We’re kicking off our Best of 2025 coverage with the biggest or most significant Pop Culture Moments of the year.

To clarify, this isn’t just ‘Pop Culture,’ as in films, TV, and video games; we’ll be covering it in the weeks ahead with the rest of our awards. This is popular culture and/or big news headlines that took over our phones and new websites as well. From the continued use of AI Slop destroying our For You pages on your social media pages of choice, to continue rap beefs, the biggest memes and more.

Here’s our picks for the Top 10 Viral Highlights of 2025.

10.) AI Slop

Play

This isn’t a 2025 thing, but the continued low-effort quality of content on platforms like Instagram and TikTok, in particular, has taken a huge hit. The AI created slop videos that are generally considered ‘brain rot,’ and the type of nonsense that I despise and everything wrong with generative AI.

-Dylan

9.) No Kings Rallies

Play

When there’s a fascist leader in a country, protests are going to be a continued and necessary part of continuing to fan the flame of resistance, which is exactly what the ‘No Kings’ rallies have been in the U.S this year. Over 100 cities in the U.S held the protests on Donald Trump’s birthday; they also spread across the globe with events in Japan, Mexico and more. These were the largest coordinated events held in opposition to Trump’s second presidency, and although, of course, they were dispised by The White House, they couldn’t really say anything bad against peaceful protests, and the right for ones free speech.

-Dylan

8.) South Park Returns to Prominence

Play

While South Park has never gone away, it returned to making headlines not only by signing a $1.5 billion streaming deal with Paramount+, but by then attacking their own company and depicting Donald Trump as a tiny dicked, wannabe dictator who is in a sexual relationship with Satan. Trump and depictions of other figures like J.D. Vance and Kristi Noem featured regularly throughout the season as Trey Parker and Matt Stone hilariously pulled no punches when making fun of the current US administration.

-Ashley

7.) John Cena’s Heel Turn

Play

In early March, the unthinkable happened in the world of wrestling: John Cena turned heel. After decades as a good guy and moments after securing an opportunity to become the first 17-Time World Champion at Wrestlemania, Cena kicked Champion Cody Rhodes below the belt before dealing out a beat down with The Rock and Travis Scott. While what followed in Cena’s hell run never really lived up to that first moment, it did provide a shocking start to John Cena’s last year of professional Wrestling.

-Ashley

6.) KPop Demon Hunters

Play

KPop Demon Hunters took over the world in multiple media in a way we have never seen before. Not only did the film become the most-streamed film on Netflix ever, but the film’s soundtrack became the first in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 to feature four of its songs in the top ten. Singers Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami have been asked to sing the hit song Golden at a myriad of high-profile events and are expected to have Grammy and Academy Awards in their near future. With a sequel already in the works, this isn’t the last were likely to see of Huntrix.

-Ashley

5.) 6–7

Play

It doesn’t matter if the meaning of the 6-7 meme can be traced back to a song from Skrilla. 99% of the world doesn’t know that, and all the kids who say it in class have no idea either. They also have no alternative explanation for the meme or why they say it. It’s the best example of a brain-rot meme come to life.

-Dylan

4.) Labubu

Play

The blind box craze for Labubu’s blew up in 2025 in a mega way. The toys may have begun getting more attention following Lisa from Blackpink in 2024, with one in her bag, but it was in 2025 that they spread across the globe, and the testament to that was the number of Labubu rip-offs hitting the market.

-Dylan

3.) Late Night Drama (Colbert & Kimmel)

Play

Late-night talk shows became the centre of the news they usually make fun of this year with two massive events. Firstly, in July, Stephen Colbert announced that The Late Show would be coming to an end in what CBS claims was a “purely financial” decision while many have speculated it was actually made to appease the government in order help with the Paramount-Skydance Media merger. In September, Jimmy Kimmel was suspended after making comments about the death of Charlie Kirk. Both events started discussions about free speech and saw both of the hosts receiving strong outpourings of support.

-Ashley

2.) Kendrick Lamar / Drake Feud Ends

Play

The biggest musical beef for 2025 was between Kendrick Lamar and Drake, as the continued trading of words since 2013 turned all business when Drake sued Universal Music Group in court. This was, of course, after Lamar won five Grammys for ‘Not Like Us,’ and also performed the song at the Super Bowl, getting millions to yell out the lyrics aimed at Drake in unison.

-Dylan

1.) Charlie Kirk Assassination

Play

The assassination of the right-wing political commentator started off a whirlwind of commentary around the globe. Kirk was assassinated doing what he made his career out of doing — inciting incendiary comments, which often fell into the realm of being racist, sexist and generally hateful unless it fell into his own ideology. He’s not the only one, however, which is why the lens of conversation around his assassination turned to the larger question of the safety of free speech for the many like Kirk.
While one side of the interested mourned the loss of Kirk, another celebrated, and in the middle, many turned a song someone created in full sincerity for him into a now-very-popular meme. Such is life.

-Dylan

Find all of Explosion Network’s Best of 2025 coverage right here, and be sure to let us know your thoughts on any of our lists in the comments section.