Bernie Sanders memes, TikTok trends and ‘Squid Game’: The best viral moments from 2021
millions became inoculated. But from the inauguration of President Joe Biden to Olivia Rodrigo letting us know about the heartbreak of getting a driver’s license, there were many other moments that had the internet buzzing.
With the help of Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, legendary videos and memes were created.
Here are some of the most viral videos and trends we couldn’t get enough in 2021.
More: Harry and Meghan’s Oprah interview, Astroworld and more of 2021’s biggest pop culture moments
These 100 things made USA TODAY’s entertainment team happy.
Bernie Sanders at Joe Biden’s inauguration
It didn’t take long for someone to become of the most popular memes of the year. At Joe Biden’s presidential inauguration on Jan. 20, former presidential hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders was in attendance to see Biden officially become the 46th president of the United States.
But the senator looked rather unenthusiastic about his spot in the Capitol gallery, slouching in his spot with his legs crossed and his mask on while sporting colorful mittens. The internet had an absolute blast with it.
to raise $1.8 million for charities in his home state of Vermont.
TikTok Dances
Would you be lying to yourself if you said you hadn’t tried at least one TikTok dance trend in 2021?
There were several trends that had nearly everyone moving their bodies, like the “magic bomb” trend that had people answering all sorts of questions, even making an appearance in a Burger King commercial.
Another popular one, though a blast from the past, was the jerk and reject dance. Even if some people can’t “just skip backward,” others have shown they still know how to do the popular 2009 dance from the New Boyz song “You’re a Jerk.”
But the most popular dance of the year? It comes from TikTok creator @totouchanemu, who whipped out his drone to capture a 360 view of himself dancing to the hit song “Stay” by The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber. The video has over 315 million views, 44 million likes and was picked as the most popular video on TikTok.
our Charles Trepany put it: “It’s a bones day! These are lucky days for taking risks and treating yourself. But if Noodle collapses, then it’s a no-bones day, a sign it’s best to take it easy and stay cautious.”
So far, Jonathan’s TikTok account has over 4.6 million followers, and yes, we still get our bones horoscopes.
Doctors said every part of the body was at risk of injury from it, and the matter got so out of hand TikTok banned the challenge from its app.
‘Devious licks’
As bad as the “milk crate challenge” was, few trends were criminal in nature until the “devious licks” challenge.
In September, students were encouraged to wreak havoc on school campuses across the nation by vandalizing or stealing school property. Videos of students stealing soap dispensers, film projectors and other school equipment began circulating on the app before their removal.
Schools across the nation sent emails to parents warning them about the challenge.
A quick search of “devious licks” on TikTok does not return any results and instead provides a link to “harmful challenges and hoaxes.”
‘Squid Game’
“Red light, green light.”
The Korean drama series “Squid Game” had people hooked after it was released on Netflix in September as it became the most-watched show on the streaming service.
The show, which had 456 people participate in “advance or die” childhood games for the chance to win money, was buzzing all across the internet with memes poking fun at many moments seen during the show. But perhaps no memes were greater than those inspired by the first game in the show: “Red light, green light.”
Olivia Rodrigo
We thought we knew what heartbreak was, but then teen sensation Olivia Rodrigo changed the game with the release of her song “Driver’s License.”
Her song, released just one week in 2021, told the story of how painful it was to deal with a breakup as she got her driver’s license and instantly became a hit across the world. It was also Spotify’s most-streamed song of the year with 1.1 billion streams.
But while the song may have been catered to Gen Z listeners, the song it was such a hit that older felt the impact of the song. The feelings only escalated when she released her debut album, “Sour,” in May.
“Red (Taylor’s Version)” did the same exact thing in 2021. Some fans got to once again listen to some timeless classics, while some new additions hit the heart even harder than before. We even got to hear from that scarf.
HIPPA violations?
As more and more people got their COVID-19 vaccine, it became a normal question to ask, “Did you get vaccinated?”
asking someone about their vaccination status is not a HIPPA violation.
Yet some notable figures probably don’t know didn’t understand what the federal law really meant, like when Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott used the response. The internet had lots of fun with Prescott’s answer and turned any question into a faux HIPPA violation.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Contributing: Asha Gilbert
Follow Jordan Mendoza on Twitter: @jordan_mendoza5.