This Week’s Trending Songs on Instagram Reels: Sept. 1st, 2026
Emerson Tyler
01 September 2026 
To maintain an engaging and relevant presence on Instagram, staying on top of trending audio is a fundamental practice for social media managers, agencies, creators, and entrepreneurs. Reels continue to be the star format on Instagram, achieving the highest reach, according to our 2026 Social Media Study. Instagram’s algorithm pushes short video content, as it drives user engagement and brand awareness. To create a sense of relatability and reference pop culture, trending songs on Instagram Reels are a strategy to boost visibility.
We know that trends come and go in a matter of days. Social media managers need to stay on top of these trends to create timely content with the hope of going viral. Using trending sounds increases your likelihood of being seen by a wider audience or being shared by new users.
Trending Songs on Instagram Reels Today
What’s trending on Instagram Reels today? While there are more than just 10 trending songs on the network, this list will give you a good idea of what songs grab users’ attention and appear on their feeds. We’ve chosen to share songs rather than all audio, so don’t be alarmed if you can’t see the popular sound you heard; you can find trending audio in your Instagram ‘Professional Dashboard’. Here’s a look at some of the hottest tracks making waves on Instagram Reels, with a focus on their origin, why they’re captivating audiences, and the creative content they inspire:
#1. Fallen Angel – Jennie
Jennie’s “Fallen Angel” is taking over Instagram with its emotional vocals and dreamy, introspective sound. This song’s tone makes it a natural fit for more personal content. Creators are using the track to show off their morning and bedtime routines as well as self-care content and posts centered around mental health. This song’s theme of longing and inner struggle gives everyday moments a deeper feeling. If you want to remind your audience to take some time to reflect and prioritize their mental health in a post, this song is a solid option!
#2. Spend Dat Remix – Yung Miami feat. Kodak Black & Lil Baby
“Spend Dat” brings a high-energy hip-hop vibe with a catchy chorus that makes it an easy fit for fast-paced, attention-grabbing content. The track has been gaining momentum around Yung Miami’s hit, with the new remix featuring Kodak Black and Lil Baby adding even more energy to the record. On Instagram, creators are pairing the song with lifestyle content, funny clips, workout videos, and anything that calls for a confident soundtrack. Its bold, upbeat feel makes it especially useful for flexing a little personality or adding extra energy to everyday content.
#3. Dope Girl – Rod Wave
Rod Wave’s “Dope Girl” blends his signature melodic vocals with a smooth R&B-inspired sound and laid-back rap delivery, giving the track an effortlessly cool feel. This song has quickly caught attention for its catchy chorus and easygoing flow. On Instagram, creators are putting the track behind beauty content, workout clips, glow-ups, and lifestyle posts, using its relaxed but confident energy to give their videos a smooth, feel-good edge.
#4 Se Me Nota – Omega, Chimbala, B One El Productor De Oro
“Se Me Nota” is bringing high energy to Instagram, with its hard-hitting rhythm making it an easy choice for upbeat, fast-paced content. The song has also received a major boost from its appearance in the recent Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer. On Instagram, its energetic sound is a natural fit for dance videos, lifestyle content, travel clips, and any Reel that needs an instant burst of personality.
#5. Bad Times – Imael Angel
Bad Times by Imael Angel is a hard-hitting track built around a powerful electronic sound and strong vocals that add emotion and intensity as the song builds. With its uplifting feel, it is especially effective for visually dramatic content. On Instagram, creators are pairing the song with epic scenery, from sweeping mountain landscapes and crashing ocean waves to travel adventures and cinematic outdoor shots. Its gradual build and powerful vocal moments help turn beautiful scenery into something that feels larger-than-life.
#6 Emerald Eyes – Alex Warren
This track brings a bright, romantic energy with a sound built around piano, bass, and punchy drums. The song takes an upbeat approach and is a love song that is designed to feel catchy and easy to dance to. On Instagram, its feel-good vibe makes it a great fit for couples content, art clips, and other upbeat posts that want a romantic or carefree soundtrack.
#7. Sweet Summer Lovin – Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton’s “Sweet Summer Lovin'” is seeing renewed attention on Instagram following the passing of the country music legend at age 80. The upbeat country track captures the carefree feeling of summer. Creators can use the nostalgic sound for summer memories and outdoor adventures, while others are using it to celebrate and remember Parton and her decades-long impact on country music.
#8. Pour It Up – Rihanna
Pour It Up by Rihanna is getting a fresh wave of attention on Instagram thanks to a viral dance trend that creators are taking on with their friends and family. The club-inspired track has a bold, confident energy and an instantly recognizable chorus that makes it easy to build a fun choreography around. Creators are using the sound for group dance videos with the people closest to them. This trend has a lighthearted feel while putting a new spin on one of Rihanna’s classic hits.
#9. Inner Light – Elderbrook & Bob Moses
Inner Light combines atmospheric electronic production to create a dreamy, cinematic sound that builds with emotion. The song is trending in part because it was featured in the recent GTA VI extended look, introducing it to a new wave of listeners. On IG, creators are using it for lifestyle content, sports clips, and personal milestones, where the song’s powerful build can make almost any moment feel more epic.
#10. August – Ophelia Wilde
This piano roll by Ophelia Wilde titled August has been all over the internet for months and is now creeping back into the top ten. The song is light and has a unique calming effect. Many creators are using it to show off their gardens, clever cooking recipes, or stunning landscapes. If you are looking for a refreshing track that feels like a breath of fresh air compared to a high-tempo, energetic track, this one is worth considering.
How to Save Instagram Songs
If you are scrolling through Instagram Reels and you find an audio that you would like to save, just follow these simple steps:
- Tap on the name of the audio you want to use.
- Right next to the ‘Use Audio’, you will see ‘Save Audio’.
If you do not see this, it is because you must have a Business or Creator Account to be able to save trending audio.
Want to use any of the songs from this article? Just click the song name in the paragraph title, and it will take you to the Instagram audio page.
How to Access Saved Songs
- Go to create a New reel.
- If you want to film before, click on the music icon on the left side of the screen
- At the top, you will see the Save button.
- Here you will see all your Saved songs.
You can also access your saved songs through your Instagram bio. All you have to do is:
- Go to your bio and click on the three lines in the top right corner.
- Click on ‘Saved’.
- The first square will say ‘Audio’.
- Here you can access all your saved songs.
How to Find Trending Songs for Instagram Reels
Instagram portrays which sounds are trending with a little up arrow icon. You can find these arrows by browsing the suggested sounds and on the Instagram Reels page. There are also several other ways to find trending sounds, so let’s dive right in!
Browse Suggestions
Click on the +, scrollReelreel, and click on the trending arrow. This method is less likely to match your niche; instead, Instagram will show you a library of trending songs used by various creators.
On the Instagram Reels tab
This method is a great way to start because this is where your tailored Reels live. The Reels show up on this page because the Instagram algorithm takes into account the content you’ve liked in the past based on your past engagement.
For example, if you post a lot about makeup or engage with makeup on this page, you will likely see a lot of Reels having to do with beauty products. This helps you find sounds that will match your niche.
Through the Creator’s Instagram account
@Creators is used by Instagram to share important updates like platform improvements, Reels trends, and trending audio. Make sure you’re following this account to stay up to date. This Reel below showcases some recent trends on the platform:
By scrolling TikTok
Using TikTok to get inspired is a great way to find trending sounds. Although they are two completely separate apps, the trends often carry over between the two apps. So, by scrolling through the app and seeing some similarities in videos that would match your niche, odds are they could do well on Instagram too! We update the top 10 TikTok songs each week, so this is a great place to see timely trending songs:
Use Instagram Reels Templates
Instagram has recently added reel templates, so you can easily create professional videos. When going to create a reel, you will see a Templates option. You can scroll through different templates created by users and save your favorite ones. They are also broken into different categories, such as trending and recommended.
After selecting a template you want to use, you can add your clips and edit the video to your liking. These templates can be very helpful because many times the sounds that offer templates not only make editing easier, but they are also most likely trending as well. A recent trending template is the song: Dog Days Are Over by Florence and the Machine. This song has over 683K Reels. The template looks like this:
All you have to do is simply add three clips, and the template will edit them to sync to the sound!
Instagram does not have exact data as to why songs are trending, but we believe it is due to the number of users who save, use, or interact with a certain sound.
Scheduling Reels with Trending Audio
Instagram now allows users to schedule Reels on Metricool with trending audio. Learn how with this video:
Can Businesses Use Trending Sounds on Instagram?
There are currently over 200 million business profiles on Instagram, and since Reels are the most popular type of content on the app, it is likely that businesses are posting Reels frequently. As the owner of your business account, you may have run into the issue where a trending sound was not available for your business account to use. We’re here to tell you why.
This is because of Instagram’s Copyright rule. Instagram can remove audio or clips of audio from your content if it detects a potential licensing violation. They can also block or delete content if they believe that you have infringed on their copyright.
Businesses have access to all sounds that are labeled “Original Audio” as well as songs that are for “Commercial Use”. Don’t worry, because there is quite a library full of original audio that is trending!
Make your life easier and schedule your Instagram Reels using Metricool so that they are published automatically at the optimal time.
We hope this guide to finding trending songs on Instagram Reels in 2026 was helpful. Let us know if you have any questions or comments!
