Joshua Reichard Assistant Arts & Entertainment Editor
If you’ve been on TikTok or Instagram lately, you’ve most likely seen 2016 “throwback” posts, and you may be asking yourself how the internet has already become nostalgic for a time that feels like it just ended.
Starting in December of 2025, many TikTok users began posting videos with captions along the lines of “2026 will be the new 2016,” and users described ways in which they were channeling 2016 “vibes” in the new year. Some of the world’s most famous celebrities and brands caught on to the trend and began posting their own 2016-related content as well. You might be wondering what these “vibes” are; just ask any young person.
They’ll point to pop music bangers topping the charts, endless Snapchat filters, rose-gold iPhones, makeup looks most wouldn’t dare wear today, and teenagers snapping selfies in ripped jeans while holding Starbucks frappuccinos against pink Los Angeles skies.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) journalist Issy Phillips offered a perspective on the recent trend that is accurate in many ways.
“For a lot of young people, 2016 felt like the last time that mass culture was actually shared,” Phillips said in a TikTok. “Before everything splintered into aggressive algorithms and our hyper-curated online selves.”
In many ways, 2016 was the last time we all felt connected. If you’re looking to channel those 2016 vibes, I’ve offered up some of the biggest hits in music from that year below. You can add them to your playlist if you’re chasing that feeling of online unity accompanied by palm trees, pastel colors, and retro filters.
Don’t Let Me Down by The Chainsmokers (feat. Daya)
The Chainsmokers are hard to ignore when discussing 2016. The DJ duo soundtracked much of the year with their electronic and EDM beats, often accompanied by vocals from some of the industry’s most popular singers. “Don’t Let Me Down” is a classic that anyone remembers.
Panda by Desiigner
Nominated for best rap performance at the 59th annual Grammys, this song was all over the internet in 2016, being featured heavily on now-defunct social media app Musical.ly. A catchy hip-hop song, “Panda,” easily transports you back to 2016.
One Dance by Drake
“One Dance” lives comfortably at number 3 on Billboard’s 2016 year-end Hot 100 singles list. This song became nothing less than a soundtrack for the year, and beyond, being Drake’s most-streamed song ever on Spotify with almost 4 billion streams. This song features dancehall and afrobeats influences, making it easy to dance to.
Let Me Love You by DJ Snake (feat. Justin Bieber)
It would be naive to disregard Justin Bieber in the context of 2016. He provided many of the year’s top hits with his 4th studio album, Purpose. While “Let Me Love You” is separate from his album, this DJ Snake collaboration is memorable as one of the most famous songs of the year.
Closer by The Chainsmokers (feat. Halsey)
2016 really was the year of The Chainsmokers. Another classic of theirs, “Closer” (feat. Halsey), is currently the 16th most-played song on Spotify. You couldn’t escape this song that year; it was on the radio seemingly every time you turned it on, leaving everyone wanting to know more about the “roommate back in Boulder.”
Cheap Thrills by Sia
Sia was another figure you couldn’t avoid in 2016. Her face, hidden behind massive bob wigs and bows bigger than her head, was everywhere that year. “Cheap Thrills” peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking the first time the Australian singer topped the charts. The latter remix with Jamaican rapper Sean Paul gained even more traction and was nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group performance at the 59th annual Grammy Awards.
Black Beatles by Rae Sremmurd (feat. Gucci Mane)
How can anyone forget this song? It was the soundtrack of the viral “mannequin challenge,” in which participants freeze in action while a camera moves around the scene. Many famous people, including dozens of professional sports teams, even got in on the trend.