Do you think of YouTube as just a video platform? It’s actually the second most popular search engine after Google and makes it a valuable channel to marketers that can’t be ignored.
If you want to use video in your marketing, it’s essential to keep an eye on the most popular YouTube videos, searches, and topics. This can help feed your video content strategy by understanding popular trends on the video platform, from reviews to how-tos and more.
Although there isn’t any officially released data, a few YouTube keyword tools can help you to understand what are the most popular YouTube videos. Another option is to find Youtube trending topics data in Google Trends.
For reference, we compiled a few lists of top trending topics that can give an indication of what is the most searched thing on YouTube in 2021.
- What Is the Most Searched Thing on YouTube in 2021?
- What Is the Most Searched Thing on YouTube All Time?
- Top YouTube Trending Topics from 2008 to 2021
- YouTube Trending Topics: Most Popular YouTube Videos Right Now
- Most Subscribed YouTube Channels
- How Do You Find What’s Trending on YouTube?
- Get More Insights Into Your YouTube SEO
What Is the Most Searched Thing on YouTube in 2021?
| YouTube Trending, US | YouTube Trending, Global | ||
| 1 | drivers license olivia rodrigo | 1 | godzilla vs kong |
| 2 | no more parties | 2 | botella tras botella |
| 3 | calling my phone lil tjay | 3 | astronaut in the ocean |
| 4 | techy | 4 | peaches justin bieber |
| 5 | big purr | 5 | survivor |
| 6 | cardi b up | 6 | lil nas x |
| 7 | heartbreak anniversary | 7 | apna time bhi aayega today full episode |
| 8 | friday night funkin music | 8 | dhar mann |
| 9 | mortal kombat movie 2021 | 9 | ام سيف |
| 10 | godzilla vs kong | 10 | fiki naki |
| 11 | coi leray | 11 | piuzinho |
| 12 | throat baby remix | 12 | perputhen |
| 13 | streets doja cat | 13 | taarak mehta ka ulta chashma |
| 14 | back in blood | 14 | pamela reif |
| 15 | king kong vs godzilla | 15 | 52 gaj ka daman |
| 16 | can you feel my heart | 16 | psg |
| 17 | est gee | 17 | n/a |
| 18 | dhar mann | 18 | n/a |
| 19 | jenni rivera | 19 | n/a |
| 20 | beatbox | 20 | n/a |
What Is the Most Searched Thing on YouTube All Time?
Every day, YouTube’s two billion active monthly users watch over a billion hours of video, so new topics can quickly get massive amounts of searches.
As YouTube doesn’t give direct access to keyword data, you can find what topics are being searched the most by visiting Google Trends and choosing “YouTube Search” in the top menu.
The following is a list of the top 25 most searched things on YouTube of all time:
| YouTube Trending, US | YouTube Trending, Global | ||
| 1 | fortnite | 1 | minecraft |
| 2 | minecraft | 2 | fortnite |
| 3 | asmr | 3 | tik tok |
| 4 | nba youngboy | 4 | pubg |
| 5 | cardi b | 5 | asmr |
| 6 | pewdiepie | 6 | bts |
| 7 | tik tok | 7 | tiktok |
| 8 | ariana grande | 8 | free fire |
| 9 | post malone | 9 | blackpink |
| 10 | gacha life | 10 | baby shark |
| 11 | bts | 11 | motu patlu |
| 12 | bruno mars | 12 | despacito |
| 13 | logan paul | 13 | pewdiepie |
| 14 | jake paul | 14 | bad bunny |
| 15 | peppa pig | 15 | bruno mars |
| 16 | kodak black | 16 | billie eilish |
| 17 | markiplier | 17 | maluma |
| 18 | ed sheeran | 18 | cocomelon |
| 19 | juice wrld | 19 | bhojpuri song |
| 20 | kendrick lamar | 20 | aaj tak live |
| 21 | kevin gates | 21 | peppa pig |
| 22 | fgteev | 22 | peliculas completas en español |
| 23 | jacksepticeye | 23 | بيبي |
| 24 | billie eilish | 24 | justin bieber |
| 25 | baby shark | 25 | galinha pintadinha |
Top YouTube Trending Topics from 2008 to 2021
| YouTube Trending, US | YouTube Trending, Global | ||
| 2021 | drivers license olivia rodrigo | 2021 | godzilla vs kong |
| 2020 | tik tok mashup | 2020 | techno gamerz |
| 2019 | old town road | 2019 | old town road |
| 2018 | juice wrld | 2018 | songs 2018 |
| 2017 | despacito | 2017 | despacito |
| 2016 | juju on that beat | 2016 | work rihanna |
| 2015 | hotline bling | 2015 | hotline bling |
| 2014 | fancy iggy azalea | 2014 | enrique iglesias bailando |
| 2013 | harlem shake | 2013 | harlem shake |
| 2012 | gangnam style | 2012 | gangnam style |
| 2011 | party rock anthem | 2011 | party rock anthem |
| 2010 | love the way you lie | 2010 | love the way you lie |
| 2009 | party in the usa | 2009 | boom boom pow |
| 2008 | palin | 2008 | womanizer |
YouTube Trending Topics: Most Popular YouTube Videos Right Now
The most popular YouTube videos and creators on YouTube aren’t static. In fact, YouTube’s trending page updates roughly every 15 minutes to keep up with the massive amount of traffic the site gets.
If you want to know what is the most searched thing on YouTube today then head to the trending page and scroll through.
Most Subscribed YouTube Channels
Apart from looking at top trending videos on YouTube, it’s also useful to keep up with trending channels and what content they produce that is resonating with users.
In May 2021, the most subscribed YouTube channel is T-Series, India’s music and movie studio. The top channel has 50 million subscribers more than YouTube Movies, the second most subscribed channel.
Out of the top ten most subscribed channels, the dominant topics are:
- Music
- Childrens
- Sports
- Entertainment
Most Subscribed YouTube Channels in 2021:
| YouTube Channel | Subscribers | |
| 1 | T-Series | 181m |
| 2 | YouTube Movies | 135m |
| 3 | YouTube Music | 115m |
| 4 | PewDiePie | 110m |
| 5 | Cocomelon - Nursery Rhymes | 110m |
| 6 | SET India | 103m |
| 7 | YouTube Gaming | 88.9m |
| 8 | Kids Diana Show | 78.1m |
| 9 | WWE | 76.6m |
| 10 | YouTube Sports | 75m |
How Do You Find What’s Trending on YouTube?
Like Google, the video search engine has its own algorithm that decides what results to display on top YouTube searches. The algorithm changes over time, but the criteria that videos are judged include:
- The number of views
- Number of comments
- Usefulness to a viewer
- Bounce rate
Trending content can be music videos from famous artists or viral videos that become popular. However, YouTube tries to keep misleading videos off its trending page.
An example of a video with a misleading title might be a video called “Best Value Computers Available Today,” in which the creator talks about a funny experience at an electronics store instead of comparing computer hardware.
It’s easy to find the most searched videos on YouTube. You can go to the trending page on YouTube or check the Google Trends YouTube page. The Google Trends YouTube page provides a list of the current most popular topics and search queries that people have typed into YouTube. You can also see search terms that were trending over a certain period since 2008 (see above for table of Top YouTube Trending Topics from 2008 to 2021).
Get More Insights Into Your YouTube SEO
Video content can be a powerful marketing tool. The key to getting the most out of YouTube for your brand is to have an understanding of what content is working for your audience.
By tracking YouTube trends in your niche, this will help to inform your content strategy and content planning.
Apart from knowing what is trending on YouTube, keyword research will also uncover ideas for topics. The Semrush Keyword Tool can filter out keywords that have a video snippet in the SERP. This will uplift keywords that have a strong intent inclined towards video content.
The YouTube rank tracker app can also help to match YouTube rankings with keywords and track your YouTube rankings to instantly spot wins and losses.
Data taken from YouTube and Google Trends, May 2021.
Shelley WalshShelley is a content strategist and blog editor at SEMrush. Assistant Editor at Search Engine Journal. Founder of ShellShock Content Marketing. Shelley has been a contributor to the industry for 10 years and has spoken at many online and offline events.
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