its nostalgic feel that would leave you wanting more. The trend had the ability to transport you back to that moment in time when a monumental play occurred or when retired icons were still on the field. All of these experiences combined with the song by Novulent invoke this deep sense of nostalgia that is only felt with this trend. For those reasons, this trend absolutely deserves the number 1 spot on this list.

Here's a video of Jose Fernandez when he was still on the Marlins before he passed away in 2016.

The reality is, there are way too many memorable trends that have appeared on TikTok throughout its existence. My goal was to capture only 5 that have had a bit of a deeper resonance than others. While there are a lot of negative things to be said about TikTok, trends like these that unite people and develop a stronger humanity should be recognized and celebrated rather than the opposite.

It's important to realize that social media was designed to bring people together and in a world where that purpose is being lost, trends like these that can remind us of this purpose are ones that truly are special.

Which trend was your favorite of the 5?

• Kumalala vs. Savesta
• Pinegrove Shuffle
• Hopecore
• [as]

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