YouTube has at least 800 million videos – and this number keeps rising. But which video entranced the world enough to be crowned the most-liked video on YouTube?
If you guessed that it’s a music video, you are 100% correct.
YouTube Video | Channel (Subscribers Count) | No. of Likes | No. of Views |
Luis Fonsi – Despacito ft. Daddy | Luis Fonsi (31.5M) | 53 Million | 8.2B |
Wiz Khalifa – See You Again ft. Charlie Puth | Wiz Khalifa (27.8M) | 43 Million | 6B |
Baby Shark Dance | Pinkfong Baby Shark (70M) | 43 Million | 13B |
BTS (방탄소년단) ‘Dynamite’ Official MV | HYBE LABELS (72.9M) | 37 Million | 1.7B |
Ed Sheeran – Shape of You | Ed Sheeran (53.7M) | 33 Million | 6B |
BTS (방탄소년단) ‘작은 것들을 위한 시 (Boy With Luv) | HYBE LABELS (72.9M) | 28 Million | 1.7B |
PSY – GANGNAM STYLE(강남스타일) M/V | officialpsy (18.3M) | 28 Million | 4.9B |
Alan Walker – Faded | Alan Walker (44.2M) | 28 Million | 3.5B |
Billie Eilish, Khalid – lovely | Billie Eilish (48.6M) | 26 Million | 1.9B |
Marshmello – Alone | Marshmello (56.6M) | 25 Million | 2.4B |
Make This Video The Most Liked Video On YouTube | MrBeast (189M) | 30 Million | 140M |
OMG Best Teacher | dednahype (22.9M) | 35 Million | 825M (shorts) |
How Zach King Gets Away with Doing Graffiti | dollarbill (2.61M) | 30 Million | 1.2B (shorts) |
Home Alone in a Rush | Daniel LaBelle (26.1M) | 32 Million | 690M (shorts) |
Giving iPhones Instead of Candy on Halloween | MrBeast (189M) | 34 Million | 891M (shorts) |
$456,000 Squid Game in Real Life! | MrBeast (189M) | 17 Million | 509M (shorts) |
Me at the Zoo | jawed (4.03M) | 14 Million | 288M |
KGF Chapter2 Teaser | Hombale Films (4.46M) | 9.5 Million | 272M |
YouTube Rewind 2018, but it’s actually good | PewDiePie (111M) | 9.6 Million | 86M |
I Spent 50 Hours Buried AliveI Spent 50 Hours Buried Alive | MrBeast (189M) | 8.3 Million | 299M |
What is the Most Liked Video on YouTube – EVER?
1. Luis Fonsi – Despacito ft. Daddy Yankee holds the crown as YouTube’s most-liked video.
Despacito has a staggering 53 million likes, and the video is such a hit that the nearest video, in terms of likes, is Wiz Khalifa’s “See You Again,” which has 43 million likes. It’s difficult to know why this music video has so many likes when other, arguably more popular artists, are nowhere near the 50 million likes mark.
Even Taylor Swift’s highest-viewed video only has 11 million likes.
So, what made the song and video blow up?
- Chord progression in the song was different than what other artists were producing, leading to more plays on the radio
- Culture plays a major role in the video and lyrics, leading to mass appeal that transcends language
- Despacito mixes pop and reggaeton, offering listeners a video that is different than what is mass-produced
- Politicians began using the song
- Justin Bieber was in the song’s remix, attracting even more people to the original video
And the song is simply catchy. Everyone was listening to Despacito in 2017.
Rounding Out the Top 10 Most Liked Music Videos on YouTube
2. Wiz Khalifa – See You Again ft. Charlie Puth [Official Video] Furious 7 Soundtrack
“See You Again,” is part of the Furious 7 soundtrack and racked up 43 million likes and 6 billion views. The song has fantastic lyrics, but it also comes at a time of tragedy when Paul Walker, part of the Furious series, passed away.
The song was commissioned to be part of the movie’s soundtrack, and with the loss of Walker, the song fit perfectly.
Additionally, Charlie Puth wrote for the track, stating that he became emotionally attached to the lyrics because of Vail Cerullo’s 2012 death. Cerullo was a friend of Puth and died in a motorcycle accident.
3. Baby Shark Dance
Baby Shark is an animation that has turned into a music video because it is a “dance.” Why is this video liked so much? First, it has 13 billion views and one of the most memorable – and annoying – lyrics.
The song sticks in your mind and simply won’t stop.
As a nursery rhyme, the song can be listened to by the entire family, making it even more addictive to watch time and time again.
4. BTS (방탄소년단) ‘Dynamite’ Official MV
BTS is K Pop royalty, and the group has many videos that have millions of views. Obsession over K Pop was at an all-time high at the song’s release, and being a tribute to Michael Jackson helped push the song onto every music-lover’s radar.
The song won dozens of music awards the same year it was released, and one critic even likened it to Charlie Puth’s style of lyrics.
5. Ed Sheeran – Shape of You
Ed Sheeran has a following that very few musicians in the world will ever hold. His catchy and real lyrics are relatable and help the listener connect with his songs. “Shape of You” was watched over 6 billion times and continues to be included in many of his albums.
Throughout the video, a story emerges where Sheeran is interested in a female boxer, played by Jennie Pegouskie.
And while a sea of drama unfolds throughout the video, fans are left watching an emotion-packed story filled with Sheeran’s catchy lyrics.
6. BTS (방탄소년단) ‘작은 것들을 위한 시 (Boy With Luv)
BTS is back on the list again, and this time, they bring Halsey along for the ride. The song was preceded by a slew of teaser videos, which is common for BTS. The song has a lot of light lyrics, it’s upbeat and fun.
Halsey’s lyrics fit seamlessly into the song and add a twist to the lyrics that make it even more “likable.”
The song won 21 awards, holding the record in the 2000s until Dynamite broke the record.
7. PSY – GANGNAM STYLE(강남스타일) M/V
Gangnam Style is a true enigma in the world of music and YouTube.
Why was it a hit?
No one can know for sure. PSY, a South Korean rapper, released the song in 2012, and it skyrocketed to a billion views. In fact, it’s the first video to surpass this milestone on the platform and has over 4.8 billion views.
Many viewers have no idea what PSY is saying in the video, but the outrageous video and lyrics are extremely catchy.
According to critics, the song gives listeners an insight into Korea’s vibrant culture – something that wasn’t common before the song’s release.
8. Alan Walker – Faded
Faded by Alan Walker is just a relatable song. The music video showcases a person walking through an abandoned building with the lyrics “Where are you now,” playing in the background.
The song hit the top of the charts worldwide and remains Walker’s biggest success.
9. Billie Eilish, Khalid – lovely (Official Music Video)
Billie Eilish and Khalid teaming up for “Lovely,” is sure to always be a hit. However, very few people would have predicted that the song would reach 1.8 billion views. The video starts with Eilish inside of a glass box and Khalid walking the perimeter of it.
Unlike many of the videos on our list, this is a simple video that really works on the chemistry of the artists and simplicity.
But perhaps the true reason for the song’s popularity is that it’s a concept that Eilish explains is about feeling helpless and even trapped when with someone else.
10. Marshmello – Alone (Official Music Video)
Marshmello finishes our list with Alone. The song is another that relies on very relatable lyrics and depictions in the video. Marshmello is being bullied in school and someone sees him creating music in his home.
He instantly becomes a major success and can be seen dancing in the classroom with the same people who bullied him.
But What About Non-Music Videos?
Music videos naturally get more views and likes because so many people use YouTube for their music streaming. Videos bring songs to life, so they get more engagement.
But what about non-music videos?
If you’ve ever spent any time on YouTube, then you know Mr. Beast. YouTuber Mr. Beast has a whopping 182 million subscribers.
And four years ago, he set out on a mission to create the most liked, non-music video on YouTube. This was the result:
11. Make This Video The Most Liked Video On YouTube – Mr. Beast
Mr. Beast’s video is basically a giant egg fight. Not surprisingly, he achieved his goal of getting the most likes for a long-form, non-music video.
The video content itself isn’t exactly top-tier for Mr. Beast (that wasn’t the intention either), but he was able to achieve this feat simply because he has such a huge following on YouTube. Simply asking his followers to smash the “like” button was all it took to get tens of millions of likes.
This year, Mr. Beast surpassed that “likes” milestone with his short “Would You Fly to Paris for a Baguette?”
This 47-second clip now has more than 39 million likes.
Rounding Out the Top 10 Most Liked Non-Music Videos and Shorts on YouTube
12. OMG Best Teacher
The OMG BEST TEACHER short was posted by dednahype in 2021, and since then, it’s amassed over 35 million likes. This staged clip features two “kids” bullying another kid in class. When the bullies cut the other kid’s headphone cord, the teacher breaks out a brand-new headset. It’s a bit of a cheesy clip, but it caught the attention and favor of many YouTube viewers.
13. How Zach King Gets Away with Doing Graffiti
DollarBill posted this Short four years ago, and it’s gained over 30 million likes. It’s a funny clip that’s reminiscent of classic cartoons.
If you’re a fan of Banksy, you’ll love that this video features his artwork.
14. Home Alone in a Rush
Are you a fan of the movie Home Alone, but want the cliff notes version? This Short, posted by YouTuber Daniel LaBelle, sums it up perfectly. No wonder the clip has more than 32 million likes. It’s 59 seconds of pure comedy gold.
Along with being one of the most liked videos on YouTube, this Short also has an insane amount of views – 685 million – and comments – 102,000+.
15. Giving iPhones Instead of Candy on Halloween
MrBeast is known for doing some crazy things for YouTube, and this Short is no exception. Instead of giving out candy on Halloween, he gives out iPhones to kids who trick or treat at his house.
He gave one trick or treater $10,000. Other kids got PlayStations and AirPods.
It’s not surprising that this video gained so many likes. MrBeast is known for his generosity, and this kind of wholesome content can really uplift your day.
16. $456,000 Squid Game in Real Life!
MrBeast strikes again with another video that gained an insane number of likes – 17 million to be exact. This one is not a Short.
To make this crazy video, MrBeast recreated every single set from Squid Game in real life. He gathered 456 people, and whoever survived the longest won $456K. Contestants went through a number of games to win the prize.
17. Me at the Zoo
Me at the zoo is a 39-second video clip posted by YouTuber jawed back in 2005. In this short clip, jawed shares some insight about elephants – mainly that they have “really, really long trunks.” That’s the gist of this video. But people love it, and it gained over 14 million likes.
People still comment on this video to this day, and the video now has over 11 million comments.
18. KGF Chapter2 Teaser
The KGF Chapter2 Teaser, posted two years ago by Hombale Films, has over 9.9 million likes. The teaser is for the film of the same name, released in 2022. The Indian Kannada-language period action film was written and directed by Prashanth Neel.
19. YouTube Rewind 2018, but it’s actually good
People love to make fun of YouTube Rewind on YouTube, but PewDiePie’s parody for YouTube Rewind 2018 is by far the most popular. His video has gained more than 9.5 million likes since it was posted four years ago.
20. I Spent 50 Hours Buried AliveI Spent 50 Hours Buried Alive
MrBeast rounds out our list with an insane video where he buries himself alive for 50 hours. He was sealed in a clear coffin and buried alive for over one day. The coffin was outfitted with lights and cameras, and he was given supplies (food, water, etc.).
YouTubers are constantly achieving new milestones and breaking new records as more people spend their time on the video platform. These few examples are some of the most liked videos on YouTube, but they may not hold that record for long. Who knows – maybe you will create the next YouTube video to get the most likes or views.
One Response
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