It’s been 20 years since the first YouTube video was published, and in that time, the platform and its content have undergone some pretty radical changes.
Over time, YouTube has progressed from being a personal video sharing platform to a hub of online comedy and creativity, gaining the attention of mainstream media (like ourselves, with the TechRadar Podcast and our weekly videos!) and audiences of all ages.
It’s had its fair share of highs and lows, from major collective advertiser action against inappropriate content to misinformation-riddled algorithmic pipelines, but it’s also given rise to some incredibly talented performers (Bo Burnham, Justin Bieber, Dua Lipa, The Weeknd), and created new forms of entertainment.
I asked the team at TechRadar to submit some of their all-time favorite YouTube memories, and there are some corkers ahead.
1. Yee
Simple, succinct, yet oddly evocative, “Yee” stands the test of time as an abstract piece of art. Its obscurity is what makes it even more special; the original uploader explains that he manipulated the Italian dub of an old cartoon to create it, and that’s been enough over the course of 13 years to amount to nearly 100 million views on this nine-second clip.
Part of its popularity stems from it being the first video in the popular and aptly named “Important videos” playlist, which serves as somewhat of a time capsule for a YouTube of old (albeit with some dated jokes that don’t quite land today).
2. Evolution of Dance
This was one of the first videos I really remember taking the internet by storm, and not just those of us who had quickly become YouTube natives.
From parents and teachers to the kids they governed, the Evolution of Dance was the talk of the digital town, demonstrated by its current 314 million views.
It's a concept that's now been rinsed dry, so much so that despite its massive popularity, the original video gets buried in YouTube search. Still, the dancer in the video is comedian Judson Laipply, hailed by many as the "World's First YouTube Celebrity." Just in case you want to check out what he's been up to since.
3. Weezer - Pork and Beans
Before YouTube Rewind, there was Weezer's "Pork and Beans" music video, which surprised fans and onlookers alike by featuring a host of then-familiar YouTube faces; from Chris Crocker (Leave Britney Alone), Gary Brolsma (Numa Numa), the Dramatic Look Gopher, lightsabers etc, all of which could rightly earn their own spots on this list. We only have twenty spots, though, so this entry serves as multiple birds with one stone.
The music video even won a Grammy for Best Short Form Music Video in 2009, and beyond serving as an awesome time capsule for a long-lost era of YouTube content, the meaning behind the song remains relevant in our increasingly hate-filled digital landscape; do what you love, be who you are and most of all, enjoy your candy with pork and beans.
4. OK Go - Here it Goes Again
Now remastered in HD, OK Go's "Here it Goes Again' is another iconic YouTube music video, but once again offers a twist; it's a one-take, low-budget masterpiece that justifiably broke the internet when it first released.
Creative, fun, and suitably home-grown, it represented everything the audience on YouTube wanted, because it's feasibly possible for anyone watching to try and make themselves, and that's just what they did.
Again, this music video won a Grammy for Best Short Form Music Video in 2007, but the best reward of all is that OK Go is still at it to this day, posting similarly creative music videos as recently as two weeks ago.
5. Dr. Jean's Banana Dance (Aka the Guacamole Song)
If you don't know how to make guacamole, oh boy, do I have a treat for you, because this earworm won't ever let you forget how.
Its original intention as a children's learning and enrichment video is noble, but unlike some of the other child-friendly content that dominate rankings for YouTube's most-viewed videos of all time, Dr. Jean's ditty found its audience in teens and young adults.
From its foreboding tone to its overly simplistic steps for homemade guac and the pure elation as Dr. Jean jives in front of her favorite dip, it's a masterpiece of memery and a testament to how YouTube's audience can make anything viral.
6. Geraldine Loves Star Wars
A personal favorite of mine, Geraldine Loves Star Wars is a bona fide work of art. The subversion of expectations when you click into the video and see a dog at a veterinary clinic, the anticipation for the connection to Star Wars, and the sweet, sweet pay-off at the punchline. It must be seen to be appreciated.
While far from the most viral on this list, Geraldine deserves her moment in the sun. Or, I guess, in space.
7. HowToBasic
If you were expecting the biggest “How to” YouTube channel to be jam-packed with useful content, you'd be wrong, because HowToBasic took YouTube's growing popularity as a search engine and transformed it into a comedy format that has stood the test of time. Some of the jokes, however, haven't, so proceed with caution if you plan on traipsing through the back catalogue.
Still, HowToBasic earns its place as an important part of YouTube's history, and up until four months ago, it was still publishing regularly.
8. RocketJump
RocketJump was one of, if not the first, YouTube production studio, releasing hit after hit in its Video Game High School series back in the day and continuing right up until the present to be a powerhouse in short-form video production.
9. Psy - Gangnam Style
The first YouTube video to hit one billion views, Psy’s Gangnam Style, was the gift that kept giving in 2012. From its catchy tune to its iconic dance routine, Gangnam Style surpassed Justin Bieber’s “Baby” as the most viewed music video on YouTube, holding the title for five years before it was eventually overtaken by "See You Again" by Wiz Khalifa.
Even world leaders got involved, with British Prime Minister David Cameron and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon attempting the dance, and President Barack Obama citing the song’s success as a reflection of growing international interest in Korean culture.
10. Tiny Desk Concerts
Starting way back in 2008, NPR Music's Tiny Desk series appeared on my radar only a few years ago, but I'm immensely glad it did. For the uninformed, they're essentially intimate performances by some of the world's biggest artists with a limited live audience and lasting no more than 30 minutes.
Our very own Rowan Davies wrote a fabulous piece listing his top 7 Tiny Desk performances of all time that you should check out.
11. Double Rainbow (all the way!)
Do you remember where you were when you first revelled in a man's joy at spotting a double rainbow from his Yosemite Valley home? Despite its relatively meagre 51 million views, "Double Rainbow" felt like one of those videos that everyone saw back in the early days of YouTube, with creator Paul "Bear" Vasquez receiving coverage on news outlets and social media for his jubilant reaction and appreciation for nature's gifts.
Vasquez shared that before the video, he had been surviving as a struggling artist, and the video's success allowed him to live comfortably. Sadly, he passed in 2020, but his joy will live on in many of our hearts.
12. Tom Scott makes a video every week for a decade
There are plenty of YouTube creators who have made weekly videos for a decade, but none quite like Tom Scott. He gained popularity following the launch of his "Things You Might Not Know" series in 2014, a high-production educational series with slick editing and often obscure topics that captured the interest of millions.
In a move that shocked many, after a decade of publishing weekly, Scott announced he would be taking a break from YouTube in 2024. His departure was particularly poignant amidst a series of other "old-school" creators stepping back from the platform, which has followed changes that have made self-made content less and less sustainable.
13. Luis Fonsi - Despacito
"Despacito" remains the most-viewed music video on YouTube of all time, with 8.7 billion views, unless you count "Baby Shark" (we don't), which has almost double the views. These two videos also happen to be the most-viewed on YouTube of all time.
To this day, it's not entirely clear why this song in particular reached such lofty heights; that's not to say it's bad, but I also wouldn't say it's momentous. Justin Bieber's remix likely played a role, which in itself has a respectable 685 million views, but Despacito clearly tapped into the algorithm just so, allowing it to reach almost unparalleled levels of virality.
14. I like trains/asdf movie
If you’re old enough to remember t-shirts covered in moustaches and the mere mention of “bacon” counting as a joke, you probably count asdfmovie as a formative piece of cinema.
Created by Thomas “Tomska” Ridgewell (also of Eddsworld fame, see number 17), asdfmovie serves as a madcap time capsule for the random humor that had internet denizens giggling through the early 2010s. The series – comprised of the original short and 14 sequels – is the genesis for some truly beloved memes; think “Mine Turtle”, “Pie Flavor”, and of course “I Like Trains”, which simply has to be watched to be understood.
Though some of the less refined random humor of the 2010s has become a little hard to watch in the years since, TomSka’s knack for rapid punchlines and endearingly simple character design means asdfmovie still feels timeless. A YouTube classic, through and through.
15. Annoying Orange
Though we may look back on the Annoying Orange as a profoundly unnerving invention, at one time, this anthropomorphized piece of fruit ruled YouTube’s home page. Created by Dane Boedigheimer – also known as Daneboe – Annoying Orange appeared in a series of rather repetitive shorts where he annoyed and provoked other edible characters, usually ending in one (or all) of them getting sliced up by the humans roaming the kitchen. Fun!
Though certainly a bizarre product of its time, Annoying Orange was actually one of the first YouTube series to step beyond the confines of the internet, becoming a major media franchise with a Cartoon Network series, collectible plushies, comic books, and multiple mobile games. We offer a citrusy salute to this aggravating pioneer.
16. Eddsworld
Teenage animator Edd Gould struck gold when he launched Eddsworld, an animated online sitcom starring fantastical versions of himself and his friends, in 2004.
By the time the series gained major prominence on YouTube, people were starting to look at the site as more than a place for cat videos and clips of people falling over; this shift allowed the talent, humor, and imagination that defined Eddsworld to propel the series into the highest echelons of YouTube fame – the team even had a climate change episode commissioned by the United Nations.
Gould tragically passed away in 2012, but Eddsworld has been kept alive in the years since by a succession of the series’ stars, including fellow British YouTube icon TomSka and Matt Hargreaves.
17. XXL 2016 cypher
An iconic clip, preserved on YouTube for generations of freestylers to come – just be mindful of the (very) strong language.
Five rappers. Four minutes. 231 million views. The 2016 XXL Cypher is one of the things people think of when they point to the summer of 2016 as the peak of our modern era. Though sites like DatPiff had sponsored rap music’s move to the internet long before platforms like YouTube took off, the SoundCloud rap movement saw social media become the true home of popular rap for the first time. While detractors called these artists “mumble rappers,” decrying their simpler flows and bold fashion choices, XXL took a different path, covering its 2016 “Freshmen” issue with the leaders of the new wave.
As in years prior, these freshmen were required to perform in a series of freestyle cyphers uploaded to YouTube, and whichever staffer decided to match up Kodak Black, Lil Yachty, Denzel Curry, Lil Uzi Vert, and 21 Savage that day was cooking like nobody has ever cooked before.
The short runtime belies the perfect storm of vibes within – you can’t blink without missing an iconic moment, from Kodak Black rinsing the DJ Drama’s beat choice to the whole crew providing ad-libs for each other by the end.
18. VSauce
Michael Stevens – better known as VSauce – is YouTube’s most beloved educator. The explosion of his channel, and the later additions of VSauce2 and VSauce3, in the early to mid-2010s remains an essential piece of YouTube history that evidences the platform’s potential as a safe haven for knowledge.
With dozens of quirky educational videos under their belts, the VSauce crew has opened the eyes of millions of fans to the bizarre puzzles and cosmic oddities that populate our universe, answering questions like “What Is The Speed Of Dark?” and “Is Anything Real?”
VSauce’s output has slowed in recent years, but to me, this only highlights the beauty of YouTube’s platform – all of Stevens and co.’s videos are available at any time, for free.
19. Potter puppet pals
One of the best parodies in YouTube history kicks off our list, the perfect example of the community’s long history of reworking pop culture for its own hilarious projects. “Potter Puppet Pals” was a series of finger-puppet shows orchestrated by Neil Cicierega, offering a light-hearted and totally surreal spin on the Harry Potter series of films (some of which were yet to be released at the time!)
The best-known and best-loved episode in the Potter Puppet Pals series is “The Mysterious Ticking Noise”, which sees a metronomic sound coerce Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Dumbledore into an a cappella symphony, yelling out their own names in time with the ticking.
At the end, the noise is revealed to be a pipe bomb, a hilariously out-of-place twist that sets the tone for hundreds of YouTube parodies to come – I still hear Cicierega yelling out “Dumbledore” whenever I think of the Wizarding World!
20. YouTube Rewind (2018)
Ah, YouTube Rewind - you were so good until you became unapologetically bad. YouTube began producing "Rewind" videos in 2010, creating a yearly recap featuring some of its biggest creators, culminating in the iconic 2018 flop video that included Will Smith's iconic "Ah, that's hot" line. It became the most disliked video on YouTube, despite being produced by the platform itself, with many viewers calling it soulless, corporate, and out of touch with the audience.
At the time, YouTube was embroiled in criticism of some of its largest creators, monetization challenges, and waves of online drama, but to this day, people still resent the video for what it represents about changes to the platform.
YouTube only went on to make one more Rewind, which also proved unpopular, before packing in the whole practice in 2020.
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