Arts and Entertainment

2024 Recap: The Biggest Pop Culture Moments of the Year

2024 was a year filled with viral moments, new films, music, the Olympics, and many other culturally significant events. It may be hard to remember everything as new trends pop up every moment, but each and every niche TikTok fad or pop culture moment has been accounted for. Let’s take a trip down memory lane and remind ourselves of all the crazy things we saw in 2024. 

A big artist who took off this year with hot songs and brilliant outfits is Chappell Roan! Her debut album Good Luck, Babe! captivated a whole new demographic of people, talking about her love for femininity and electric performances. She brought drag looks to festival stages, offering a refreshing difference by going against societal standards for pop stars. We can expect more from Chappell in 2025!

Another artist that popped off this year, who you may have seen before, is Charli XCX. She created a BRAT summer. To be “brat” is to be the life of the party while also being a boss in the real world. With these criteria, everyone wanted to be a brat, and Charli showed us how. Creating this alt album has been more than just music for people—it has also become a lifestyle. 

Moving on to film, we saw an era-defining hit this year. I’m sure by now you know what I’m talking about: Wicked! Starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, the Wicked movie brought Broadway to the screen. Generating memes like “holding space,” it reminded everyone that Broadway is back on film. I, for one, will be holding space for Defying Gravity in 2025 for Part II. 

We also saw a long-awaited sequel this year. Inside Out 2 touched everyone, and we’re grateful to have grown up alongside Riley. Through this hit film, we noticed that 9 out of the 10 highest-grossing films were all sequels! I guess you could say people like consistency. 

Moving away from the arts, we saw an animal become a viral sensation all over the world. Little hippo Moo-deng took the internet by storm. This small, chubby, and agitated hippo became the runt of the people! Another internet sensation included a family that just seems to keep growing, and we can give them… “FIVE BIG BOOMS.” The Costo guys, and their sidekick the Rizzler, dominated TikTok and were even featured on Jimmy Fallon! Who knew a little boy who loves a Costco chicken bake could captivate the minds of millions? 

The internet never slowed down in generating new memes this year, and I’m sure you were “very demure” after hearing this one. Some of you may be confused, so let me demonstrate: “Do you see how I am recapping the biggest pop culture moments of 2024? Very demure, very mindful.” As you read this, you may be thinking, “Huh, what does that mean? I’m going to look it up on ChatGPT.” Although ChatGPT has been around for a few years, 2024 seemed to be its hot debut. From everyone making Google searches to now using ChatGPT… According to the State Department, ChatGPT has emitted enough greenhouse gases to be considered an “extinction-level threat.” The movies warned us… 

If you were chronically online or have scrolled for five minutes on TikTok, you will probably understand most of what I’m referring to in this article. I could have included millions of other viral moments and pop culture oddities, but you’d be reading forever! Even two weeks into 2025, we’ve already seen a whole new array of memes popping off. Don’t fall behind! You may move fast, but the internet moves faster. Living in this time of great film, music, and niche trends is both a blessing and a curse. Sometimes, you just have to “scroll and sigh.” Looking forward to new moments in 2025!