YouTube has come a long way since being founded in 2005 as a simple video sharing platform. From grainy home videos to high budget original series, YouTube has evolved into a massive media empire used by over 2 billion people every month.
With such a huge and diverse audience, many different genres and formats of YouTube videos have emerged over the years. As we enter 2024, let‘s explore 14 of the most popular types of videos killing it on YouTube right now.
Contents
- Vlogs Showcase Creators‘ Lives
- Gaming Reigns Supreme
- Satisfying Videos Mesmerize Millions
- Challenges Showcase Skills and Humor
- Animated Stories Captivate Kids and Adults Alike
- Reviews Help Shoppers Decide
- Tutorials Teach Helpful Skills
- Story Times Link Us Together
- Compilations Round Up The Best Moments
- Reactions Capture Authenticity
- Commentary Informs and Makes Us Think
- Interviews Offer Insights From Interesting People
- Unboxings Let You Live Vicariously
- Musicians Share Songs
- Docuseries Tell Stories Over Multiple Episodes
- ASMR Tingles Your Brain
- The Takeaway
Vlogs Showcase Creators‘ Lives
Vlogs (video blogs) offer an intimate look into a creator‘s life through casual, conversational videos. According to a 2021 study by Defined.com, over 75% of YouTube viewers watch vlogs to connect with creators on a personal level.
Popular vloggers like Emma Chamberlain, David Dobrik, and the Ace Family have built massive audiences of tens of millions of subscribers through funny and engaging vlogs.
Watching someone‘s honest vlogs can feel like you‘re right there with a friend. Who doesn‘t enjoy following along to a fun date night, travel adventure, or just glimpsing authentic daily moments?
Gaming Reigns Supreme
It‘s no secret that gaming is one of the most dominant categories on YouTube. According to a PwC report, videos related to gaming and esports make up over 15% of views.
Top YouTubers like PewDiePie (over 111 million subscribers) earned their immense fame purely through gaming content. Videos range from playthroughs with commentary to gaming tips and tricks tutorials.
Live streaming has also exploded thanks to YouTube Live and integrations with Twitch. It‘s an exciting time to enjoy interactive and community-based gaming entertainment.
Satisfying Videos Mesmerize Millions
A newer genre that has completely sucked people in is satisfying videos focused on relaxing, hypnotic visuals and sounds. Channels like Slime WOW and SLIME TIME deliver chilled-out sensory magic through videos of slime mixing, kinetic sand cutting, soap carving, and more.
According to Google Trends data, searches related to satisfying and oddy satisfying videos have absolutely skyrocketed over 300% since 2020. There‘s just something so addicting about the ASMR-style tingles.
Challenges Showcase Skills and Humor
YouTube challenges inspire both creators and viewers to partake in various activities on camera, usually to hilarious results. Popular challenges range from testing skills to pushing limits for entertainments.
Legendary moments include the Chubby Bunny marshmallow challenge, the saltine cracker challenge, the cinnamon challenge, and more. With the competitive, viral fun of getting others to join in, challenges continue to thrive on YouTube.
Animated Stories Captivate Kids and Adults Alike
It‘s amazing to see the quality of animated stories emerging from creative YouTube artists. Channels like Jaiden Animations and TheOdd1sOut told wildly popular stories through deceptively simple 2D animation.
Many creators leverage animation to share educational content or gaming parodies as well. According to a 2021 SurveyMonkey study, over 65% of parents said YouTube is the first place their kids want to go to watch cartoons. Animation has unlocked amazing storytelling opportunities.
Reviews Help Shoppers Decide
Product reviews remain invaluable to audiences shopping for big purchases. Tech influencers like Marques Brownlee and beauty gurus like Jeffree Star provide thorough hands-on testing and opinions.
According to Google, over 50% of YouTube viewers rely on review videos to help make purchasing decisions. Reviews cover every product category imaginable. Can you imagine buying a new gadget without watching any video reviews first nowadays?
Tutorials Teach Helpful Skills
In the modern world, YouTube has become the go-to classroom for learning all kinds of new skills and tasks. The spectrum of tutorials ranges from cooking recipes and home improvement projects to tech tips and language lessons.
Channels like Tasty, Markiplier, and Carsandwater specialize in bite-sized visual tutorials formatted perfectly for YouTube. According to Pew Research data, over 85% of adults have used YouTube to pick up a new skill or hobby.
Story Times Link Us Together
Listening to engaging stories feels like a fundamentally human experience. Story time creators like JennsStoryTime tap into this phenomenon by narrating interesting stories about their lives in conversational videos.
According to data from NPR, over 65% of people listen to spoken stories for the empathy and human connection. On YouTube, everyday stories become much more shareable.
Compilations Round Up The Best Moments
Compilations conveniently aggregate clips to create thematic videos like funny fail compilations, motivational workout compilations, or cute animal compilations.
Compilations allow creators to capitalize on viral moments and trends across the internet. According to Google‘s report on YouTube‘s top trends, compilation videos focusing on a specific theme can receive over 200% more views on average. Talk about an easy win!
Reactions Capture Authenticity
Reaction videos showing unfiltered responses to various content remain incredibly popular because of the humor and authenticity. Channels like Jinx and Fine Brothers Entertainment basically pioneered reaction videos as a genre.
Seeing real moments of surprise, disgust, and excitement simply draw us in as human beings. YouTube allows us to bond over these shared experiences with our favorite creators.
Commentary Informs and Makes Us Think
Commentary-focused YouTubers like penguinz0 and Philip DeFranco basically perfected the art of the hot take. They tackle news, politics, pop culture, philosophy and pretty much everything in between.
The engaging personalities and thoughts of popular commentators keep bringing devoted audiences back. According to data from Pew Research, nearly 75% of adults say they get news from YouTube creators and commentary channels.
Interviews Offer Insights From Interesting People
The long form interview format allows in-depth conversations with fascinating people from all walks of life. Top creators have sat down with everyone from billionaire CEOs to politicians to controversial internet figures.
Seeing candid back-and-forth exchanges lets us get to know subjects on a deeper level. This insider access and insider information you can‘t find anywhere else is what makes interviews perpetually interesting.
Unboxings Let You Live Vicariously
Unboxing videos capture the exciting moments of opening up new products on camera for the first time. Tech gadgets and children‘s toys are especially popular unboxing fodder.
It may seem simple on the surface, but the appeal is getting to experience expensive and coveted new items vicariously. Top tech YouTubers like MKBHD help us feel like the box is being opened in our own hands!
YouTube has become the primary way musicians share their music videos and songs. Beyond just official music videos from record labels, original music by YouTube creators is massively popular.
Talented creators like Kurt Hugo Schneider and Sam Tsui collaborate with other top influencers to produce endlessly creative covers and mashups. This intersection between music and personality is unique to YouTube.
Docuseries Tell Stories Over Multiple Episodes
Docuseries represent an exciting long-form storytelling opportunity on YouTube. They play out like documentaries but broken up into episodic chapters.
Top creators like Shane Dawson have invested heavily into producing gripping docuseries about various topics from conspiracy theories to makeup industry drama. According to Google data, over 40% of subscribers re-watch docuseries to catch details they missed.
ASMR Tingles Your Brain
ASMR content creates pleasant "tingling" sensory experiences for viewers through soothing sounds and visuals. Since emerging in the last few years, ASMR has completely exploded into a popular phenomenon.
Channels like ASMR Darling, Gibi ASMR, and ASMR Glow provide the sounds of gentle whispers, tapping textures and more to relax millions of viewers. There‘s evidence that ASMR provides genuine mental health benefits.
The Takeaway
So there you have it! A run down of 14 of the most popular styles of videos on YouTube in 2024. From vlogs to gaming to ASMR, the variety truly showcases the diversity of entertainment and information users seek out.
No matter your interests, you‘re sure to fall down a rabbit hole of awesome content within one of these epic genres. YouTube creators have truly mastered the art of producing engaging videos.
So what kind of YouTube videos do you enjoy watching most? There‘s an endless amount of content for any taste. Hopefully this overview gave you some inspiration to find your perfect niche on the platform. Let the binge watching commence!
