22 Popular TikTok Songs That Went Viral

TikTok has taken over the social media game. In the space of just seven years, the video-sharing app has fast become the most popular social media tool. While it might not have the numbers of established brands like Facebook and Instagram, it is certainly attracting more new users, especially those in the under-25 demographic. The youth are using the platform to create popular TikTok songs and dances, reveal glimpses into their lives, or share personal stories and anecdotes that are funny, engaging, and thought-provoking. 

And while young people are the core users, businesses and other organizations have quickly discovered the power of TikTok and the reach it has. Musicians have realized TikTok is a viable way to get their music out into the world. There has always been a musical focus with the app since its early days when TikTok merged with musical.ly, a platform where people would post short videos of them lip-synching to songs. These types of videos exploded in popularity and became viral sensations, exposing younger people too much older music and helping these acts gain more fans. 

It’s not just established artists making bank, with new and up-and-coming bands and singers getting their music heard via the app. Many of the songs that become popular feature choreographed dance videos or are used as background music for funny clips people post. Lip-synching is still popular while cover versions of popular tracks are also a big thing and helping new artists get noticed. 

A 2021 article by YPulse found that 75% of TikTok listeners find new music through the app, which shows just how important TikTok is when it comes to marketing and promoting artists and their music. This has led to more and more artists first finding success on TikTok before taking over the charts, with the platform largely responsible for Lil Nas X’s monster 2019 hit “Old Town Road.” It’s not just Lil Nas X who has had success thanks to TikTok, with the likes of Cardi B, Doja Cat, Ed Sheeran, Charli Damelio, and Lady Gaga all getting a boost in sales thanks to the platform. 

Since then there have been dozens of songs, both old and new, that have gone viral thanks to TikTok. While we can’t list them all – as the collection of popular TikTok songs just keeps on growing – we have gathered some of our favorites for you to check out below. These are songs that all went viral thanks to the social media platform and helped give the original artist a boost in sales.

22 Popular TikTok Songs That Went Viral

1. Fleetwood Mac – “Dreams”

@420doggface208♬ Dreams (2004 Remaster) – Fleetwood Mac

Longtime TikTok creator Nathan Apodaca, aka @420doggface208, provided plenty of joy for people around the world when his skateboarding video went viral in 2020. After his car broke down, Apodaca was forced to skateboard to work, and while doing so, decided to film a short 22-second video of him miming Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” while sipping on a bottle of Ocean Spray raspberry juice. 

Apodaca’s video quickly went viral and had TikTok users shooting their own takes of the clip, with Fleetwood Mac co-founder Mick Fleetwood even joining TikTok to post his own version of the video. The TikTok has benefited both Apodaca, who received a new truck from Ocean Spray and has earned many endorsement deals from the video, and Fleetwood Mac, with the song “receiving a 374% jump in sales and an 89% jump in streams” and re-entering the Billboard Hot 100. 

2. Yung Lean – Ginseng Strip 2002

@sarahmalesaa why she do that 😭 #dog #fyp @sarahh.ratlifff ♬ Ginseng Strip 2002 – Yung Lean

Yung Lean deals in nostalgia and sad boy rap and his 2013 track “Ginseng Strip 2002” got a second life in 2022 when it was used for a silly TikTok challenge. People would get super close to each other and sing the chorus before kissing. Why? We don’t know, but it caused the song to go viral and provided Yung Lean with a legion of new fans. 

3. Megan Trainor – “Made You Look”

@meghantrainor Loving all ur videos to #madeyoulook ♬ Made You Look – Meghan Trainor

TikToker’s Jess Qualter and Brooke Blewitt (@brookieandjessie) are the reason Megan Trainor’s “Made You Look” become a big hit. The duo created a memorable dance routine for the song that has been copied by thousands, including Trainor herself. 

4. Lil Nas X  – “Old Town Road”

@ufccjfifitidchg А вот и папина рубашка с шляпой пригодились😹 #yeeyeejuice #yeeyee #yeejuice #cowboy #cowboyup ♬ Old Town Road – Lil Nas X

Lil Nas X uploaded “Old Town Road” to TikTok himself before he was famous and believes the app was the reason he became a success. Speaking with Time he said; “I promoted the song as a meme for months until it caught on to TikTok and it became way bigger.” That meme involved people drinking “yee yee juice” and turning into cowboys. 

5. Raye & 070 Shake – “Escapism. Sped Up”

@raye u wont regret it, lots of love ♥️❤️‍🩹🎟🥹👉🏽👈🏽 #escapism #m21cb #newmusic #newtrend #singer #liveshow ♬ Escapism. Sped up (Official) – RAYE & 070 Shake

Although Raye has been around for almost a decade, it wasn’t until 2022 that she exploded virally after releasing a sped up version of her track “Escapism.” The song resonated with the youth and the love she got from the TikTok community helped the song go to number one on the UK charts, with “Escapism” Raye’s biggest hit so far. 

6. Dua Lipa – “Love Again”

@sarahmagusara howdy 🤠 #loveagain ♬ Love Again – Dua Lipa

Wearing a cowboy hat and dancing seductively became a thing with the release of Dua Lipa’s “Love Again.” If the song sounds familiar it’s because it samples “My Woman” by Al Bowlly with Lew Stone and His Monseigneur Band, which was also sampled by White Town for their big 1997 hit “Your Woman.” 

7. Sam Smith & Kim Petras – “Unholy”

@samsmith UNHOLY IS OUT NOW ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥 @Kim Petras #UNHOLY ♬ Unholy – Sam Smith & Kim Petras

This single from Sam Smith and Kim Petras went viral after Smith posted a short clip to his TikTok account. It has been used by over 1.9 million TikTok uses since. 

8. Doja Cat – “Streets”

@yoeliseeverybody say thank you picsart♬ Streets – Doja Cat

“Streets” became the soundtrack for the TikTok silhouette challenge started by user @yoelise. It involves people standing seductively in a doorway with a black silhouette against a red background. 

9. Megan Thee Stallion – “Cognac Queen”

@its.tmarieeHighly requested♬ Cognac Queen – Megan Thee Stallion

As Variety reported, in 2021 Megan Thee Stallion was the artist whose music was most used by creators on TikTok. One song in particular, “Cognac Queen,” inspired a new dance craze that had all the kids excited. 

10. Kate Bush – “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)”

@besttoks 📺🎧 (@Kaden) #fyp #katebush #runningupthathill #strangerthings #strangerthings4 ♬ Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) – Kate Bush

Thanks to Stranger Things season four, Kate Bush’s classic 80s hit found a whole new audience in the form of Generation Z. 

11. Rosalita – “BIZCOCHITO”

@rosalia♬ BIZCOCHITO – ROSALÍA

The challenge surrounding Rosalita’s hit “BIZCOCHITO” featured fans chewing gum and judging people while the song played in the background. A known gum lover, Rosalita filmed her own TikTok video carrying out the challenge that has amassed over 17.2 million likes. 

12. Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero”

@mostlythedoodle I can’t go anywhere with those puppy eyes 🥺 #dogsoftiktok #cutedogs #puppyeyes ♬ Anti-Hero – Taylor Swift

People love Taylor Swift, as evidenced by the success of her most recent album Midnight. One of the tracks from the long player, “Anti-Hero,” has also made a splash on TikTok thanks to its relatable lyrics. Many people have used their pets to illustrate what their problem is. 

13. Drake – “Toosie Slide”

@toosietoosie Toosie Slide ! 🕺🏾💨#ToosieSlide #fyp #foryoupage #xyzbca #dance #foryou #toosie #themhitsdontmakenosense ♬ original sound – Toosie

Always ready to go viral, Drake did it again with the video for his song “Toosie Slide.” As he sings in the song, “Left foot up, right foot slide.” There isn’t much to it but that didn’t stop millions of people from recreating the dance on TikTok. 

14. Lizzo – “About Damn Time”

@lizzoWhere am I?♬ About Damn Time – Lizzo

American singer and flutist Lizzo got out into nature to film a TikTok dance for her single “About Damn Time.” Shaking what her mother gave her in the desert somewhere in California, the video has attracted over 3.9 million likes, helping the song reach the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100. 

15. Harry Styles – “As It Was”

@billieemilywild 😔 #fyp #lgbt #asitwas #trending #foryou #grennscreenvideo ♬ As It Was – Harry Styles

“As It Was” left many TikTok users with feelings of nostalgia as they created videos showing different stages of their lives before, during, and after the pandemic. Where did the time go?

16. Olivia Rodrigo – “Good 4 U”

@yehslacks why was that fall so dramatic #slackline #fyp ♬ good 4 u – Olivia Rodrigo

A song going viral on TikTok isn’t always for the best. Although Olivia Rodrigo’s “Good 4 U” rose up the charts after it was featured on TikTok, it also cost the singer a lot of money.

Gen Z quickly discovered that “Good 4 U” sounds very similar to Paramore’s “Misery Business.” As it turned out, Paramore members Hayley Williams and Josh Farro were involved in the songwriting of “Good 4 U,” meaning the two are receiving a mighty chunk of the money earned from the song. 

17. Jack Harlow – “First Class”

@missionaryjack♬ First Class – Jack Harlow

The “What’s Poppin” rapper had another major chart success thanks to TikTok with the release of “First Class.” The song, which samples Fergie’s “Glamorous,” went viral on TikTok before becoming Jack Harlow’s second number on the Billboard Hot 100. 

18. Tones & I – “Dance Monkey”

@inoxiasounds MAKE THIS MORE VIRAL THAN THE GIRL THAT UPLOADED ME AND DIDNT CREDIT @buiibeu #foryou #foryoupage #fyp #dancemonkey #viral #inoxia #busker #singer ♬ original sound – INOXIA

Sometimes an artist’s song helps someone else get a career in the music industry. Tones & I’s popular song “Dance Monkey” went crazy after it appeared on TikTok. It didn’t take long for people to start covering the track. One such person was Sophie Fraser, otherwise known as Inoxia (@inoxiasounds). 

A stranger uploaded a video of her performing a cover of “Dance Monkey” while busking on the streets of Melbourne, Australia. The video quickly went viral and Fraser, who had no idea what TikTok was at the time, eventually found out and was flabbergasted. She created her own account, sharing the original video while also attributing the song to Tones. This TikTok has over 170.7 million views and has helped Fraser kick-start her own career. 

19. Kanye West – “Flashing Lights”

@beabadoobeelover6969Flashing Lights – Kanye West♬ original sound – beabadoobeelover6969

Although it was released in 2007, Kanye West’s “Flashing Lights” had a resurgence in 2022 thanks to TikTok.

20. Justin Bieber – “Peaches”

@noahbeckthe way she pops in🥺♬ Peaches – Justin Bieber

“Peaches” was a big hit without TikTok, but that didn’t stop it from soundtracking thousands of videos during the summer of 2021. 

21. Charli XCX feat. Kim Petras and Jay Park- “Unlock It”

@charlixcxomg this is my song !♬ Unlock it (Lock It) [Jeff Prior Mix] – Charli XCX

Charli XCX understands the power of social media and has used TikTok to her advantage when releasing new tunes. The platform has also helped fans discover one of her more underrated tracks, 2017s “Unlock It.”

Several mashups of the song went viral in 2021 and it wasn’t long before “Unlock It” was all over TikTok. The rise in popularity of the song has also resulted in the “Lock It, Lock It, Unlock It” dance challenge. The dance craze got so popular Charli XCX even took part. 

22. Tom Odell – “Another Love”

@tvoy_m00d @tompeterodell thank you! 💙💛#ukraine #tomodell #anotherlove #рек #украина ♬ оригинальный звук – Твой mood 💘

British singer Tom Odell’s 2013 song “Another Love” has become the unofficial song of Ukraine during the war after going viral on TikTok. Despite the song having nothing to do with the country or war (it’s a love song), TikTok users decided it was a song that promoted peace and harmony.

“Another Love” has since been used on hundreds of TikToks, with Odell taking to the platform to thank everyone for using his song and telling those in Ukraine that he hopes he can visit soon and sing the song with them.