The new year is in full swing, but instead of going into 2026 wholeheartedly, the internet has decided on reincarnating 2016. That means it is time to whip out finger mustaches, put on skinny jeans and log into an abandoned Tumblr account.
As the year commences, it has become clear people are shifting their focus from taking life too seriously to living with whimsy. 2026 is bringing a new sense of authenticity to life by channeling a “you only live once” mentality and the positive vibes of 2016.
As soon as 2025 ended, this shift in mentality was almost instant. The nostalgia of 2016 hit hard with dances to Zara Larsson, references to Los Angeles palm trees and hopes of the Unicorn Frappuccino coming back in February.
In late 2025, Larsson’s “Lush Life” resurfaced on the internet as people started a dance trend to it. Larsson later added this trend to her concert performances, making it a viral sensation. Many people became obsessed with the carefree vibes of the song and left comments such as “Zara makes 2026 feel like 2016 again” and “2026=2016.”
Continuing with these vibes, several pop music bangers from the time are also making their way back into peoples' lives. Similar to Larsson’s “Lush Life,” older songs such as Justin Bieber’s “Sorry” and Major Lazer & DJ Snake's “Lean On” are trending again.
Fetty Wap, one of 2016’s most famous rappers, was recently released from prison. After serving a 3-year sentence, he was released early. Fans were ecstatic to hear the news, as many associate his song “679” with 2016. Several users have expressed their excitement on TikTok by leaving comments such as, “Praying for him to give us 2016 music,” and “This must be why it feels like 2016 again.”
Also, at the very beginning of the year, Starbucks excited customers by alluding to the idea of the Unicorn Frappuccino making a comeback in February. Since then, Starbucks has not made a public announcement about the drink coming back. However, they have continued to entertain the idea by commenting “we’re so ready” under a comment with a picture of the Unicorn Frappuccino.
However, the vibes do not stop there. Another trend making its comeback is the Mannequin Challenge. Sticking to the whimsical vibes of the year, people are bringing back silly trends to reinforce the fun of being on social media. Also, Instagram is going back to being carefree, with casual dumps becoming normal again.
With how saturated the influencer space has become on social media, many are beginning to think we have lost the plot. Many people are sick of constantly being influenced and are yearning for some realness. Because of this, the wholesomeness of the internet during the 2016 era currently seems to hold a lot of value.
Moving into the fashion at the time, people are curious to see if old trends will resurface. Within the past few years, society seemed to have moved on from skinny jeans, galaxy print, space buns, ombre and glitter. However, if the goal is to stay true to the times, these fashion trends could also come back.
In the past few years, Y2K fashion has had its moment, but it might be time to move on to a new decade. Instead of looking at Beyoncé and Britney Spears for fashion inspo, people might shift their focus to the 2016 era looks from Gigi Hadid or Ariana Grande.
However, the vibes for fashion are currently up in the air. Throughout the past few years, several people have put emphasis on developing their own personal style.
People are channeling 2016 all over social media; they’re finding cringe cool again and are finding joy in being raw. It is time to reevaluate the way people see the world and determine if it is worth the energy to take everything so seriously.
YOLO is back. People are done with conforming to their boring lives and want to feel fun again. Bringing 2016 back is the perfect outlet to express the freedom many people want right now.
