What makes a song trend on Tik Tok is a question that’s produced many an answer from musicians, marketing experts, and other thought-leaders alike. And yet, I still ponder: what is making this track trend? Countless “Tik Tok” songs snuck their way into playlists of mine. As the pandemic began, “BLACKOUT” by Lil Kapow and “The Grinch” by Trippie Redd climbed to the top of my “statsforspotify.com” listings. Over two years later, both songs rest comfortably in my top ten most played songs of all time. There are more hits from the Tok on that list than I’d ever like to disclose. This stark realization that I had been enveloped by the Tik Tok song monster left me wondering: how did we get here?

The most obvious answer to “why is this song popular?” is the proverbial Tik Tok dance. Who would have listened to “Lottery” by K CAMP if not for the inescapable renegade dance that shot Charli D’amelio to the top of the platform? The renegade was so integral to the song’s success that K CAMP changed the title to “Lottery (Renegade)” to aid Tik Tokkers in their search for the song. The majority of popular Tik Tok “sounds,” the app’s name for audio tracks, stem from a catchy dance that users cannot help but participate in for fear of missing out on the latest trend. While a musician can try to claim their success as independent from a dance created by a random app user, said dance remains undeniably intertwined in an increase of a song’s streams.

What do unreleased Playboi Carti songs, Marina Diamandis' Electra Heart, and alt-J’s “Breezeblocks” have in common? They all evoke a vivid feeling of nostalgia. Songs like “Kid Cudi” by Carti and “Bubblegum Bitch” by Marina gained a new wave of listeners as veteran fans made Tik Toks scored by the throwback classics. Gatekeeping runs amuck on social media, but there’s no harm in an artist expanding their audience. Yes, I did listen to “Stargirl (Interlude)” before you did, but that’s okay. The burst of nostalgic dopamine—a feeling that scientists recommend—from hearing a song of the past is enough to lead you to create a Tik Tok yourself. And then your followers do. And then their followers do. And then, at some point, someone’s posting a thirst trap to Kanye West’s “Runaway.”

While on the subject of thirst traps, the power of a song to make one feel fun, flirty, or attractive is enough to push it to the top of the charts. Staring in the mirror and lip syncing along to a sped up version of Lady Gaga’s “LoveGame” can boost the confidence of the most average of Joes. “Transition” videos, a form of Tik Tok where the creator changes camera angles or their own position to shift the audience’s point of view, are most often thirst traps. The dopamine hit of posting a thirst trap is similar to that of nostalgia, creating a feeling of happiness as one presents their hottest selves to their audience. Thus, when a song has a beat drop or shift from verse to chorus that complements a creator’s transformation from not-to-hot often aids its climb to the top of the “sounds” chart. There’s truly nothing that a few LEDs and a ring light can’t do for a track that’s even the tiniest bit sexy.

The answer that those who consider themselves better-than this silly little app most fear is one of the hardest truths to admit: sometimes, the songs are just damn good. Bonafide talent Flo Milli has released music that led to countless lip sync videos and produced multiple dances throughout the past few years. Most recently, her feature on “We Not Humpin’” by Monaleo bolstered the song to over twelve million streams on Spotify alone—and rightfully so! Backed up by delicious production, lyrics like “Aw, he likes his bitches psychotic/Sit on his face and explain why I’m toxic” raise the question of how someone can not love this banger? More often than not, the songs that take off are rap-leaning, but pop-rock records like Kate Bush’s “Running Up that Hill (A Deal with God)” have also seen massive success. Any audience will eventually recognize a tried and true banger.

Ultimately, the algorithm is to thank, or to blame, for a sound taking over Tik Tok. No matter how relatable, danceable, or erotic a song is, it still may flop if users decide that it’s not quite up to snuff. And yet, so many songs eventually fall under the category of bops. With Tik Tok as a consistent influence on the music industry, who knows what will be the next step for catapulting a track to the top of the charts. No matter the source of a song’s success, a foothold on Tik Tok is enough to place it as a champion of cyberspace media.