13 Classic Viral YouTube Videos from the ‘00s You Forgot You Were Obsessed With

A definitive, accurate, not-at-all-biased ranking.

Viral YouTube Videos
(Image credit: Youtube ¦ Design by American Artist)

Please slip into your comfiest checkered Vans, because we’re about to take a long trip down memory lane, all the way back to the early-to-late aughts, when your life consisted of velour tracksuits, custom-covered flip phones, and a near-constant stream of loud, obnoxious references to these 13 hugely viral YouTube videos, below.

Get ready for a big ol’ dose of oh-my-god nostalgia and to mutter, "wow, I feel old," approximately 100 times to yourself.

13. Peanut Butter Jelly Time

— YouTube video

“Peanut butter jelly with a baseball bat.”

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VIEWS: 27.7 million

12. Evolution of Dance

— YouTube video

From Elvis’ “Nothin' But a Hound Dog” to Outkast’s “Hey, Ya!” this clip was straight-up magic.

VIEWS: 300 million

11. Salad Fingers

— YouTube video

“The feeling of rust against my salad fingers is almost orgasmic.” Still terrifying. Still hate this.

VIEWS: 31 million

10. Mr. Trololo

— YouTube video

Yes, this song has been stuck in your head for almost a full decade.

VIEWS: 26.4 million

9. Mortal Kombat Theme

— YouTube video

That time the comedy duo Smosh created a super grainy music video for Mortal Kombat, and the internet lost its collective mind.

VIEWS: 29.3 million

8. Muffins

— YouTube video

“Imaaaginary muffin!”

VIEWS: 27.7 million

7. Very Scary Car Driving

You to your friends: “No, no, it’s fine; I promise. Just watch it.”

VIEWS: 9 million

6. Potter Puppet Pals

— YouTube video

“It’s a pipe bomb!”

VIEWS: 160.4 million

5. Numa Numa

— YouTube video

When lip-synching to O-Zone’s “Dragostea Din Tei” could get you viral. Fact: This video still holds up. And I hate myself.

VIEWS: 26.7 million

4. Badger, Badger, Badger

— YouTube video

“Snake! A snake! Oooh, it’s a snake.”

VIEWS: 24.3 million

3. Charlie the Unicorn

— YouTube video

"It's a leopluridon Charlie!"

"A MAGICAL leopluridon!"

VIEWS: 30.3 million

2. Shoes

— YouTube video

“Shoes. Shoes. Shoes. Oh, my god, shoes.”

VIEWS: 62.3 million

1. Chocolate Rain

— YouTube video

Just…no words needed.

VIEWS: 145 million

Chloe Metzger
Beauty Editor

Chloe Metzger is the deputy beauty director at Cosmopolitan, overseeing the editorial content and growth strategy of the hair, makeup, and skin space on digital, while also obsessively writing about the best hair products for every hair type (curly girl here; whattup), and the skincare routines that really, truly work (follow her on Instagram to see behind-the-scenes pics of that magazine life). She brings nearly a decade of writing and editing expertise, and her work has appeared in AllureHealthFitnessMarie ClaireStyleCaster, and Parents. She also has an unhealthy adoration for Tom Hanks and would like to please meet him one day, if you could arrange that. Thanks.