2016 WAS A DECADE AGO? LET’S REWIND AND RELIVE A LITTLE!
From the hype of Erewhon’s Hailey Bieber smoothie and King Kylie’s comeback to the nostalgic pink-hued Tumblr filters on social media posts, 2026 is totally giving 2016! At least for Gen Z, maturing is realizing that 10 years ago, the vibes were just better. Back when we were comfortable in our culture, the Coachella festival was the main function we dreamed of attending, Justin Bieber was in his prime on the Purpose Tour, and Musical.ly first gained its popularity. Suddenly, the lyrics, “Somebody take me back to the days,” from Airplanes by B.o.B. are all making sense. This 2026, we’re switching it back to the cool and carefree lifestyle, as we enter our twenties with the same excitement we had for our teen years.
Social media guru or not, you’ve probably crafted your own version or stumbled across the trend, “Did somebody say 2016?!” If you’re like me, you definitely took time to reminisce over each post. When I think of 2016, it’s the beach at sunset, dabbing, and actually…having fun? People were more likely to partake in viral videos without embarrassment—whether that was the “Mannequin challenge,” water bottle flipping trend, or vlogging for 24 hours in places you weren’t supposed to be—just for the hell of it. Obviously times have changed, and in a perfect utopian world, I’d sign up to live in 2016 forever. Instead, we’re setting the time back ourselves by embracing 2016 and recreating old memories—even if we’re just left with TikTok instead of Musical.ly, where thirst traps and AI videos have taken over our “For You Pages.”
With honorable mentions of Major Lazer, DJ Snake, and The Chainsmokers, popular sounds from the social app Musical.ly stem from artists like Zara Larsson, Justin Bieber, and Harry Styles. As of 2025, these same artists entered new eras or revamped their previous ones. Warming her way back up to the charts, Larsson hasn’t aged a day and is still living her “Lush Life,” and has been on fire on stage with dance trends during her “Midnight Sun” Tour. Bieber even dropped a surprise album for his loyal Beliebers called Swag. Ask any girl about JB, and they’ll tell you that this is never something they thought they’d see. Once the baddest pop boy went M.I.A. and took a much-needed break to recover from his addiction, mental health battles, and loss of passion for music from the media, they thought his career was over. Instead, he reclaimed his charm, style, and swag. If any year was the year to do it, it’s 2026.Â
In March 2026, Styles will release his fourth studio album, Kiss All the Time, Disco Occasionally. Style’s song “Aperture” dropped in January, which received lots of love and has gotten fans excited for music again, including his 2026 tour “Together, Together.” While Styles’ big hits were mostly from before 2025, I think his releases now are already setting the tone for the many artists from 2016 to make their mark in the music industry once again in this new decade of 2026—especially Ariana Grande’s first tour back from her seven-year hiatus, “Eternal Sunshine.”
We were even surprised by Kylie Jenner with a NEW SINGLE?! Well, kinda. King Kylie (with a stage name stemming from her Snapchat username) released a new feature with Terror Jr’s called “Fourth Strike,” inspired by Jr’s 2016 hit “3 Strikes.” The beats are similar to King Kylie’s new twist and risquĂ© lyricism, releasing a new feel of nostalgia in this version.
We didn’t need The Simpsons to predict 2026 being a second-time Super Bowl matchup for 2026—we saw it coming. The Seattle Seahawks finally snatched a well-deserved win from the New England Patriots, who won in the final minutes of 2015’s game. The rematch was the same game (slightly more boring), but a different outcome that wasn’t even close, and may be one that should’ve happened the first time.
Now that we’re entering a new decade from what 2016 was, I’m now noticing everyone I knew who ran their own slime account in middle school is now an entrepreneur or business major with their own side hustle or company. Influencers from the Hype House even seem to be making their own way for themselves in different directions other than content creation. Jake Paul is somehow relevant again with his boxing career instead of producing diss tracks, while Addison Rae has finally launched herself into her own pop girl world. Mr. Beast was always popular, but he has finally become not only the most subscribed YouTube Channel, surpassing 465 million users, but a man of philanthropy, good deeds, and has begun a child labor-free chocolate business, “Feastables.” It’s nice to know that even ten years later, in 2026, we’re still making the right people famous!
Fashion trends have even resurfaced from back in that time, such as Victoria’s Secret PINK’s waistband leggings, patterns like leopard, stripes, and polka-dots, and skinny jeans with bomber/leather jackets; outfits you can find yourself wearing on any adventure—to the beach, outings in the city, or to the mall, where people are starting to shop again. Rumor has it, you may even catch some of the girly pops holding Starbucks Unicorn Frappuccinos in their hands!
All in all, it may be February, but you’ll catch me wearing swimwear brand Traingl’s viral neon bikinis on the beach this summer in sunny California—sipping on Erewhon smoothies, catching all the 2016 vibes in the waves, and making my own splash in my 20s. Until then, stay tuned for the epic Snapchat vlogs with pink-hued flower crown filters seshes during sunset (NOT SPONSORED!)