TikTok trends 2023: Tracking the latest TikTok trends as they emerge

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Buzz from Shooglebox helps brands and organisations quickly spot and explore TikTok trends as they start to take off.

Here are just a few of the recent big TikTok trends in 2023 that Buzz customers were among the first to discover. Get in touch to find out how Buzz could help your business.

TikTok trends September 2023:

Smurf Cat: Meme featuring a creature with the features of a cat and head of a mushroom has quickly taken off, with 2bn views of TikToks posted with #smurfcat including from brands like Specsavers, Lynx and Drumstick and football clubs Real Madrid and Juventus

Tube Girl: Sabrina Bahsoon inspires lots of people to record themselves dancing and posing in public, aiming to achieve her level of confidence

Wassup Gwayy: More than 1.2m videos using hip-hop song by FamousSally & YB as people share their "honest reaction" to various scenarios – dancing and making gestures while dismissing what someone's said to them

Roman Empire: "How often do you think about the Roman Empire?" is a question lots of TikTokers are asking their male partners and friends – there are now 1.4bn views on #romanempire thanks to the trend

"I found this old photo": People are applying the "Old but crispy" or "Aged" effects to imagine their future selves as grandparents looking back at their younger years – soundtracked with Hot Wings (I Wanna Party) from the film Rio

"Me as a Pixar character": CapCut template using AI to show TikTokers and their pets what they'd look like as animated characters in a Pixar film has been hugely popular with more than 4m videos using it

TikTok trends August 2023:

"Oh my goodness, I love this question!": Sound from interview with actress Lola Tung has quickly taken off with more than 400k TikTokers using the sound – including brands like Capri-Sun, Little Moons and Specsavers

Feta fried eggs: New food trend for feta fried eggs served in a toasted tortilla wrap has really taken off with people saying it's "10/10" – and brands like Morrisons and Boursin jumping on the hype

"More passion, more energy": Sounds from videos of a man dancing in the street while the cameraman hypes him up are being used by people also trying to hype someone up

Zepotha: A fake 1980s horror film created by indie musician Emily Jeffri is spreading quickly with TikTokers imagining characters and plot lines, making trailers and referencing it in comments on other people's videos – more than 200m views on #zepotha in two weeks

Interpretive dancer: CapCut template of a man moving his arms and doing pirouettes is being used to talk about things that put you in a good mood

Beauty and a Beat: Popular hand dance trend to Nicki Minaj's rap section in Justin Bieber's song Beauty and a Beat – influencers like Stranger Things actor Noah Schnapp are joining in

Strawberry make-up: Hailey Bieber's rosy cheeks and faux freckles look has caught on with influencers like Nikki Lilly and James Charles trying it along with brands like ASOS, Clarins and e.l.f. Cosmetics

"Ashley, look at me": The Kalin Brothers have gone viral for their videos dancing to the "Ashley, look at me" sound from The Boys – lots of people are now parodying their moves by flexing their arms and shuffling around

TikTok trends July 2023:

Girl dinner: The concept of a "girl dinner" – a plate of assorted picky food which doesn't need cooking – has taken off as a FoodTok trend and meme this summer, with more than 1bn views of videos on #GirlDinner

"She was a fairy": Sound being used on a floating trick where people make it look like they're flying in the air by standing on a surface and attaching their shoes to their ankles – or on clips of their creepy looking DIY fairies and dolls spinning around on a piece of string

Latte make-up: Beauty content creator Rachel Rigler has coined the term "latte make-up", inspired by photos of make-up artist Tanielle Jai and based around blending brown eyeshadows to get a "warm and bronzey" look

Low-five outfits transitions: Popular style of filming and editing fashion videos where couples and friends film full-body shots of themselves giving each over a low-five before switching outfits to the beat of the music

Paw Patrol: Pet owners like @dayswithscotty are having fun with anew AI effect that turns their dogs into cartoon-style characters from the children's series Paw Patrol

Black cat zoning out: Individuals and brands using CapCut template of a black cat zoning out for situations where they're unimpressed by what someone's saying, or not listening because their mind is on other things

Bottles rolling down stairs: There's a huge appetite for ASMR on TikTok, with 800 billion views on #ASMR – new trend has people recording the sound of glass bottles and jars shattering as they roll down flights of stairs

TikTok trends June 2023:

Grimace shake: Marketing campaign by McDonald's in the US has quickly taken on a life of its own on TikTok with thousands of people creating horror-movie-style videos and more than 1 billion views on #grimaceshake

Bill Hader dancing: CapCut template of actor and comedian Bill Hader dancing in a box in an old Saturday Night Live sketch used by individuals, brands and sports clubs to show situations that put them in a good mood

Bold Glamour to Striking Face: TikTokers are using two popular effects to compare how they think they look in certain situations with how they actually look, soundtracked with Billy Idol's Eyes Without A Face

"Light work, no reaction ... ok, it's got a little kick": Sound from a clip of Twitch streamer Jynxzi eating hot wings used to show scenarios where something goes from seeming easy to being more challenging

What It Is: Song by American rapper Doechii sparks big dance trend – lots of people are doing variations of simple hand movements and even using a CapCut template to add them to pictures of pets and other images

"Me as a Barbie": Hugely popular CapCut template that turns you into a Barbie doll has been used in millions of videos – with some unusual results on pets, and brands like Toys"R"Us, Frank's RedHot sauce and Vita Coco trying it on their products and mascots

Makeba: Feel-good song from 2015 has resurfaced on TikTok with people doing dance routines to it, using it on a CapCut template sharing memories on their camera rolls, and for aesthetic food, fashion and travel content

Mango pancakes: Lots of love in the FoodTok community recently for Hong Kong-style crepes filled with whipped cream and fresh mango – people are buying them from their local oriental supermarkets or making their own at home

TikTok trends May 2023:

"P for Papas, it's a Papa's Party": Pet owners are having lots of fun making videos where they hold up their cats, dogs and other animals to make it look like they're dancing – see how our Buzz service tracked the trend as it took off

Photogenic challenge: More than 30m people joining in a challenge to see how "photogenic" they are using a CapCut template that generates a series of black-and-white freeze frames from a random video they upload

Levitating: TikTokers are finding creative ways to illustrate the lyrics of DaBaby's rap section in Dua Lipa's song Levitating with different poses and all sorts of objects – often filming themselves in shops and supermarkets

"It's hard to believe I'm walking through the ruins of an ancient city ...": Sound from Diane Morgan's character Philomena Cunk in Cunk on Earth being used to joke about things you're guilty of not actually doing

Upside down pastries: FoodTokers like @londonbruncher are racking up ther views on recipes for sweet and savoury pastries made by assembling the toppings on greaseproof paper before covering in pastry and baking until golden

AI Style effect: Hugely popular TikTok effect has been used by millions of people to modify videos and images of themselves, tattoos, pets and random objects – results range from majestic gold statues, to moss-covered stones, mermaids and looks that wouldn't be out of place in a science fiction film

Yesterday, today, tomorrow: More than half a million TikToks on photo carousel trend where people show things they're doing repeatedly, including brands like Care Bears, Duolingo, Little Moons and BBC Eurovision – find out how the trend has taken off

LemonTok: Big baking trend with lemon cakes, cookies and cheesecakes racking up the views and a passionate LemonTok community emerging

"Well, that's interesting. Do you know why? Because ...": TikTokers and brands using a sound from Parks and Recreation in videos running away from something, like when they're embarrassed – or, more positively, running off to get something they like the sound of

The Lorax: 2012 film resurfaces on TikTok with people jumping on the "If it has a screen, The Lorax will be seen" meme where they appear to be playing the film on any device with a screen and also recreating the characters' dance moves in the closing Let it Grow scene

TikTok trends April 2023:

Wes Anderson movies: Brands, sports clubs and charities join TikTokers getting creative with the "acting like you're in a Wes Anderson film" trend, filming and editing videos of their everyday lives with the director's distinctive visual style, colour palette and use of symmetry – find out more

John Cena: 1.5m videos using CapCut template of the wrestler and actor dancing with headphones on to post about scenarios and songs that put them in a good mood – more than 17m views on one from Mentos UK about the pronunciation of their brand name

"One, two, buckle my shoe": A funny version of the nursery rhyme song One, Two, Buckle My Shoe is all over TikTok as people and brands like Gymshark, Toys"R"Us Canada and Nickelodeon make memes and remixes out of a TikToker's video showing off his Nike trainers adapted with a cartoon-style buckle

Okokok vs Lalala: Lines from the song See You Again by American rapper Tyler, the Creator used to compare "okokok"and "lalala" people and objects – "okokok" is supposed to represent someone or something that's introverted, mature and logical, in contrast to the more extroverted and emotional "lalala"

FaceApp filters: Hundreds of thousands of people using FaceApp to alter aspects of their appearance – including making themselves and their partners look older, changing their hair colours and gender swapping – then inserting the original and edited photos into a popular CapCut template used in 200m videos to create a before-and-after transition

"Everybody dance now": Cutouts of Steve Carell's character Michael Scott in the US version of The Office have been doing the rounds on TikTok – a CapCut template of him with a speaker over his head is particularly popular, with more than 1m uses including brands like British Airways, Emirates, ODEON Cinemas and Flying Tiger Copenhagen

"If I had to speak about love, I'd tell them about us": Relatable sound has been used in 400k TikToks, with people posting about people and products they love – including brands like Duolingo and celebrities like Demi Lovato

30-second trailer: Half a million uses of CapCut template where you insert a series of clips showing what someone is really like, often revealing their silly or playful side, soundtracked with a version of Candy by Robbie Williams

Jasper the Doll: Little Barbie doll character with a distinctive raspy voice and Joker-style make-up is growing a big following with their videos acting out everyday scenarios and covering pop songs – find out more about how the Jasper trend has taken off this spring

TikTok trends March 2023:

Pedro Pascal eating a sandwich: #PedroPascal hits six billion views as people continue to share funny and relatable memes featuring the actor, including more than 500,000 people taking a cutout of him eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in an episode of LADbible's Snack Wars to joke about scenarios where they're sitting alone, doing something mindlessly and appearing to be lost in their own world – learn more about the trend

"John Pork is calling": Big new meme where people pretend an anthropomorphic pig called John Pork is calling their phone – read more

Dancers Generator: Hundreds of thousands of people using new TikTok effect to turn everyday objects like tubes of Pringles or bottles of Prime, their pets, celebrities and favourite characters into little dancing characters

Bottle flip food challenge: TikTokers teaming up with partners, friends and relatives to take turns eating meals depending on who flips a plastic bottle and gets it to land upright – 34 million views on this version from "the GOAT couple" @gnb.official (8.9m followers)

"Just letting everyone know that ...": More than 1 million people including well-known influencers, celebrities, brands and sports clubs using a spinny CapCut template with sparkles and firework effects to jokingly share bad news or statements about mundane things they're doing – soundtracked with Sweet but Psycho by Ava Max or Happy with You

Fruit Roll-Ups and ice cream: American TikToker @golisdream's "sweet guilty pleasure" snack is scoops of ice cream inside Roll-Ups, which go hard and crunchy with the coldness of the ice cream – her original video has 13 million views and other influencers including @_angelomarasigan, @joshhallan, @francescafarago and @gracebooth97 are now trying it

Odd one out: Thousands of videos lining up toy Easter chicks and asking viewers to guess which one's done something stupid "without permission" – this video asking "who got their hair cut without permission?", revealing a chick shorn of all its feathers, is one of the biggest with 20 million views. Read more about how the trend took off.

"Do you or do you not feel bonita?": Sound from Family Guy takes off as big TikTok trend with people joking about dressing up their partners, relatives and pets and showing how unamused they are – take a look at some examples in this box from our Buzz service.

Maxwell In The Sky: TikTok effect inspired by popular spinning cat meme is attracting the attention of lots of major brands, showing Maxwell appearing from behind their stores, buildings and landmarks – boosting the #maxwellthecat hashtag to 500 million views

TikTok trends February 2023:

"Me? Obsessed with you? Yes, yes I am": Trending TikTok sound picked up by big brands like easyJet, Primark and Samsung – and incorporated into two CapCut templates with more than 1.5 million combined uses

Pedro Pascal meme: Clip of Pedro Pascal and Nicolas Cage reacting to taking LSD in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent film takes off as TikTok meme showing two people's opposite reactions to a scenario – usually soundtracked with Make Your Own Kind of Music

"What you looking for? We got what you looking for!": Big brands including Duolingo, Pretty Little Thing, Cinnabon and Lulu Lemon join in with trending sound from a group of cheerleaders – used in 400,000 videos in four weeks since the original by @coachcheeralot

"Did I?": Scene from the 2005 animated film Hoodwinked! where Japeth the goat repeatedly sings "Did I?" to Little Red Riding Hood while in a state of denial incorporated into CapCut template, with people joking about doing things they said they wouldn't and backtracking on their promises – read how we alerted subscribers to our Buzz service to the trend

Toddler giving a thumbs-up: More than 2 million uses of CapCut template for when you like the sound of someone's plans and suggestions – usually soundtracked with a sped-up garage remix of Lose My Breath by Destiny's Child.

History Repeats: Thousands of people taking part in TikTok trend where they imagine having conversations with their ancestors about the similarities and differences between the past and the present day, soundtracked with a sped-up version of Pierre by Ryn Weaver.

Bad Hair Day: Catchy children's song from New Zealand, which was originally sung in primary schools, takes off as viral dance trend with more than 900k videos on the sound – including big TikTok influencers like @k0uvr (14m followers) and popstar Anne-Marie.

Fried cheese and pickle rolls: TikTok food trend emerges out of an American TikToker's "guilty pleasure snack", sometimes nicknamed a "pickle in a blanket", made by wrapping gherkins in crispy fried cheese – Nannabea describes it as "an exquisite bit of snackage".

Barbie dancing dogs: TikTokers making funny memes with cutouts of two animated dogs – Sparkles and Lily – from the Barbie & the Diamond Castle film and sharing dance videos recreating their moves in real life. Most big videos soundtracked with a version of the song In Ha Mood by Ice Spice.

Learn more here about how the dogs are "living rent free" on people's For You Pages.

"Proof that not everything can be an album cover": New trend started at the end of January continues to grow rapidly with millions of people, including well-known brands and sports clubs, using CapCut template to create a series of five album covers and sharing the results to TikTok – often proving that everything can be an album cover. Find out more.

TikTok trends January 2023:

Coco old photo trend: CapCut template using clip of Miguel in the 2017 Disney film piecing together a torn photo takes off with three million people inserting their own photos and imagining someone in the future looking at them. Lots of the biggest TikTok videos are soundtracked with the "rolling on the river" part of John Fogerty's version of Proud Mary.

Flowers: Miley Cyrus' number-one single breaks music streaming records and is used in more than one million TikTok videos in two weeks with people analysing the meaning of the lyrics, making their own mini music videos, and coming up with fun dance routines. Find out more about Flowers on TikTok.

Banana Joe: Scene from The Amazing World of Gumball animated sitcom where Gumball walks in on an embarrassed Banana Joe on his laptop becomes popular CapCut template used more than two million times to joke about things you wouldn't want other people to see or that you shouldn't be doing. Ryanair is the first major brand to join the trend.

Finn Wolfhard snapping: Well-known brands quick to jump on new before-and-after trend using a CapCut template of Stranger Things actor Finn Wolfhard, where the background changes when he clicks his fingers – showing changes to things like their company logos, products and services. Read more about how the trend took off.

Topher: American boy goes viral as first TikTok star of 2023 with thousands of funny impressions and edits inspired by a family challenge video where he said "Y'all already know who I am – my name's Topher" in a strong Southern accent. Learn more about how #Topher hit 800 million views in a matter of weeks.

"It never was that serious": Sound used to look back on things you've said or done that you now realise weren't worth worrying about – including a viral coming out video by Stranger Things actor Noah Schnapp.

"Excuse me, brah": Hundreds and thousands of TikTokers recreating scene of rivals Derek and Hansel in the 2001 comedy Zoolander, using sound of dialogue from the film mixed with the song Give It To Me by Timbaland.

Sure Thing hand dance: Millions of views of videos using hand gestures to illustrate the lyrics to a sped-up version of Sure Thing by American singer Miguel, inspired by a video posted late December by @yeslydimate.

Green Green Grass: Fun side-by-side dance trend takes off on TikTok to sped-up version of George Ezra's hit song, with people filming videos of themselves dancing with their siblings, parents and partners and adding captions on screen for the year they were born.

TikTok trends December 2022:

Wednesday Addams dance: More than two million people take to TikTok through November and December to recreate a dance scene choreographed and performed by lead actress Jenna Ortega in the Netflix horror series Wednesday. Ortega's original routine is set to Goo Goo Muck by American rock band The Cramps; on TikTok a sped-up version of Lady Gaga's Bloody Mary is used instead. 170 million views on video from @nianaguerrero.

Turning my mum into me: TikTokers get their mums, and other relatives, to dress up in their clothes and twirl for the camera, soundtracked with a sped-up version of I Wish by American rapper Skee-Lo – example from @lobadakuma.

Granular velocity slo-mo: 80 million people use CapCut template to fade the colour of their videos between black and white and full colour and add a slow motion effect to the second part – usually soundtracked with a mash-up of Where Have You Been by Rihanna and The Hills by The Weeknd, like in this video from @liiberandomodelos.

Microwave Popcorn sound: Bo Burnham song used to show frustration when someone isn't listening to what you're telling them – like in this video from @kat_harkins.

AI Manga effect: TikTok filter which takes a photo from your phone and shows what the subject would look like in a Japanese manga book or anime show used in 100 million videos – with people applying it to themselves, their pets and random objects around the house.

"It's not so bad": Also known as "tiny violin", this trend shows people miming playing "the world's smallest violin" to show how not bothered they are in response to something or somebody. People also use it to talk about what it's like working outside in cold weather – like this video with more than 6 million views.

Mirrored Delay Effect: TikTokers dance with themselves – effect used in 1.5 million videos.

"You make me un poco loco": 500,000 TikTokers using sped-up version of song from the 2017 Disney film Coco to share things that drive them crazy.

TikTok trends November 2022:

1001 Arabian Nights: Dance trend based on a 2005 pop song by the Dutch band Chipz goes viral on TikTok through November and December with more than 5 million videos posted using the sound – find out how this Dutch pop song went viral thanks to TikTok.

CapCut boat meme: CapCut template used more than 14 million times by people sharing situations they're escaping from. Often soundtracked with the theme tune from children's TV show In The Night Garden or an instrumental version of My Heart Will Go On from Titanic.

Dabloons: Cat-based fictional currency explodes as a huge TikTok trend, with more than 1.3 billion views of videos posted on #Dabloons. At its simplest it's a giant roleplay game that involves spotting videos on your For You Page that say you've earned a certain number of dabloons, which you keep track of – sometimes even on spreadsheets! Read more.

Head Wave effect: 8.5 million videos on TikTok using a funny effect which is applied – sometimes as a prank – when filming someone's face to make it look like it's moving round in circles. Usually soundtracked with Shark Around Chacarron Macarron by DJ Saidd.

Riff Challenge: The opening lines of Gnarls Barkley's Crazy – "I remember when, I remember, I remember when I lost my mind" – are all over TikTok in November as people attempt to sing an incredibly high riff at the end of the first line of the song, inspired by a video dating back to March 2021 by singer Anthony Gargiula. 1.5 billion people view videos posted with the #RiffChallenge hashtag in just over a month – find out more.

"It's time!": Mariah Carey transitions from her Halloween costume to a Santa suit as she declares the start of the All I Want For Christmas season.

TikTok trends October 2022:

"Pay me or I'll leak your camera roll" ransom: Hundreds of thousands of people on TikTok happily share videos of photos from their phones in response to a mock hacker's message, soundtracked with a Zorba the Greek sound used in more than 250,000 videos. Celebrities including Steve Aoki, Niall Horan and Ant and Dec, and brands like Duolingo, Aston Martin and Costa Coffee, join in with the trend.

Here's how the camera roll trend started in October 2022.

"Nobody move, there's blood on the floor": More than 700,000 videos uploaded to TikTok in October using a sped-up version of Thundercat's 2017 song Them Changes – a mixture of people making horror-style Halloween edits and people dancing to the tune.

"I'm the problem, it's me": Chorus of one of Taylor Swift's newest songs Anti-Hero, from her album Midnights, used in more than half a million TikTok videos, with people sharing scenarios where they think they're to blame for something, like @alxaugusthead13.

"You want a picture, let me pose for you now": Line from Jamaican singer Sasique's 2019 song Kute & Neat resurfaces on TikTok and gets used in more than 1 million videos, with people reenacting scenarios where they'd have a picture taken.

"I could have my Gucci on" dance to Meghan Trainor's Made You Look: Hundreds and thousands of TikTokers, including Meghan Trainor herself, film videos of themselves doing a viral routine created in October by dance duo Brookie and Jessie. More than 2 million people post videos using the song in the first two months of its release – and the #MadeYouLook hashtag hits an amazing 3 billion views. Read more about the trend.

Phone torch trend to Remember: Sped-up version of Becky Hill and David Guetta's hit single used in more than 700,000 videos on TikTok in two months – with groups of friends filming cinematic lipsync videos using the torch lights on their phones. Jimmy Fallon and Noah Schapp's version gets more than 50 million views and 9 million likes.

Negroni Sbagliato with Prosecco: Video of House of the Dragon actor Emma D'Arcy revealing her drink of choice to her co-star Olivia Cooke racks up 12m views as people try the drink themselves and use the sound to share their own favourite things.

How many of these TikTok trends do you recognise?

You're not alone if you don't recognise most of these recent TikTok trends. A survey of TikTokers by YouGov found many of the recent big TikTok trends were recognised by less than a third of British users, with awareness falling away to less than 10% outside the Top 20 trends.

The survey results showed it's even more of a problem if you're aged over 35 and you want to see some of the things younger TikTokers are seeing and doing.

Shooglebox can help you with tools and techniques to turn your team into super-spotters finding and sharing a much broader range of the things bubbling up on TikTok. One of those is Buzz – a service used by journalists, creators, brands and businesses who need to spot, understand and respond to the latest trends.

Buzz is a constantly updated box of cards showing at a glance, explaining and linking to trending TikTok videos, sounds, songs and other things starting to take off. Read more here.

Get in touch to find out more