There’s no arguing with TikTok’s popularity.
Whether you personally enjoy the video-sharing platform or not, it’s in undeniably high demand by much of the nation’s youth ⏤ and the world’s youth, for that matter.
TikTok trends, challenges, and audio clips go viral on a daily basis, spreading like a certain contagious virus through other social media sites and online destinations. Conversations about some of the world’s biggest issues play out on TikTok, alongside videos of girls in cat ears and thirst traps.
Some of TikTok’s biggest uploads have sparked conversations across the internet. Others were only noticed by those personally on the app, but that didn’t stop them from rapidly rising through the TikTok ranks. While the route to virality often starts at around 500 views in half an hour, some TikTok videos have quadrupled ⏤ or even octupled ⏤ those view counts in their early hours on the app, elevating themselves far beyond your typical TikTok fare.
A rare few TikTok videos maintain a position high above the rest, with too many likes and views to wrap your head around. These videos have been seen by hundreds of millions of people from all around the world, and maintain their position as the most-liked uploads on TikTok.
The most-liked videos on TikTok
It’s rare for a viral TikTok to maintain its position at the top for more than a few days. Things move quick on the internet, and trends are no exception. New videos rise to the top of the platform on a daily basis, replacing yesterday’s trend only to be replaced by the following day’s craze.
This is just how TikTok works. A few rare gems maintain their position at the top, however, sustaining like counts so high that even mega-viral hits can’t replace them. The below videos have been liked more than any others on the platform, rising above the competition and staying there.
1. Bella Poarch — “M to the B“
The most liked video on TikTok was uploaded on Aug. 17, 2020. It features popular creator Bella Poarch mouthing along to lyrics from Millie B’s “M to the B.” Poarch’s upload, which has been viewed more than 675 million times — despite clocking in at less than 15 seconds — is exceedingly simple. It’s popularity is perhaps born of this simplicity, allowing the video to rake in a whopping 55.6 million likes.
2. Franek Bielak — Mouths
Following closely on the heels of Bella’s Poarch’s unexpected hit, this video from incredible artist Franek Bielak well deserves its spot near the top. His mega-viral video reveals a stunning piece of Bielak’s art, in which he demonstrates his skill in realistic style. His drawing of five photo-realistic mouths has 49.3 million likes, collected from many of the video’s more than 270 million viewers.
3. Nick Luciano — Lip Synch
Nick Luciano veered into familiar TikTok territory with his viral lip-synching video. His video, posted in Feb. 2021, shows Luciano lip-synching to Elyotto’s “Sugar Rush,” perfectly timing his mouth to the song’s rapid lyrics. Commenters emphasized the stunning beauty of Luciano’s chosen backdrop — a gorgeous forested area with mountains in the background — and reacted to the video’s skyrocketing view count. It is currently resting less than a million likes behind Bielak’s video, with 48.4 million likes from 282.8 million viewers.
4. ToTouchAnEmu — “Stay”
User @totouchanemu’s incredible dancing video went instantly viral after it was posted in July of 2021. The video features @totouchanemu reacting to the 3.2 million views a popular video from user @maxtaylorlifts earned, and recreating a booty-shaking dance to The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber’s “Stay.” @totouchanemu’s video soon surpassed @maxtaylorlifts’ by a long shot, earning 44.3 million likes and nearly 320 million views.
5. Adrian Chateau Wiles — BARK
Adrian Chateau Wiles made her dog famous with a single video, posted to TikTok in Nov. 2021. The video followed a trend that was popular at the time, in which audio requests the user “bark at your dog.” When Wiles obliges, letting out a powerful “woof” at her pitbull, the dog’s reaction is utterly priceless. 40 million people apparently agree with me, giving the video enough likes to fall right in the center of this list.
6. Billie Eilish — Time Warp
Superstar Billie Eilish’s attempt at using TikTok’s time warp filter resulted in a charming, relatable video that people online absolutely ate up. Quickly after Eilish posted it to the platform, the video went mega viral, eventually collecting more than 345 million views and 39.8 million likes. Considering it was the singer’s first-ever post to the platform, that’s nothing to scoff at.
7. Khabane Lame — Peeling a Banana
This is far from the last you’ll see of Khabane Lame, a TikToker whose flawless approach to content is practically a recipe for virality. His response to an utterly cursed and entirely needless TikTok “hack” quickly became his most-liked video to date, as Lame — in his recognizable, straightforward, and almost bland manner — demonstrates how to peel a banana.
8. British Promise Cats — Cardboard Cat
We take a brief break from Khabane Lame to enjoy a video of cats. It was all but certain at least one video on this list would simply feature adorable felines, a staple of the early internet. Or the entire lifespan of the internet, really. This video, from the British Promise Cats TikTok account, shows a curious cat doing his absolute best to reach the bottom of a tube of cardboard. It’s been viewed more than 292.5 million times, collecting 36.7 million likes since June of 2020.
9. Khabane Lame — Car Door
I told you he’d be back. Yet another viral hit from Khabane Lame, this video informs viewers of how to… safely open a car door? Debunking yet another useless and unnecessary hack, Lame shows first a video attempting to demonstrate the necessity of a rear-door side view mirror before showing how one can simply roll the window down and check their surroundings before exiting a vehicle. The video, in all of its glorious simplicity, has 36.1 million views from 349.5 million viewers.
10. Khabane Lame — Opening a Door
Good things often come in threes, as is the case with Khabane Lame’s consistently popular videos. He ends up on this list a final time thanks to his ability to open doors, a skill that most people learn long before they understand how tying a shoelace works. Another stunningly popular video from Lame — with 35.4 million likes and 297.4 million views — allows Lame to inform viewers how they, too, can pull off this exceedingly simple task.