Gangnam Style
PSY's 2012 K-pop anthem that became the first YouTube video to reach one billion views — and unleashed a global horse-dance craze.
A 2012 K-pop song by PSY and its signature 'horse-riding' dance move. Originally a satirical commentary on the lavish lifestyle of Seoul's Gangnam district, it became a global phenomenon and a defining moment in the internet's ability to make something — instantly and without gatekeepers — a worldwide hit.
History
PSY (Park Jae-sang) released 'Gangnam Style' on July 15, 2012. The comedic music video spread organically through YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook. By mid-August 2012 it had 50 million views; by late October it had become the most-viewed YouTube video of all time, eventually crossing the one-billion-view mark on December 21, 2012 — the first video ever to do so.
Cultural scores
Editorial estimates of cultural weight — Current Popularity tracks how much people are posting about this now, not historical fame.
Current Popularity = how actively people are posting about this today. Influence = lasting footprint. Cringe = online reception. Brainrot = absurdist energy. Scores last reviewed 2026-07-25. How scoring works
Timeline
Jul 15, 2012
PSY releases 'Gangnam Style' on YouTube and iTunes
Aug 2012
Video goes globally viral — Ellen, T-Pain, and Robbie Williams publicly react; flash mobs erupt worldwide
Sep 2012
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon calls PSY a 'force for world peace'
Dec 21, 2012
Becomes the first YouTube video to reach one billion views — YouTube's like counter breaks and must be upgraded
2023
The official video surpasses 5.2 billion views — still one of the most-watched videos in YouTube history
Examples
- “An entire office erupting into the horse-dance during a Harlem Shake–style flash mob”
- “World leaders joking about PSY at international summits in late 2012”
- “The 'Oppan Gangnam Style' earworm that refused to leave your head for an entire year”
- “YouTube's view counter literally breaking because no one coded for 10 figures”
Media
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PSY (Park Jae-sang) performing Gangnam Style at the Marquee nightclub in Sydney, Australia during his 2012 world tour.
The official Gangnam Style music video — the first YouTube video ever to reach one billion views, now at over 5 billion.
Related entries
Culturally linked — not random recommendations.
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MemeA pixelated cat with a Pop-Tart body flying through space leaving a rainbow trail — pure early-internet whimsy.
Rickroll
MemeThe internet's most legendary bait-and-switch — Rick Astley's 'Never Gonna Give You Up' disguised as something else.
Evolution of Dance
MemeJudson Laipply's medley of dance crazes — one of YouTube's earliest mega-hits and a time capsule of pre-TikTok dance virality.
YouTube Rewind
EventYouTube's annual year-in-review spectacle — from celebration of platform culture to the internet's favorite thing to hate-watch.
Harlem Shake
MemeThe 30-second video format that broke YouTube in early 2013 — one person dances alone, then chaos erupts.
Baby Shark
MemePinkfong's earworm kids' song and dance that became one of YouTube's most-watched videos and a global parent nightmare.
References
Sources behind this entry. Prefer primary reporting and established culture archives over rumor.
- Gangnam Style — Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
- PSY — GANGNAM STYLE (Official Music Video)
youtube.com