Kiss 2020 goodbye: Relive the good, bad, and ugly trends from this year

2020 delivered a strange cocktail of isolation, anxiety, and sudden creativity that reshaped daily life in ways few could have predicted. Lockdowns turned kitchens into bakeries and living rooms into makeshift offices, while streaming platforms and social apps became the default escape routes. Looking back, the trends that defined the year offer a clear snapshot of how people adapted, connected, and distracted themselves when the outside world felt off-limits.

Baking banana bread

Banana bread baking exploded across social feeds in April and May 2020 as people hunted for easy, comforting projects during early lockdowns. The simple recipe required few specialty ingredients, produced reliable results, and gave home cooks something tangible to share online. Searches for the treat spiked dramatically that spring, turning a once-occasional loaf into a near-universal quarantine activity.

Tiger King

The Netflix docuseries arrived just as stay-at-home orders took hold, pulling in 64 million views within its first 28 days and briefly setting the record for the platform’s most-watched limited series. Its mix of eccentric characters and true-crime spectacle gave viewers an immediate shared reference point during those first uncertain weeks of isolation.

The Queen’s Gambit

Netflix’s chess drama followed months later and quickly racked up 62 million views in its own first 28 days, becoming the service’s biggest scripted limited series at the time. The story of an orphaned prodigy navigating addiction and a male-dominated sport resonated with audiences seeking both escape and underdog narratives during extended time indoors.

TikTok dances

Short, repeatable choreography spread rapidly on the platform, with challenges like Renegade, Savage, WAP, and Say So driving major visibility for the attached tracks. Artists saw measurable streaming bumps from the viral clips, and the format gave everyday users and celebrities alike a quick way to participate in collective moments without leaving home.

Listening to BTS

Dynamite became the first K-pop track to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100, debuting with record Spotify first-day streams and later surpassing two billion YouTube views. The song’s upbeat energy and global rollout positioned the group at the center of 2020’s pop conversation while expanding the genre’s mainstream Western footprint.

Donning the tie-dye look

DIY tie-dye projects surged as people experimented with household items and old garments during quarantine. Searches for the craft jumped sharply in March, and the colorful results appeared everywhere from casual loungewear to runway collections. The low-barrier technique offered a quick visual refresh when shopping trips and social plans had vanished.

Video-chatting through Zoom

Daily meeting participants on the platform grew from roughly 10 million in late 2019 to between 300 and 350 million by the end of 2020. What began as a workplace tool expanded into virtual family gatherings, remote happy hours, and first dates, making the app a default backdrop for both professional and personal life throughout the year.

Playing Among Us

The multiplayer game reached an all-time Steam peak of 447,476 concurrent players in September 2020 after influencers and streamers brought renewed attention to the 2018 title. Colorful characters and simple accusation mechanics turned rounds into quick social events that filled the gap left by canceled in-person gatherings.

K-Pop Goes Global

BTS’s chart-topping success with Dynamite marked a turning point for the genre’s broader acceptance in Western markets. The track’s Billboard Hot 100 debut and sustained streaming numbers opened doors for subsequent K-pop acts and highlighted the global reach of Hallyu during a year when physical tours were impossible.

Netflix Binge-Watching Explosion

Tiger King and The Queen’s Gambit together demonstrated how limited series could dominate cultural conversation during lockdowns. Their combined 126 million views in the first month after release each underscored how streaming platforms became primary sources of shared entertainment when theaters and live events shut down.

The Rise of Social Gaming

Among Us illustrated how multiplayer titles functioned as virtual hangouts when physical distance kept friends apart. The game’s surge in September showed that simple mechanics and group suspicion could create repeatable social rituals, turning screens into communal spaces for the duration of the pandemic’s heaviest restrictions.

DIY Fashion and Home Crafts

Banana bread baking and tie-dye projects ran in parallel as accessible creative outlets for people confined to their homes. Both trends peaked in the spring months when searches and social posts reached new highs, reflecting a broader impulse to produce something tangible amid widespread uncertainty and limited external stimulation.

These moments captured how quickly routines shifted when the usual outlets disappeared. Some trends faded as restrictions eased, while others left measurable marks on charts, streaming records, and the way people still approach remote work and online communities today.