From Brat to Demure to Defying Gravity: An Analysis of 2024’s Viral Memes, Songs, and Hashtags
Reflecting on each year, we can always identify key moments that sparked viral social media posts, catchy songs, and trending hashtags. Social media moves fast and trends come and go. Yet, these phenomena reflect shared online experiences, major cultural periods, and leading marketing approaches.
Analyzing these social moments paints a broader picture of the year in content, to reproduce and revamp similar strategies in 2025. The insights and data were used with Metricool’s TikTok and Instagram hashtag generators, Google Trends ‘Year in Search’ report, TikTok’s 2024 ‘Year on TikTok’, and Keywordtool.io.
Dive into the top social media trends of 2024, and how they have impacted marketing campaigns, strategies, and behaviors for 2025.
Brat Girl Summer
Also associated with the phrase “Brat Girl Summer” Charli XCX’s album Brat kicked off the Summer sensation, noted by low-res fonts, lime-green graphics, and grunge aesthetics. While simple, the marketing strategy behind this campaign was successful because of its very nature – blunt, edgy, and aloof. Centralized on Instagram, TikTok, and X, it’s no surprise that younger audiences latched onto the rebellious, individualistic tone of the artists, brands, and creators sharing Brat-related content.
When analyzing Brat’s impact, we can look into hashtag use and decisive songs that circled socials. Of course, Charli XCX’s tracks took off, especially “360”, “Apple” and “Guess” featuring Billie Eilish, the album and its remixes reached over 1 billion streams in the first three months.
Key Statistics:
- TikTok: 16.05 billion posts under #brat and 69.23 million posts for #bratgirlsummer.
- Instagram: Over 2.65 million posts under #brat and 4,000 under #bratgirlsummer.
- Search surges: “Brat” searches increased by 306% on TikTok and 232% on Instagram.
Brat even made it to the White House after Charli tweeted, “kamala IS brat.” This sent branding to the next level, with Kamala HQ X’s account even changing its profile picture background to the same iconic neon green and font.
Very Demure, Very Mindful
TikTok creator Jools Lebron posted a car video with the on-video text, “How to be demure and modest and respectful at the workplace”. The phrase “very demure, very mindful” was quickly incorporated into social media language and memes.
With over 54.3 million likes, this has driven online searches and content.
Key Statistics:
- TikTok: Over 54.3 million likes on the original video and a 216,900% increase in searches for “very demure.”
- Instagram: 644% trend increase for #demure, with over 300,000 posts.
- Google Trends: “Demure” became the #1 search in the Internet and Gaming category, boosted by Meredith Bull’s song Demure, inspired by the trend.
Dictionary.com even named “Demure” the 2024 ‘Word of the Year’, revealing that social media trends serve as a ‘linguistic time capsule’ as Dictionary.com describes.
Bull wasn’t the only one to remix Lebron’s video. Like Brat, many social media trends latch onto or become a trending song itself. Music can drive audience engagement, spark dance ideas, and create a domino effect of search volumes.
Related topics to Demure included Brat, revealing that different trends can interact and work in tandem.
Sabrina Carpenter’s ‘Espresso’ and SNL’s ‘Domingo’
Sabrina Carpenter’s song Espresso became a TikTok sensation in 2024, driving dance challenges, lip-sync videos, and creative content. The catchy tune, combined with relatable lyrics, resonated with users, leading to a massive surge in engagement.
Key Statistics:
- TikTok: Over 12.5 million videos used the song’s sound, with trends like #EspressoDanceChallenge generating billions of views.
- Search surges: A 328% increase in TikTok searches for “Espresso Sabrina Carpenter.”
- Hashtag virality: #EspressoChallenge included in over 5.4 million posts on Instagram and TikTok combined.
Carpenter actively participated in the trend, sharing her favorite user-generated content and creating her own TikTok challenges. This interaction boosted her song’s streaming numbers and highlighted the power of artist engagement in amplifying social media trends.
This song’s remix “Domingo” made its way to an SNL skit featuring Wicked star Ariana Grande, and actresses and comedians Chloe Fineman, Ego Nwodim, Heidi Gardner, and Sarah Sherman.
Clips of this skit posted on TikTok went viral, with NBC’s SNL TikTok account receiving over 102 million views for this video:
Kamala Harris ‘Coconut Tree’
Amidst brat girl summer, the US election was also on the horizon. After Charli XCX’s mention of Kamala Harris, another meme went viral on the internet after a bizarre quote was extracted from a White House event last year.
The quote: “You think you just fell out of a coconut tree? You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.” During the Vice President’s presidential campaign, this quickly became emblematic on social media.
This online wave was once again carried by younger social media users, showing support through coining “Operation Coconut Tree”, using coconut emojis in posts, and reposting remixes of the “coconut tree” mentioned in her speech.
When analyzing search and hashtag trends, we can see the following:
- TikTok: The #coconuttree has been included in over 400,000 Instagram posts and searched over 538 million times on TikTok.
- Searches: The term “coconut tree” experienced a 49% increase in search volume on Instagram, while a similar 50% increase on TikTok.
The brat trend and Harris’s campaign were taken to another level, unifying a pivotal cultural moment with a presidential one.
Moo Deng the Pygmy Hippo
The viral baby pygmy hippo, Moo Deng, took the world by storm, capturing the hearts of millions of TikTok, X, and Instagram users. Moo Deng’s fame can be accredited to Thailand’s Khao Kheow Open Zoo’s TikTok and X account, which now has over 3.3 million and 136.4k followers.
After an initial tweet on September 1st mentioning the two-month hippo, Moo Deng became the center of social media memes, captivating users and brands alike.
Key Statistics:
- TikTok: 947,900% search increase for “Moo Deng livestream” and related terms.
- Instagram: Over 28,000 posts under #moodeng.
- X: A 15,067% trend increase for “Moo Deng” mentions.
Noting her curvy body, moist skin, and rosy cheeks, trend participants have named Moo Deng a “lifestyle icon” inspiring “Moo Deng makeup” tutorials and trending Moo Deng merchandise. Moo Deng has even had shoutouts and social media mentions from brands like Sephora, Chipotle, UPS, United Airlines, and more.
This and yap
‘Yapping’, a colloquial social media expression for catching up with a friend for a long period, has become a viral internet sensation, comparing ‘yapping’ with an ideal – or satirical – activity.
TikTok sees aesthetic food spreads, travel locations, or self-care routines for “this and yap”, the ‘not so serious’ side shares niche or relatable jokes. This has been another ongoing trend in the year, becoming a staple for content creators’ content mix.
Key Statistics:
- TikTok: 356 million posts under #thisandyap and a 34,900% increase in search trends.
- X: A 14,900% increase in keyword trends for “this and yap.”
- Google Trends: Ranked #4 in the Internet and Gaming category.
While some trends blend over platforms, others stay isolated to their origin. For this example, Instagram and X didn’t experience as big of an impact around the ‘This and yap’ trend compared to TikTok.
But then again, even though TikTok powered this trend, it made its way to the largest search engine ‘Year of Search’ results, explaining the magnitude of this social network.
Holding Space for Wicked’s ‘Defying Gravity’
The timeless Broadway hit Wicked made a powerful resurgence on social media in 2024, specifically through its iconic song Defying Gravity. The trend, known as “holding space,” involved creators pausing to reflect on transformative moments in their lives, often set to the song’s climactic lines.
Key Statistics:
- TikTok: Over 8.3 million videos used the sound, with creators sharing personal growth stories or dramatic visual montages.
- Hashtags: #DefyingGravityChallenge and #HoldingSpace collectively appeared in over 1.6 billion posts across TikTok and Instagram.
- Cultural impact: The trend spurred interest in Wicked’s upcoming movie adaptation, with fans connecting their own journeys to the song’s empowering themes.
Brands joined in on the trend by sharing stories of company milestones, employee journeys, and product transformations, aligning their messaging with the theme of resilience and growth. This blend of personal and promotional content showcased how deeply music and storytelling can resonate across platforms.
TikTok Trends in 2024
TikTok continued its dominance in shaping global trends with:
- Music as a driver: Viral sounds like Demore and 360 led to dance challenges and widespread engagement.
- Hashtag virality: Hashtags such as #brat and #moodeng sustained long-term visibility, influencing broader cultural conversations.
- AI-generated content: TikTok creators increasingly leveraged AI tools to craft viral videos, from personalized animations to remixed audio tracks.
Instagram Trends in 2024
Instagram, while overlapping with TikTok, maintained its unique space:
- Aesthetic movements: Trends like Brat Girl Summer leaned heavily on Instagram’s visual-first platform.
- Search evolution: Instagram’s in-app search experienced significant growth, with terms like “brat” and “demure” spiking as users sought inspiration.
- Collaborative features: The use of Reels and cross-platform campaigns strengthened Instagram’s integration into multi-platform strategies.
Looking Ahead to 2025
As we move into 2025, the insights from these trends highlight the importance of:
- Cultural resonance: Aligning campaigns with cultural moments to maximize reach.
- Platform-specific strategies: Tailoring content to leverage each platform’s strengths.
- Authenticity: Genuine, relatable content continues to drive engagement across all demographics.
These takeaways ensure that 2024’s successes serve as a blueprint for creating impactful campaigns in the year ahead.
