On June 17, 2016, Korean education brand Pinkfong released their video "Baby Shark Dance", and the rest is history. In January 2021, Baby Shark Dance became the first YouTube video to surpass 10 billion views, after snatching the crown of most-viewed YouTube video of all time from the former record holder "Despacito" one year before. "Baby Shark Dance" currently has over 15 billion lifetime views on YouTube. Music videos on YouTube “Baby Shark Dance” might be the current record-holder in terms of total views, but Korean artist Psy’s “Gangnam Style” video remained on the top spot for longest (1,689 days or 4.6 years) before ceding its spot to its successor. With figures like these, it comes as little surprise that the majority of the most popular videos on YouTube are music videos. Since 2010, all but one the most-viewed videos on YouTube have been music videos, signifying the platform’s shift in focus from funny, viral videos to professionally produced content. As of 2022, about 40 percent of the U.S. digital music audience uses YouTube Music. Popular video content on YouTube Music fans are also highly engaged audiences and it is not uncommon for music videos to garner significant amounts of traffic within the first 24 hours of release. Other popular types of videos that generate lots of views after their first release are movie trailers, especially superhero movies related to the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe). The first official trailer for the upcoming film “Avengers: Endgame” generated 289 million views within the first 24 hours of release, while the movie trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home generated over 355 views on the first day from release, making it the most viral movie trailer.

As of January 2025, T-Series had reached surpassed 281 billion lifetime video views, making it the most-viewed YouTube channel owner of all time. Popular children's rhymes and song channel Cocomelon followed, with 194 billion lifetime views. Several children-themed channels such as Like Nastya, Kids Diana Show, and Vlad and Niki appeared in the ranking. YouTube is one of the most beloved platforms for children and teens In recent years, video content not only has become one of the most popular types of online formats for children but also one of the highest-performing online categories. The most viewed video on YouTube has been for several years "Baby Shark Dance," published by Korean education brand Pinkfong in June 2016. The catchy rhyme was the first YouTube video to reach and surpass 10 billion views, and as of January 2024 was sitting at 13.93 billion global views. YouTube channels that propose content for children and young teens are also among the most subscribed channels on the platform, with 3D-animation channel Cocomelon counting almost 188 million subscribers worldwide as of January 2025. Children mobile video app usage According to a survey of global parents conducted in September 2021, watching YouTube videos was the most common mobile activity for 54 percent of children, second only to online gaming. Additionally, watching movies and watching content on social media were indicated by 30 percent and 20 percent of parents as usual activities for their children to engage with on mobile devices. In the United States and in the United Kingdom, YouTube and Netflix were the most popular video apps for children to engage with.

In March 2022, the fastest viral video based on the number of views in 24 hours after its upload was iQIYI's fantasy action film Double World. Ranked second, was a prank video of the movie Rings, in which an actress jumped out of a television screen to scare passersby. Music videos on YouTube Music videos are among the most popular content on YouTube. Currently, the most popular YouTube video based on lifetime views is “Baby Shark Dance". Eight of the top ten most-viewed videos are music videos. Music audiences are highly engaged and since 2010, all the most-viewed videos on YouTube have been music videos, with Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, PSY, and Wiz Khalifa successively claiming the title before ceding it to Luis Fonsi and "Despacito". K-pop on Youtube