12 TikTok Trends That Defined 2021
The emergence of TikTok couldn’t have come at a better time. The app provides the perfect way to spend hours either laughing, learning, or simply letting your brain shut off from the depressing news cycle.
TikTok first launched in 2017 after merging with other popular app Musical.ly but didn’t become super popular until last year. TikTok went mainstream in 2020, as most of the world plunged into lockdown and people used the app to occupy their time.
Some may have assumed TikTok was just a passing phase, but the app has continued to have a meteoric rise, and by the second half of 2021, TikTok confirmed it now reaches one billion active users ever month — giving other social media giants Facebook and Instagram a run for their money.
TikTok still felt like a novelty in 2020 but has now been fully embraced as the ultimate destination for dance challenges, cooking videos, new music, and of course, memes. We’ve rounded up some of the TikToks that truly made this year what it was.
12 TikTok trends that defined 2021:
1. Sea Shanties
ShantyTok was, perhaps, the weirdest pivot of 2021. Sea Shanties were huge this year, more specifically people doing their rendition of a catchy sailor’s tune titled ‘Wellerman’. While the original version of the song was posted at the end of 2020, the song found fans at the start of this year and quickly went viral.
@thetrills Reply to @amoo4488 You asked for a sea shanty… and the boys delivered! ??☠️ #seashanty #acapella #wellerman #fyp #theboys ♬ original sound – The Trills
2. Feta Pasta
Food hacks had a massive year, from pasta chips, to nature’s cereal, to a 15-hour potato recipe. But this simple pasta recipe exploded like no other, which involved baking tomatoes, garlic and an entire block of feta to create a delicious pasta sauce.
@myfussyeaterBaked Feta Pasta #bakedfetapasta #fetapasta #recipes #learnontiktok #fyp #familyfood #familyrecipes♬ ily (i love you baby) – Surf Mesa
3. Tortilla Trend
Another food hack that was all over the app was people folding up tortillas with four either savoury or sweet fillings to create a toasted pocket of goodness. We even gave this one a go with some your KFC faves — and it was a vibe!
@alphafoodieNine countries nine ways ? #tortillatrend #tortilla♬ Home – Edith Whiskers
4. Emily Mariko Making A Salmon Bowl
Emily Mariko makes deeply calming videos, which are equal parts ASMR video and cooking tutorial. Emily has loads of videos on her TikTok, but it was her ingenious salmon and rice recipe involving an ice block that gave her a huge following. This video should not be nearly as satisfying as it is, but the sound effects just make it so damn watchable.
@emilymariko♬ original sound – Emily Mariko
5. ‘Up’ Dance Challenge
Dance challenges were huge last year on TikTok, and this year people continued to dance up a storm. While we could list a dozen different dance trends, nothing had quite the same mainstream appeal as Cardi B’s ‘Up’, with almost every influential TikTokker joining the craze. (And yes, I even taught myself this one too.)
@ramanaborbacara de gringa, mas gingado de brasileiraa ! Valorizem dançarinos BRs ??? // Dc: @theemyanicole ##upwmyaxchris ##foryou ##dance ##upchallenge♬ Up – Cardi B
6. ‘Buss It’ Transformations
This TikTok trend doesn’t need a lot of explaining. Basically, the person begins the video dressed super casually or in their pyjamas, then as Erica Banks’ ‘Buss It’ line drops into the track, they transform into their thottiest selves while bouncing along to the beat.
@leleponsA trend I can hop on ?♬ Buss It – Erica Banks
7. ‘Let’s go’ Memes
TikTok loves strange and dank memes and this year it outdid itself. There was Sprinting through Versailles, Gangsta Cat, and Good Soup but nothing was quite as funny or widespread as the “Let’s Go” memes. The visual is ripped from a performance by rapper Saweetie, where she says “Let’s go!” and then walks away. This combined visual and audio has been used against various green screens with hilarious results.
@jakefresca I would just stand there till she woke up like ??? #fyp #foryoupage #4u #saweetie #letsgo #comedy ♬ LETS GO – LevitatingOnTheMoonWithDulaPee
8. Main Character Memes
This is another meme that absolutely dominated TikTok, and popular culture at large. It began with people making fun of main character tropes, and then extended to TikTokkers casting themselves in other stereotypical roles like the gay best friend, the bossy sister, or the cool mum.
@kunleb It’s even the music in the back ? You already know it was romance/thriller type beat ????? #fyp #maincharacter #pov ♬ Kunle B Supermarket Flowers Ed Sheeran Cover – Kunle B.
9. Short Kings
Short Kings was a time to be alive! The concept was simple: women mess with men’s minds by commenting that they were a “short king”, typically resulting in men being baffled and/or offended before feeling the urge to prove they weren’t short. Some men even stood and tried to touch the ceiling just to prove they were vertically blessed.
@sadikhansk##viraltiktok ##viral ##fypage ##fy♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys – Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey
10. Couch Guy
TikTok’s penchant for petty drama hit an all-time high when a seemingly innocent video of a girl surprising her boyfriend took the app by storm. Basically, people on TikTok reckon that the boyfriend sitting on the couch — aka Couch Guy — did not look enthused to see his own girlfriend, and was perhaps hiding, err… something! There’s A LOT to this video and the discourse around it, you can read a full explainer here.
@laurenzarrasrobbie had no idea♬ still falling for you – audiobear
11. Barking At Dogs
This trend only began in recent weeks, but it has to make the list due to just how freaked out these dogs appear when human dare to speak their language. The look from these dogs of sheer confusion mixed with horror when their owners dare to bark is too good.
@audraela “Did you all hear that…” #barkatyourdogchallenge #pitty #pitbull ♬ original sound – Audrey
12. Bones Or No Bones Day
Ending on a wholesome note, meet a 13-year-old pug named Noodle. In an attempt to get his dog out of bed each morning, Noodle’s owner Jonathan Graziano started posting asking if it was “bones or no bones” day, which meant would Noodle have the energy to get up, or would he slump back into bed. Sometimes Noodles got up, sometimes he didn’t — and that’s OK!
The daily videos had a wider effect of encouraging viewers to look after their mental health, celebrate even the smallest of achievements, and give themselves a break.
@jongrazhappy Monday from Grandma’s house! ??? #bonesday #nobones #mondaymotivation #pug #noodletok♬ original sound – Jonathan
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Did we miss any TikToks that you were obsessed with this year? Let us know in the Facebook comments!