TikTok trends: week of 17 August 2026

A poorly made Chinese 3D animated film that flopped at the box office but became a viral phenomenon because internet users mocked its rudimentary animation and strange scenes, turning it into a collective viewing experience and a symbol of human-made content versus AI.

A meme combining the song 'Misery' by Pupsies with a distorted photo of a girl (the 'Misery Girl') from an infamous Discord chat, where users post the image with the song, create phonk mashups, and comment 'misery' on people with similar alt looks. It also involves a community backlash where fans of the song switched to hating it.

A viral, ironic music genre label for amateur or low-effort UK rap and drill tracks with meandering, mundane lyrics, off-beat flows, and heavy auto-tune, often paired with grime or drill beats. It started as a joke on TikTok and became a widespread meme where people mock or embrace these songs.

El meme surgió tras la celebración de Enzo Fernández (manos detrás de las orejas) en un partido contra Inglaterra, que se volvió irónica cuando fue expulsado días después en la final contra España. Internet usa esa celebración en edits absurdos, con tarjetas rojas, referencias al Joker o faraones, y música phonk para burlarse de él.

A trending audio associated with the opening of the first Yo! Chii store in the UK, originally created by Sophia and Chyncia who are obsessed with the OC, and now resurfacing as people use it in videos related to the store's launch.

A challenge where people try to hold all their items in one hand, often challenging partners, friends, or colleagues to see if they can fit everything in a single hand.

A game where participants guess a number or time written on a card placed on their foreheads, often played by influencers like Sophie Dofa and Bailey, and popular among 'sheer luxe' creators.

Una animación de Ocas Random muestra a un adorable perrito Pibble emocionado por conocer a su ídolo, iTownGamePlay, pero la escena se vuelve inquietante cuando el youtuber canta una canción de Five Nights at Freddy's con letras perturbadoras, haciendo referencia a una polémica de acusaciones de conversaciones inapropiadas con menores que persigue al creador desde 2020. El meme se viralizó y generó reinterpretaciones y continuaciones, además de que la frase 'estoy emocionado conoceré a mi ídolo de años' se usó en otros contextos.

A meme originating from a 2024 Minecraft stream where Kai Cenat corrects IShowSpeed's misidentification of lapis lazuli as diamonds, saying 'That's lapis' which was misheard as 'La Peace'. In 2026, an edit turned Kai into a wise ancient philosopher figure, and the meme spread as ironic edits of Kai as a sage teaching Speed philosophy.

A TikTok exchange where a user named Oryx asked a woman if he could jiggle her thighs, and after she said no, he replied 'U sure?' with a selfie. The selfie and exchange became an exploitable meme, with users editing the selfie into various comedic or edgy versions.

A brainrot meme born from a 2020 Pringles Super Bowl ad featuring a robotic Morty from Rick and Morty reciting an absurdly specific phrase about stacking chip flavors. It resurged in late 2025/early 2026 with remixes, supermarket recreations, and VR Chat raids where flat cardboard-like Pringles Morty avatars swarm servers repeating the phrase, similar to the Uganda Knuckles phenomenon.

This trend shows social media managers or influencers gathering around their phones to immediately engage with and boost a newly posted client's content, often with likes and comments, to increase its visibility.

A comedic format showing the zero-rest lifestyle of running a business: the creator films themselves asleep or napping, then frantically typing on their phone as a to-do list appears on screen. It's a relatable joke about the chaos of entrepreneurship.

A trend where people label positive mental health, well-being, and body positivity practices as 'chic,' a word usually reserved for fashion and luxury. It involves creating videos that list everyday, self-affirming actions or traits as 'kinda chic,' often with a humorous or empowering tone.

A video format where the creator starts with B-roll of something they love (like coffee, food, or a product) with text saying 'how to summon me', then cuts to themselves holding or enjoying that exact item. It's a relatable hook to showcase personal aesthetic or favorite things.

A viral image of a large man in a fedora arriving at a Japanese airport, with shocked onlookers, became a redraw format. Users edit the man's shadow to be a character from anime or other fandoms, or replace the airport crowd with anthropomorphic characters, to fit various memes and jokes.

A viral TikTok trend where people recreate a scene from 'Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse' by appearing to stick to the ceiling like Spider-Man. The illusion is achieved by hiding a chair or stool off-camera, balancing on it, and resting a hand on the ceiling, often with a second person reacting in surprise.

A meme originating from a Zack D Films video where a man chokes on a boneless wing, gets sick, and later sues the restaurant. It became viral due to the dramatic narration, spawning phonk audio remixes and dancing videos with the subtitle 'he took a bite of a boneless wing'.

Tras el arte conceptual de Coco 2, donde Miguel aparece como adolescente con un nuevo corte de pelo (fade), internet reaccionó con memes diciendo que Disney lo dejó 'chopped' (mal cortado), comparándolo con edits de IA, cantantes de corridos tumbados y proponiendo peinados alternativos.

A carousel trend where each slide has on-screen text saying 'kinda chic to...' followed by a small win or positive moment, sharing personal highs and achievements.

A trend using on-screen copy that starts with 'how my brain sounds trying to' followed by a list of relatable or chaotic situations, often paired with a chaotic pop song.

A humorous trend where the on-screen text asks one question, but the person in the video is actually asked a different question, leading to a mismatched and often funny response.