What are TikTok trends?
TikTok trends refer to viral content that gains widespread popularity and engagement on the platform. They often emerge organically when creators make original videos using popular songs, effects, challenges, or hashtags that resonate with the TikTok community. Some examples of popular TikTok trends include:
- Dance trends – Videos set to catchy music where users perform the same dance moves, like the Renegade dance to the song ‘Lottery’ by K Camp.
- Challenge trends – Users create response videos to a prompt using a specific hashtag, like the #FlipTheSwitch challenge where pairs of people swap clothes when the lights flicker.
- Comedy/meme trends – Funny videos often using effects or sounds that become widely recreated, like the Say So dance edit trend.
- Viral sounds/music – Videos featuring the same sound clips, songs, or audio effects, like TikTok’s famous ‘Oh No’ song.
- Hashtag challenges – TikTok launches sponsored hashtag challenges encouraging users to create videos on certain topics.
When these trends catch on, they can gain billions of views and get widely replicated by the TikTok community within days. Trends allow creators to put their own spin on viral content while connecting with fellow users who recognize the trending references.
How do trends get started on TikTok?
Trends on TikTok often start with influencers, popular creators with large followings. Influencers frequently start trends by posting videos using new dances, sounds, challenges, or effects. Their large audience amplifies content, spreading it widely across the platform. According to TikTok’s Creative Center, “These trends get more powerful with buy-in and participation from users, whether that means commenting on videos or making their own content.”
Sounds are another key driver of trends on TikTok. Users create videos set to popular music or viral audio clips, like meme sounds or dialogue from movies/TV shows. As more creators use the same sounds in their own videos, it gains momentum and spreads as a trend. TikTok’s algorithm detects rising sounds and begins recommending them, fueling the trend. According to Bazaarvoice, “TikTok’s algorithm gives preference to trending TikTok videos, so you’ll get more views — and engagement — when you jump on a trend.”
Hashtag challenges also commonly ignite trends, as TikTok prompts users to create their own video responding to a call-to-action. The #SilhouetteChallenge and #FlipTheSwitch challenges went viral in this format. As more users participate in hashtag challenges, they gain visibility and momentum as broader trends.
Finding trending hashtag challenges
One of the easiest ways to discover new TikTok trends is to search by trending hashtags like #posechallenge, #dontleavemechallenge, and more. When a TikTok challenge starts going viral, it usually gains its own unique hashtag. By searching these trending hashtags, you’ll find thousands of videos showcasing the latest popular challenges.
TikTok compiles trending hashtag challenges on the Discover page. Here you can browse hashtags that are currently exploding in popularity. Tapping on a trending hashtag brings up a page showing top videos using that hashtag. This makes it simple to view the most popular takes on the viral challenge.
You can also search hashtags directly from the search bar. Typing in a hashtag like #InMyFeelingsChallenge will display results for that specific trend. Exploring what’s trending this way allows you to dive deep into the videos that kicked off a viral craze.
Staying up to date on the latest hashtag challenges keeps your For You page full of current trending content. It also provides inspiration for fun new videos to create yourself!
Following top creators
One of the best ways to keep up with the latest TikTok trends is to follow popular creators who are known for starting viral trends. According to The most followed TikTok accounts in 2022!, some of the top creators to follow for the latest trends include:
- Charli D’Amelio – With over 141 million followers, Charli D’Amelio is the most followed person on TikTok. She rose to fame for her viral dance videos and is known for starting many popular TikTok dance challenges.
- Addison Rae – As the second most followed creator on TikTok with over 85 million followers, Addison Rae also frequently starts new dance trends that spread across the app.
- Bella Poarch – Although relatively new to TikTok, Bella Poarch quickly amassed over 87 million followers with her lip-sync and meme videos. She helped popularize trending TikTok sounds.
Following these and other top influencers is a great way to ensure the latest popular TikTok challenges, dances, songs, and memes show up right on your For You page. Check out top creators’ profiles daily to catch emerging trends before they go viral to the masses.
Using the trending page
One of the easiest ways to find current popular trends on TikTok is to navigate to the Trending page. This page surfaces the top trending hashtag challenges, songs, effects, and more that are gaining traction across TikTok at any given moment. To access it, simply tap the Discover tab on the bottom toolbar of the TikTok app. The first option that appears is the Trending tab. Tap into it to scroll through a feed of the latest viral sounds, hashtags, effects, dances, memes, and more. The Trending page refreshes multiple times a day, so it’s a great way to stay on top of the latest popular content. You can tap on any individual trend to view TikToks using it and even create your own video jumping on the trend. Using the Trending page makes spotting current viral trends effortless.
Using the Discover page
The Discover page on TikTok is a great place to find the latest trending content and viral videos. This page surfaces popular content from people you don’t yet follow. So it’s a good way to stay on top of what’s trending without having to follow lots of different accounts.
The Discover page is personalized based on your interests and what’s trending in your area. But you can always toggle between “For You” and “Following” at the top to see content from just people you follow or a mix.
Some key sections on the Discover page include:
- Trending: The latest viral sounds, hashtag challenges, effects, and more
- Popular Creators: Top videos from rising stars and trendsetters
- Sounds: Trending songs and original sounds fueling viral videos
The Discover page refreshes multiple times per day, so it’s a page to check frequently if you want to stay current on the latest trends. It’s an easy way to get exposed to new content and accounts that align with your interests.
Here are some tips for using the Discover page effectively:
- Scroll through trending hashtags and sounds to get video ideas
- Tap “Follow” on any account to start seeing their content
- Like, comment, duet, or stitch videos you enjoy to engage
- Tap the share icon to send trending videos to friends
Overall, regularly browsing the Discover page is one of the best ways to keep up with the latest viral content and trends on TikTok.
Searching by sound
One of the easiest ways to find trending content on TikTok is to search by popular sounds. TikTok compiles lists of the top trending sounds and makes them easy to access. You can find these lists by going to the Discover tab and selecting “trending sounds.” TikTok also highlights certain categories like trending sounds 2022 rap or funny sounds for 2022.
Once you identify a trending sound you want to explore, tap on it to open up a feed of all the TikToks using that song or audio clip. This allows you to quickly see the dance trends, memes, effects, and other content being created around that particular sound. It’s an easy way to immerse yourself in the latest viral sensations.
You can also search for specific sounds using the search bar. Just type in a lyric or description of the sound and you’ll be able to find TikToks using it. This works great when you hear about a new sound going viral but don’t know the details yet.
Staying on top of the hottest trending sounds is a quick way to make sure you’re catching all the biggest TikTok trends and challenges.
Using the For You page
The For You page is one of the key ways TikTok surfaces trending content. This is the page that shows when you first open the app, and it is algorithmically curated to show you content that TikTok thinks you may be interested in or find entertaining. The For You page draws from content that is currently trending and popular across the platform, as well as from creators you already follow or interact with.
While TikTok keeps the exact details of how the For You page algorithm works a secret, it is known to take into account factors like your interests based on videos you like, comment on, or share; videos similar to ones you have watched all the way through in the past; engaging videos that are gaining popularity; and more. The algorithm aims to provide a never-ending stream of fresh, relevant content.
So if you just start browsing on the For You page, you will inevitably start seeing videos related to the latest TikTok trends as the algorithm picks up on what is currently popular. This can be an easy way to discover new challenges, songs, dances, memes, and more that are blowing up across the platform. Pay attention to sounds, hashtags, effects or captions that keep appearing in videos for clues about what the latest trends are.
As one example, according to an article on Vice (https://www.vice.com/en/article/xwezwj/how-does-tiktoks-for-you-page-work-users-have-some-wild-theories), during the “Git Up” dance challenge, users reported their For You feeds being dominated by videos using the song as the trend went viral.
Following trending music
One of the easiest ways to keep up with the latest TikTok trends is to follow the platform’s most popular and viral songs. TikTok music charts track which songs are being used the most in videos, giving a real-time look at what’s trending.
Sites like Influencer Marketing Hub compile weekly charts of the top TikTok songs. They analyze data directly from TikTok to see which tracks are gaining momentum and being used in the most videos. This list changes frequently as new songs go viral.
TikTok also has its own curated playlists of trending songs, updated daily. You can find these by searching “top tiktok songs 2022” or clicking on the Discover tab and selecting Music. This is a great way to always stay on top of the latest trends.
By following charts and playlists like these, you’ll recognize the most popular TikTok songs and be familiar with the newest dance trends, memes, and viral video formats using that music.
Keeping up with news
One way to stay on top of the latest TikTok trends is to check news sites and blogs that cover trending content on the platform. Sites like TikTok’s Newsroom regularly report on new viral sounds, dances, challenges and memes gaining popularity on TikTok. Industry news outlets like Tubefilter, Variety and The Drum also follow trending topics on the app and can be good resources for keeping up with what’s hot.
Following social media news handles on Twitter and Facebook like @socialmediasun and Social Media Today is another easy way to get TikTok trend alerts and updates delivered to your feeds. Staying on top of the latest viral content can help inspire your own TikTok ideas and videos.
