Year in Review: 12 things that went viral on TikTok in 2023

TikTok has emerged as one of the most used platforms in the current digital landscape. The platform enjoys widespread popularity in the Philippines and boasts an impressive audience, with over 39 million Filipino users ranking eighth worldwide.

Given its popularity, it’s no wonder that many trends have gone viral in the TikTok universe this year.

2023 has seen TikTok trends such as “Jopay” and "Gento," and it became a platform for celebrities like Marian Rivera and Dennis Trillo to discover another version of themselves.

Before 2023 ends, here are 12 things that went viral on TikTok in 2023.

Jopay

 

@kmjs SANA ALAM N’YO PA ‘YUNG TOTOONG TONO NG ‘JOPAY’ ???? ‘Yung Mayonnaise na ‘yung nag-adjust para kay Kosang Marlon ???? Ang inaabangang collab ng taon, ngayong Linggo na sa #KMJS! ???? #EntertainmentNewsPH ? original sound - Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho

“Jopay, kumusta ka na?”

By now, Filipinos know that Mayonnaise’s iconic song "Jopay" was inspired by Jopay Paguia-Zamora from the iconic girl group Sexbomb. Band vocalist Monty Macalino said so himself!

The song was released in 2005 and remains one of OPM’s top hits. It recently went viral because of TikTok user Kosang Marlon’s sintunado version.

At first, netizens were humoted by how off-key the rendition was, but as it went viral online, some said they got a major LSS from listening to it.

Lo and behold, the song “Jopay” has become a sensation, with many TikTok users using the song as the background music for videos dedicated to their loved ones.

Raining in Manila

 

@youlolgma Waiting Here Sa Pila is out NOW! Written, performed and directed by: Michael V #youlol #gmanetwork #bblgang #bubblegang #bubblegangcomedylaughtrip #bubblegangcomedy #bubblegangparody #michaelV #raininginmanila #fyp #trending #BBLWaitingHereSaPila ? original sound - YoüLOL

Lola Amour released “Raining in Manila” in June; a month later, it went viral on TikTok.

Users were quick to join the trend, using the song to show how it was, well, raining in Manila.

Fans also shared their different interpretations of the song. Some dedicated the song to someone they are longing for who will never return. Some used it in alternate universe stories, where a Manila conyo boy meets a simple probinsyana girl.

With its catchy opening line, “It’s been raining in Manila, hindi ka ba nilalamig,” the song is so memorable that even K-pop artists like Heesung and Bambam fell in love with it too.

It also caught comedian Michael V’s attention, and he even made a parody of the song! In an episode of "Bubble Gang," Bitoy performed "Waiting Here sa Pila" as Lolo Kanor, a song that goes on to call out people who don't have enough money to pay for bills but still line up for coffee.

Gento

 

@officialsb19 Ok, exit frame. #SB19 #PAGTATAG #SB19PAGTATAG #SB19GENTO #GENTO ? GENTO - SB19

Gento was released in May  by SB19, and it has been making waves on the internet, especially in TikTok, since then.

The song instantly became a hit and was turned into a dance challenge that reached K-pop stars such as ENHYPEN’s Jungwon and Super Junior’s Eunhyuk.

It also caught the eye of Kapuso Drama King Dennis Trillo, who made a hilarious version of the song. In the video, the Kapuso Drama King gears up to dance to SB19’s “GENTO.” However, Jennylyn appears and grabs his attention. Looking stressed, she asks him to carry Dylan and gives him their baby girl’s bottle before exiting the frame.

Ba't Malungkot ang Beshie Ko?

 

@dennistrilloph Lungkot ka besh? Try ko mag split wait lang… #fyp #foryourpage #goodvibesonly ? original sound - Garry Corpuz Domingo - Boss G Capital

“Ba’t malungkot ang beshie ko?" was undoubtedly one of the Internet’s favorite memes in 2023.

The meme originated from GMA Network’s 2019 “Magpakailanman” episode, “Baklash, the viral Princess of Navotas.”

It contained a scene where two queer kids, MJ and Lala, were showing off their gymnastics skills while saying the famous lines: “Ba’t malungkot ang beshie mo?" "Kasi malungkot ang lola mo!”

It easily became a trend, not only on TikTok but also on Facebook, as netizens used the meme accompanied by cartwheel emojis.

Its virality has reached many Filipino celebrities, such as Kapuso Drama King Dennis Trillo, Mikael Daez, and Megan Young, who made their own version of the iconic meme.

Marian Rivera's Dance Challenges

 

@marianrivera Try lang ???? #MarianRivera #FYP ? original sound - MarianRivera - Marian Rivera

Marian Rivera made waves on TikTok this year when she started the “Price Tag” dance challenge.

Shortly after, many netizens and even fellow celebrities hopped on her dance challenge.

As of this writing, there are 1.5 million videos on the trend.

The Kapuso Primetime Queen has since released a handful of dance covers, all of which made noise online.

Jak Roberto's Anti-Silos Classes

 

@hijak02 Face to face anti selos class! #antisilos #jakrobertoantiselosclass #jakroberto ? original sound - Jak Roberto

 

Jak Roberto brushed off all rumors of jealousy with his "anti-silos" classes this year.

The trend went viral after the GMA Gala 2023, during which netizens noticed that he, Barbie Forteza, and David Licauco walked separately on the red carpet.

Despite his girlfriend Barbie and David's popular love team, Jak maintained that he was nothing but supportive.

Fans quickly made the so-called "anti-silos" an internet sensation, and Jak hopped on the trend, sharing a hilarious reel of him advising his fellow stars about jealousy situations.

At one point, he even held an “anti-selos” class at Jose Rizal University.

On TikTok, the hashtag #antiselos has already become a huge trend, with many users posting their own funny entries. They first introduce the source of jealousy and then cut it to a video of Jak dancing.

Dennis Trillo's TikTok entries

 

@dennistrilloph Haliparito P.S. Nasa taping ako, hindi ako nagtatago at wala ako sa cr???? #fyp #foryoupage #goodvibesonly ? original sound - Geelzy - G E E L Z Y

Aside from Marian Rivera, Dennis Trillo was one of the breakout TikTok stars of the year.

The actor showed his sense of humor with his entries on popular trends, such as the "Ba't malungkot ang beshy ko," "Pogi sige na," and "GENTO" dance challenge.

According to his wife Jennylyn, he would often lock himself in a room or the comfort room when he was doing his TikTok videos.

But Dennis is quick to beat his wife's "he's hiding and secretive" allegations when he posted a TikTok video while on the set of his new drama.

Ere

 

@juankarlow

ERE LIVE

? ERE - juan karlos

Before it swept music charts left and right, Ere by OPM singer Juan Karlos (JK) first went viral on TikTok.

With many users editing select lines in their videos, such as "Tatlong bilyon, ikaw lang ang aking gusto,” the song quickly caught the public’s attention.

In October, “ERE” ranked No. 2 on Spotify's Global Viral Songs.

It also ranked sixth on Google's most-searched songs globally in 2023!

August Trend

 

@annecurtissmith Because.. August ? But I’m so excited for February @Taylor Swift ? August The Summer I Turned Pretty Version - ava ????

Taylor Swift’s “August” has become Swift's national anthem every time the month of August comes.

With the song’s global popularity, it’s no wonder that the song became a trend on TikTok!

The trend featured people running along the beach or other places while “August” played. The were are usually set to the bridge of the song.

The August running trend also reached our very own Dyosa Anne Curtis, as she did a breathtaking version of it in her stunning white beach dress.

Tube Girl

 

@sabrinabahsoon Brb this is on repeat. #greedy @tate mcrae #tubegirl #tubegirleffect ? greedy - Tate McRae

The tube girl trend started when TikToker Sabrina Bahsoon turned London's subway into her main stage by starting a movement with her videos, dancing on the Tube—the British Underground system used by millions each day—like no one's watching.

It quickly became a trend, reaching Filipino TikTok users who did their own version of the trend while commuting in a train, a jeepney, or a bus.

Delulu

 

@teemowti sissy mong delulu #kpop #kdrama #hallyu #delulu ? original sound - teemowti

Before it became a TikTok trend in 2023, the word “delulu” had already existed in the K-pop community as early as 2014.

It is a slang term used to describe delusional fan behavior, such as believing that one will eventually end up with one's favorite celebrity idol.

In TikTok, “delulu” has been used not only to describe delusional fan behavior but also to manifest everything you want in life by just saying the phrase, “May your delulu come trululu."

Girl Dinner

On social media, the term "girl dinner" is frequently used to describe meals consisting of snacks, sides, or tiny portions of unidentified foods—typically their guilty pleasure foods.

In TikTok vocabulary, it simply means whatever a girl wants to have for dinner; it could be food, a person, an item, or an activity. It's about consuming or doing it, not about literally feeding yourself with it. —JCB, GMA Integrated News