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Top Trending YouTube Topics (May 2025)

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by Josh Howarth
Last Updated: April 30, 2025

YouTube gets around 79 billion visits each month, making it one of the world's most popular websites. 

With the shift to short-form content, YouTube has experienced fierce competition from platforms like TikTok.

But YouTube still dominates the long-form video market and is the go-to place for educational, entertainment, and business content.

We gathered US and global data from the Semrush Keyword Analytics for YouTube app.

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Here are some of the top trending topics on YouTube right now, along with global search volume from the Semrush Keyword Analytics for YouTube app: 

No.Keyword% Search GrowthGlobal Search VolumeCompetitive Rate
1Blox Fruits4,100%3.2 million84
2MrBeast230%19 million93
3Gametoons9,600%315,00071
4Schedule 13,233%23 million95
5Grox1,450%4.9 million86
6Phonk1,760%15 million92
7Lofi Music103%1.1 million78
8YouTube Shorts3,650%2.9 million83
9PBD Podcast4,400%388,00072
10VTubers304%723,00075
11YouTube Hashtags115%112,00065
12Ms. Rachel99x+3.2 million84
13Mrwhosetheboss162%905,00077
14Try On Haul138%1.4 million79
15Soulslike1,460%9,30058
16Gracie's Corner5,000%263,00070
17YouTube Automation 324%697,00075
18Temu Haul3,900%63,00062
19Like Nastya130%343,00071
20ChatGPT for YouTube99x+1.5 million79
21inZOI6,500%11 million90
22Video Captions117%25,00057
23TLDR YouTube538%348,00078
24Virtual Court318%148,00067
25YouTube Summarizer8,200%1,50054
26UGC Marketing257%141,00066
27Danny Go1,200%1.3 million79
28YouTube Dropshipping96%1.5 million80
29Faceless YouTube Channel6,200%201,00068
30Cocomelon Songs118%5,00048

We’ve highlighted some of the most notable YouTube trends, listed below. We’ll explain why they are trending and the level type of viewership they generate.

1. YouTube Shorts

Graph showing search interest in YouTube Shorts

5-year search growth: 3,650%

Search growth status: Exploding

Description: YouTube Shorts is a short-form content platform that displays vertical videos 60 seconds in length or less. The shift to short-form content to compete with platforms like TikTok has caused big brands like YouTube to innovate.

With TikTok facing an uncertain future in the US, many creators are cross-posting their short-form videos to YouTube.

Shorts crossed 70 billion daily views in February 2024.

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2. Try On Haul

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5-year search growth: 138%

Search growth status: Regular

Description: A try-on haul is a video style where an influencer receives a “haul” of clothing from a brand to promote. In the video, the creator tries on the clothing and shares opinions about the brand. On YouTube, the creator places links to each clothing item in the video description so viewers can purchase an item they like.

3. Lofi Music

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5-year search growth: 103%

Search growth status: Regular

Description: Lofi music (low-fidelity music) is a subgenre of electronic music recorded with imperfections like background noise to aid with concentration and relaxation. Lofi music can increase focus while studying or performing deep concentration work tasks. Lofi Girl is the most subscribed Lofi music channel, with around 15 million subscribers.

4. ChatGPT for YouTube

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5-year search growth: 99x+

Search growth status: Exploding

Description: A free Chrome Extension that provides instant access to video summaries on YouTube, enabling users to quickly understand video content. This tool differentiates itself by offering concise summaries that save users time, making it easier to consume large amounts of information efficiently.

The primary target demographic includes frequent YouTube users, students, and professionals looking to optimize their video-watching experience.

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5. Blox Fruits

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5-year search growth: 4,100%

Search growth status: Regular

Description: Blox Fruits is a Roblox game inspired by the anime series One Piece. It’s become popular on the YouTube platform as creators share game tutorials, progress, and other interesting clips to help viewers become better players. This popular game has reached over 14 billion visits since its 2019 launch.

6. VTubers

Graph showing search interest in VTubers

5-year search growth: 304%

Search growth status: Regular

Description: VTubers (Virtual YouTubers) are content creators who use digital avatars while streaming to their audience. Instead of showing their face, they build their brand around the avatar. Gawr Gura, a top-earning VTuber, has earned over $1 million in Super Chat Revenue.

7. Faceless YouTube Channel

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5-year search growth: 6,200%

Search growth status: Regular

Description: A faceless YouTube channel is a channel that does not show the creator's face in the content. Creators remain anonymous for privacy and to avoid public exposure. It's also a way to put more focus on the content itself than the creator. 

8. Video Captions

Graph showing search interest in video captions

5-year search growth: 117%

Search growth status: Exploding

Description: Textual representations of the audio content in a video, including dialogue, sound effects, and music. They provide additional or interpretive information for viewers, particularly those who are deaf or hard of hearing, and can be either closed (toggleable) or open (always visible).

Video captions are essential for accessibility and inclusivity, benefiting individuals with hearing impairments and those who prefer or need text-based content.

9. Virtual Court

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5-year search growth: 318%

Search growth status: Exploding

Description: A judicial proceeding conducted online rather than in a physical courtroom, utilizing videoconferencing technology and other digital tools. Virtual courts enable judges, lawyers, and defendants to participate remotely, often using platforms like Zoom for hearings and YouTube for webcasting.

This approach aims to enhance accessibility and efficiency in the judicial process, benefiting individuals who may face barriers to attending in-person court sessions.

10. UGC Marketing

graph showing search interest in UGC marketing

5-year search growth: 257%

Search growth status: Exploding

Description: User-Generated Content (UGC) marketing is a strategy that leverages content created by customers or users of a brand, such as reviews, testimonials, social media posts, videos, and photos. This approach is valued for its authenticity and trustworthiness, as it comes from real users rather than the brand itself, helping to build community, increase engagement, and drive conversions.

UGC marketing primarily benefits brands looking to enhance their credibility and engagement by utilizing the creativity and experiences of their user base.

Key Takeaways

Despite competition from newer social media sites, YouTube remains the world's largest social media platform, with 3.9 billion monthly active users.

For more YouTube statistics, check out:

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Written By

Josh Howarth

Co-Founder & CTO

Josh is the Co-Founder and CTO of Exploding Topics. Josh has led Exploding Topics product development from the first line of co... Read more