Goodbye 2015, Hello 2016.

2016. The year of endless possibilities; Rio de Janeiro filters, Kylie Lip Kits, Musical.ly crown’s, killer clowns, The Mannequin Challenge, Andy’s Coming Challenge, Adidas baseball pants, flower crowns, dog filters, full glam at 7 a.m., and so much more. 

What made this year so memorable that it became the first big internet trend of 2026?

We all know nostalgia is the sweet but savory spite of our existence, yet this trend has continued to skyrocket as social media influencers and major brands include themself in the trend. 

Could this trend be a result of our current need for constant internet nostalgia or the impending doom our modern society provides? Or were we just not as chronically online then compared to today? 

I know I was happier in 2016 because I was 11 and could care less about financially planning for the future or securing a good job post-grad. 

A decade later, and now 2016 serves as the ultimate fixation time capsule of happiness and ultimate nostalgia. To commemorate 2016 in true fashion, let’s go down memory lane and reflect on some of the most popular songs and albums of the time. 

Albums 

• Dangerous Woman by Ariana Grande, including chart toppers like “Into You,” “Dangerous Woman,” “Everyday,” “Side to Side,” and more. This was Grande’s third studio album and brought a more edgy and sensual era to her style of pop music. The album’s production differed from her previous two albums by including more deep bass, yet remained signature to her catchy choruses and Grande belts.

• Bop City by Terror Jr, including the infamous “Three Strikes” song in which many associate with influencer Kylie Jenner. This album also includes lesser known but still popular songs like“Come First” and “Say So.” During the era of Musical.ly  now known as TikTok, influencers lip-synced to this album, making it one of the early “influencer” based forms of music affiliation. 

• The Perfect Luv Tape by Lil Uzi Vert, including songs like “Do What I Want,” “I Can Drive,” “Erase Your Social,” and more. Vert also released Lil Uzi Vert v. The World three months prior, including hits such as “Money Longer” and “You Was Right,” making 2016 his year for influential rap music. Both albums include simple base tracks with hard-hitting bass and back-to-back bars, a staple for 2016 rap. 

• Starboy by The Weeknd, which was released with about a month left in the year. Abel Tesfaye brought a resurgence of synth and harder-hitting bass to his signature R&B style, switching from the broken-hearted ballads to a more cocky ex-lover with nothing to lose. Starboy includes chart-topping hits like “I Feel It Coming,” “Starboy,” “Die For You,” and “Stargirl Interlude.”

• Stoney by Post Malone, back when Post Malone used to be hip-hop/pop mainstream before the influx of “turned country” artists. Stoney is Malone’s first studio album and includes “Big Lie,” “White Iverson,” Go Flex,” “Congratulations,” and more. Malone’s style in this album brought a new element of chill rap to the Top 100, with most of his underlying beats sounding like the perfect spring evening.  

• Views by Drake, which was the quintessential album for OVO fans in 2016. Views was the Canadian rapper’s eighth studio album and included chart-topping songs like “One Dance,” “Hotline Bling,” “Too Good,” and “Controlla.” While Views represented a more “pop” based rap style from Drake, he was still able to catch the attention of listeners all around the country. 

• I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it by The 1975. While the band may be considered somewhat controversial today, no one can deny the sweet melodies and Tumblr aesthetics Matty Healy and his band produce. The band’s second studio album includes pastel and dreamy melodies with a touch of melancholic realism through songs like “She’s American,” “The Sound,” “This Must Be My Dream,” “Somebody Else,” and so many. I like it when you sleep asserted that the signature hedonistic and anti-superficial attitude of the band was something only they could pull off. 

Songs 

• “Trndsttr (ft. M. Maggie) Lucian Remix” by Black Coast; was one of the songs of 2016. The single remix started becoming popular on Musical.ly and grew into a main staple for influencers on the app. 10 years later, this song just screams dog filter, bold brows, and choker necklaces.

• “Let Me Love You” by DJ Snake, a collaboration with Justin Bieber that none of us knew we needed in 2016. DJ Snake takes what could have been a sad song based on lyrics alone and turns it into a chill electronic song perfect for summer drives and windows down. 

• “Middle” by DJ Snake, a song that encapsulates what it’s like to reminisce about summer while it’s still 85 degrees outside and sunny, with an EDM twist. “Middle” had a really famous remix on Musical.ly where people would “tut”, if you know… you know. 

• “Hit or Miss” by Jacob Sartorius, DON’T HATE THIS SONG HAD TO BE INCLUDED. This was one of the original influencer turned “pop star” attempts and lowkey it’s not bad. 

•  “Runaway” by Galantis, the perfect song for feeling free and weightless. Who doesn’t want to just run away sometimes?

• “Paradise” by Benny Benassi, an EDM collaboration with Chris Brown that sounds like the perfect summer morning on the beach, and another example of chill EDM  taking over 2016. 

• “Don’t Wanna Know” by Maroon 5, which features rapper Kendrick Lamar and a chill bass track. The single was one of the first releases for their Red Pill Blues album that came out two years later. 

• “Black Beatles” by Rae Sremmurd, the ultimate Musical.ly challenge song that went viral as fast as you can say “hey!” Who wants to run the Mannequin Challenge back again?

• “Bad and Boujee” by Migos, was the blueprint and staple for what 2016 rap was all about. The  collaboration with one of the hottest rappers at the time, Lil Uzi Vert, only continued to skyrocket Migos already stacked career. 

• “History” by Oliva Holt,  maybe a forgotten song by most, but was circulated through every major radio station in 2016. Like, you could NOT get away from this song, no complaints here. 

• “Gold” by Kiiara, the song that had many people confused at first listen, and maybe some still are. One could suggest that this song serves as a more edgy precursor to the rise of Billie Ellish and her first EP. 

• “We Don’t Talk Anymore” by Charlie Puth, another song that the radio airwaves just loved to play again, and again, and again in 2016. This song came off of Puth’s first studio album, Nine Track Mind, which is full of singer-songwriter ballads and inspirational melodies. 

• “Cold Water” by Major Lazer, a song that proves Justin Bieber was serving back-to-back EDM bangers and working hard in that studio. Which timeline wise is crazy because the previous year he released one of, if not the, biggest albums of his career at the time, Purpose. 

While many genres circulated in 2016 and created new developments in style for musicians, one thing is crystal clear, the music of 2016 was happier and some might even suggest superior. But maybe it’s just the nostalgia talking…

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