Zoe Rates: TikTok Trends
By Zoe Lizárraga
February 7, 2025
EDITOR'S NOTE: Zoe Rates is The Hawk's feature ratings columns, in which our witty opinion columnist and unimpeachable critic, Zoe Lizárraga, lays down the ultimate ratings for all things under the sun.
We said goodbye for months, then we lost it for good – for like, 12 hours. Thanks to the shortest ban ever and before we’re faced with losing our beloved time-sucking video platform again, I decided to deep-dive into TikTok’s trendiest eras of all time — once more, taking one for the team to rank the good, the cringe, and the iconic. And since I’ve been on TikTok since the Musical.ly days, I’m basically an expert (or at least that’s what I’m telling myself).
Here’s the tea:
Renegade (2019-2020)
@oldtiktokvideos__ since so many of my comments are asking me to post an old vid of the ‘renegade’ dance here you go!!! #charlidamelio #recommendations #oldtiktok #tiktok #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #dance
♬ original sound - old tiktoks
★★★★☆ 4/5 stars
The Vibes: Peak choreography. This was TikTok’s first big cultural moment, spawning a generation of TikTok dancers (for better or worse). Whether you nailed the moves or not, everyone gave it a shot.
The Impact: Renegade didn’t just launch careers; it launched TikTok into the mainstream. Suddenly, everyone—from your bestie to your second-grade teacher—was obsessed.
The Cringe Factor: A million poorly timed duets later, it got old fast.
The Verdict: A legend, no doubt—but also a victim of its own hype, had nine-year-old Zoe not thought she was too cool to dance on TikTok, maybe I would be in Monaco instead of writing a school newspaper article in little old Cabo.
The "Oh No" Sound / Subtle foreshadowing (2020-2024)
@https.jcnv #igavemyselfagiggle #subtleforeshadowingmeme #dog #fypage
♬ original sound - https.jcnv
★★★☆☆ 3/5 stars
The Vibes: Perfect for those oops moments where everything goes wrong—be it a tumble or a cringe-worthy slip-up.
The Impact: This sound defined fail culture on TikTok. If you’ve ever cringed in advance of a disaster, this sound was likely playing in your head. It even evolved into the foreshadowing trend—a rare glow-up for memes.
The Cringe Factor: Maximum. The moment you hear it, you know something bad is about to happen, and the secondhand embarrassment is inevitable but at some point, you hear it so much, that your thumb develops a reflex to skip the video before the disaster even unfolds.
The Verdict: An undeniable classic. Shoutout to Miss Olivia for teaching me foreshadowing in English class—finally, a school lesson applied to real life.
Brainrot Universe (2023)
@the_jacob_meme #brainrot #pigeon #skibidi #fyp #tiktokusa #usa_tiktok #tiktokuk #massfollowing #foruyou #lebron #lebronjames23 #ai #viral_video #new_trending #gloriousking #sigmamale
♬ IM SORRY DONT LEAVE ME - zymear_is_backkk
★★★★☆ 4/5 stars
The Vibes:Chaos meets creativity in the most unhinged way possible. Then Brainrot Cinematic Universe, turned TikTok into a meme multiverse nobody asked for but somehow needed.
The Impact: The BCU brought TikTok’s humor game to new, surreal heights. It wasn’t just a meme; it was a lifestyle. And somehow, we all got dragged into it, wether we wanted it or not.
The Cringe Factor: Oh, there’s cringe. Deep, existential cringe. Especially when you catch an eighth grader explaining the lore to someone like it’s your doctoral thesis. Thanks to the boys in my class quoting it daily, these memes are now engraved in my brain’s deepest, darkest corners, right next to Britney Spears’ VMAs Snake Performance.
The Verdict: Peak meme culture with a side of too much. It’s like eating an entire tub of ice cream when you're seven years old: chaotic, indulgent, and slightly regrettable—but you’d 100% do it again.
We Listen and We Don’t Judge (2024)
@marceeeee_l de lo que uno se entera por una trend de tiktok :/ ⚠️⚠️FAKE/PARODIA⚠️⚠️ #humor #comedia #fakesituation #fake #novios #pareja #couple #novio #novia #noviostoxicos #bf #gf #pelea #couplegoals #escuchamosnojuzgamos
♬ original sound - Marce Lombard
★★★☆☆ 3/5 stars
The Vibes: Pure. Chaos. Nothing hits quite like random confessions paired with an intense stare.
The Impact: This trend covered confessions from the mildly relatable to the absolutely unhinged. It even became a weird bonding moment for some, but definitely not all.
The Cringe Factor: Low for the confessors, but, the secondhand cringe was real. Some moments were so awkward, it was like watching someone overshare at a family dinner. I can’t unhear it.
The Verdict: A chaotic yet oddly therapeutic TikTok moment, but some of the couples doing it could use more than a viral trend—they need couples counseling on speed dial.
TikTok trends are like the gift that keeps on giving—chaotic, hilarious, and oddly unforgettable. From viral dances to memes, it’s all about moments that unite us in cringe, laughter, and random creativity. Some trends become legendary, while others make you wonder what kind of social experiment you’ve just witnessed. But no matter the trend, one thing’s for sure: TikTok never fails to keep us entertained.
