The Most 2019 Things of the Year, Ranked

When people talk about “a very 2019 thing,” we all know the vibe. It’s that
specific mix of TikTok chaos, weirdly wholesome memes, streaming wars, and
tech that sounded futuristic but mostly just broke or folded in half.
2019 was the last “normal” year before everything changed, and the internet
squeezed every last meme out of it.

From Old Town Road blasting out of every speaker to Baby Yoda
melting the collective heart of the timeline, the year was overflowing with
trends that could only exist in that exact cultural moment. Using roundups
of 2019 pop culture moments, tech trend lists, and year-in-review coverage
from U.S. outlets like Ranker, E! News, Business Insider, TikTok’s own
recap, and tech publications, we’ve pulled together the most 2019
things of 2019 and ranked them by pure, chaotic relevance.

How We Decided What Was “Most 2019”

To keep things semi-scientific (and not just “what lives rent free in my
brain”), each entry earned its spot with three main criteria:

• Peak visibility: It dominated headlines, feeds, and group chats.
• Uniquely 2019: It wouldn’t make sense in 2015 or 2025 in the same way.
• Meme-ability: If it spawned jokes, remixes, or Halloween costumes, it moved up.

With that, let’s count down the most 2019 things of the year that perfectly
bottled the energy of a very specific moment in internet history.

#10 The Streaming Wars Go Nuclear with Disney+

Why It Was So 2019

Streaming wasn’t new in 2019, but that was the year the
streaming wars fully kicked off. Disney+ launched in late
2019, joining Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and a wave of new services
either launching or announcing plans, including Apple TV+ and others. Tech
and finance outlets framed Disney+ as Netflix’s biggest long-term threat,
thanks to its massive library of Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, and classic
Disney content.

The most 2019 part? Realizing you’d “cut the cord” to save money and then
quietly re-created cable using six different subscription apps and one
shared family password spreadsheet.

The Legacy

Disney+ didn’t just add another app to your Roku home screen. It reset how
studios thought about content, accelerated original series strategies, and
made streaming bundles the new norm. The phrase “What is this on?” became
a daily question. Extremely 2019 behavior.

#9 Foldable Phones and Futuristic Tech That… Kind of Broke

Why It Was So 2019

Tech experts spent 2019 obsessing over foldable phones and
next-gen hardware: the Samsung Galaxy Fold, Motorola Razr (2019), and other
devices that tried to merge nostalgia with sci-fi. Predictions for the year
were full of foldables and 5G as the future of mobile.
Then reality hit: early review units broke, hinges failed, and people
realized maybe you didn’t actually need your phone to bend like a book.

Still, nothing felt more 2019 than watching tech YouTubers peel off the
“do not remove” screen protector and instantly destroy a device worth more
than your rent.

The Legacy

Foldables eventually improved, but 2019 captured that perfect “beta test in
public” moment: ambitious, glitchy, and endlessly memeable. A snapshot of
how tech loves to sprint into the future even when the hinges aren’t ready.

#8 The Instagram Egg

Why It Was So 2019

In early 2019, the internet decided to rally around an egg. Literally just
an egg on a white background. The mysterious “World_Record_Egg”
account asked people to like its photo so it could surpass Kylie Jenner’s
record for the most-liked Instagram post. It worked. The egg hit tens of
millions of likes and became a global story, showing up in pop culture
roundups and year-end lists as one of the defining viral phenomena of 2019.

It was the internet at its most chaotic-neutral: no agenda, no brand deal
(at first), just a collective decision to make an egg famous.

The Legacy

The egg later partnered with mental health messaging, which made the whole
saga oddly wholesome. It was a reminder that in 2019, virality could come
from highly produced contentor a stock photo of breakfast.

#7 VSCO Girls, Scrunchies, and “Sksksk”

Why It Was So 2019

If you didn’t know what a VSCO girl was in 2019, Google
search suggests you were in the minority. One analysis of search data found
that “What is a VSCO girl?” ranked among the most-searched questions of the
year, right up there with “What is Area 51?”.
The aesthetic was unmistakable: oversized tees, scrunchies, Hydro Flask
water bottles, friendship bracelets, and the soundtrack of “sksksk” and
“and I oop.”

It wasn’t just a look; it was a meme ecosystem. Teens parodied it on
YouTube and TikTok, brands tried (sometimes awkwardly) to cash in, and
middle school hallways turned into a sea of metal water bottles clanging
like eco-friendly tambourines.

The Legacy

VSCO girls crystallized the way Gen Z could turn an app (the VSCO editing
app), a handful of products, and some inside jokes into a global aesthetic
almost overnight. Extremely 2019, extremely screen-shot-able.

#6 TikTok Challenges and the Rise of the E-Girl/Soft Girl Universe

Why It Was So 2019

TikTok existed before 2019, but that was the year it went from “Wait, what
is this?” to “Oh no, I just lost three hours scrolling.” TikTok’s 2019
recap highlighted viral creators, songs, and challenges that exploded that
year, while outlets like Business Insider documented the app’s role in
launching memes and making songs go viral.

Aesthetic archetypes like the e-girl, soft girl, and VSCO girl played out
in short clips: winged eyeliner, half-dyed hair, oversized sweaters, and
mood lighting in neon pink or purple. Users created dances, lip-syncs, and
edits that spread at light speed, making TikTok its own self-contained
universe of 2019 trends.

The Legacy

TikTok didn’t just shape 2019; it rewired how pop culture works. Instead of
trends trickling down from TV and movies, they blasted outward from
bedroom-shot videos. If something blew up on TikTok, it was only a matter
of time before it hit radio, streaming charts, or your group chat.

#5 The U.S. Women’s National Team Wins the World Cup (Again)

Why It Was So 2019

In July 2019, the U.S. Women’s National Team defeated the Netherlands 2–0
to win the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the fourth time.
It wasn’t just a sports victoryit was a pop culture event. From Megan
Rapinoe’s purple hair to the crowd chanting “Equal pay!” during the
celebrations, the moment felt like a collision of sports, politics, and
social media.

Clips and photos were everywhere: Rapinoe’s arms-wide-open pose, parade
speeches going viral, and commentary pieces about pay equity and women’s
sports dominating news cycles.

The Legacy

The win became a symbol of both excellence on the field and ongoing battles
off it. It also gave 2019 one of its biggest “everybody actually agrees on
this” moments: Rapinoe flexing and the team celebrating felt like a rare
collective W in the timeline.

#4 The Area 51 “They Can’t Stop All of Us” Raid

Why It Was So 2019

A joke Facebook event turned into one of the most iconic memes of the year:
“Storm Area 51, They Can’t Stop All of Us.” Millions RSVP’d “going” or
“interested,” fully knowing they were not about to Naruto-run into a
military base. Search data showed “What is Area 51?” as one of the top
queries of 2019, proving just how far the joke spread.

When the actual date arrived, only a small crowd showed up, mostly to hang
out, cosplay, and pose for photos. But online, the event had already done
its work, spawning countless memes about aliens, government secrets, and
anime-style dashes under bullets.

The Legacy

The Area 51 “raid” perfectly captured 2019 internet culture: a ridiculous
idea, escalated for the lulz, then eventually turned into merch,
festivals, and endless content. No aliens were freed, but plenty of memes
were.

#3 Joker Stairs, Dark Reboots, and the Antihero Obsession

Why It Was So 2019

2019 gave us Joker, a gritty reimagining of the DC villain that
sparked debate, think pieces, and one of the most over-photographed sets of
stairs in New York City. Fans and tourists flooded the Bronx staircase
where Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker danced, turning it into an Instagram landmark
and a meme backdrop.

The movie fit right into 2019’s obsession with antiheroes and dark
“serious” rebootspart comic book movie, part social commentary, and part
endless Halloween costume inspiration.

The Legacy

Whether you loved or hated the movie, you knew about it. The Joker stairs
symbolized the year’s blend of cinema, internet culture, and tourism. Plus,
nothing says 2019 like turning a random neighborhood staircase into a
destination for people doing moody photoshoots in full clown makeup.

#2 Baby Yoda, the Internet’s Tiny Green Overlord

Why It Was So 2019

Technically called “The Child” in The Mandalorian, the character
the world simply named Baby Yoda exploded onto the
internet in late 2019. Year-end pop culture recaps highlighted him as one
of the defining images of the yearsipping soup, pushing buttons, and
generally looking adorable.

Baby Yoda instantly became a universal meme language. You didn’t need to
have watched a single Star Wars movie to understand that this tiny
green cryptid was you, emotionally, whenever you wanted snacks, naps, or
chaos.

The Legacy

Baby Yoda merch sold out, fan art flooded timelines, and every feeling got
a matching Baby Yoda reaction image. If the internet had elected a mascot
for 2019, it would have been him by a landslide.

#1 “Old Town Road” and the TikTok-to-Chart Pipeline

Why It Was the Most 2019 Thing

At the top of the list sits “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X,
the ultimate 2019 phenomenon. The song started gaining traction on TikTok,
where users created countless videos using its distinctive beat. It then
crossed over to streaming platforms and radio, eventually breaking the
record for the most weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The track mashed up country and hip-hop, sparked debates about genre and
race in the country music industry, and spawned remixes with Billy Ray
Cyrus and others. Kids, parents, and celebrities all knew the hook. You
didn’t just hear it; you scrolled through it.

The Legacy

“Old Town Road” proved that TikTok could launch a song from meme to global
dominance. It reshaped how labels thought about promotion and how artists
approached virality. If you had to pick one thing that defined the very
core of 2019internet-driven, genre-blending, relentlessly catchyit’s
this song.

What Made 2019 Feel So… 2019?

Looking across the list, a pattern emerges: 2019 was a pivot year where
online life became the main stage for culture, not just
the commentary around it. TikTok didn’t just react to pop culture; it
actively created it. Streaming services didn’t just host shows; they
decided which fictional universes would dominate the conversation. Memes
didn’t just illustrate the news; sometimes they were the news.

The most 2019 things of the year all share that blurry edge between joke
and reality. Was the Area 51 raid serious? Not really. Did law enforcement
have to respond? Yes. Was the Instagram egg a meme? Definitely. Did it end
up being used to talk about mental health? Also yes. That collision of
irony and sincerity is trademark 2019 energy.

And underneath the jokes, the year was also testing new systems: new ways
to watch, share, protest, create, and belong. The U.S. women’s soccer
victory wasn’t just a trophy; it was a rallying point for equal pay.
“Old Town Road” wasn’t just a hit; it was a case study in how the
music industry could be remixed by teenagers with a phone.

Living Through Peak 2019: Experiences and Reflections

It’s easy to look back on 2019 and see it as a giant montage of memes and
pop culture headlines, but living through it felt a lot more like juggling
twenty tabs at once. Many of us remember checking one app on our phones and
seeing Baby Yoda, then hopping into another and being hit with three
different TikTok dances, a streaming recommendation, and a hot take about
foldable phonesall before lunch.

One of the most relatable 2019 experiences was the creeping feeling that
your free time had turned into endless scrolling. You’d sit down “just to
check something” and suddenly realize you’d watched a dozen
Old Town Road memes, a compilation of VSCO girl parodies, and
someone explaining why their favorite streaming service was superior. The
year made it normal to live in overlapping feeds: Instagram for aesthetic
flexes, TikTok for chaotic creativity, Twitter for commentary, and streaming
platforms silently auto-playing the next episode in the background.

Social interactions also changed in subtle but memorable ways. Friends
started recommending content by saying, “Have you seen that TikTok where…?”
instead of referencing traditional TV shows. You’d quote a meme in a real
conversation and realize everyone already knew it, even if they hadn’t
seen the original post. When the World Cup was on, people watched matches
while simultaneously following reactions online, turning major sports
moments into multi-screen events. The line between “online friends” and
“offline friends” blurred, because everyone was reacting to the same viral
moments in real time.

There was also the experience of feeling slightly overwhelmed by choice.
With so many streaming services launching or preparing to launch, it wasn’t
unusual to spend more time deciding what to watch than actually watching
anything. You might fire up your TV intending to relax and end up neck-deep
in debates about whether to start a new show on Disney+, rewatch something
comforting on Netflix, or test out a free trial on some new platform.
Analysis paralysis became a normal part of “relaxing” after work.

On the lighter side, 2019 gave people permission to lean into ridiculous
fun. Dressing up as a meme for Halloween, taking photos on the Joker stairs,
or proudly carrying a sticker-covered Hydro Flask wasn’t just acceptable;
it was encouraged. People posted photos of themselves in full cosplay at
Area 51-themed events, and timelines were flooded with Baby Yoda edits that
somehow captured every mood from Monday mornings to late-night snack runs.

At the same time, serious conversations lived right alongside the jokes.
Discussions about equal pay in sports, representation in media, data
privacy, and big tech’s influence were constant undercurrents. Many of the
most 2019 things were fun on the surface and serious underneath, reflecting
how people were processing a changing world through humor, music, and
shared online experiences.

Looking back now, what makes these moments so distinctly 2019 is how they
felt when you were in them: slightly ridiculous, somehow important,
endlessly shareable, and gone in a flashonly to be replaced by the next
huge trend a day later. Living through 2019 meant constantly surfing that
wave of novelty, knowing you could never fully keep up but trying anyway,
one meme at a time.

Conclusion: The Year the Internet Ran the Show

The most 2019 things of the year weren’t just stories we consumed; they
were experiences we participated in. We liked the egg,
streamed the shows, learned the dances, shared the Baby Yoda memes, and
sang along to “Old Town Road” whether we meant to or not. 2019 wasn’t
just a yearit was a mood board made of streaming thumbnails, TikTok
sounds, and trending hashtags.

And that’s what makes these moments so enduring. They capture not only what
happened, but how it felt to live in that pre-2020 world: crowded feeds,
big feelings, and the sense that the internet had fully taken over the job
of defining culture. For better, worse, and memes, 2019 was the year we
collectively went online and never really logged off.