Pop culture picks shape conversations, playlists, and streaming queues across the globe. From breakout TV series to viral TikTok sounds, staying current matters, whether someone wants to join the discourse or simply find their next favorite thing. This guide covers the movies, music, books, games, and social media moments that define late 2024 and early 2025. Readers will find honest recommendations across every major entertainment category, all updated to reflect what people are actually watching, listening to, and talking about right now.
Key Takeaways
- Pop culture picks for late 2024 and early 2025 span movies, music, gaming, and social media trends—all deeply interconnected.
- Breakout music artists like Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan dominated charts, while Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter sparked genre-defying conversations.
- Streaming hits like Shōgun, The Bear, and Nobody Wants This shaped TV conversations across drama, food culture, and rom-com genres.
- Gaming saw major wins with Black Myth: Wukong selling over 10 million copies, proving single-player games still captivate massive audiences.
- Social media trends like “brat summer” and “demure” content cycled rapidly, influencing fashion, beauty, and even political campaigns.
- Staying current with pop culture picks helps you join the cultural conversation and discover your next favorite movie, album, or show.
Must-Watch Movies And TV Shows
Streaming platforms continue to dominate entertainment consumption, and 2024 delivered some standout pop culture picks for movie lovers and binge-watchers alike.
On the Film Side
Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two exceeded expectations, earning over $700 million at the global box office. The sequel expanded the sci-fi epic’s universe while delivering visually stunning desert warfare sequences. For animation fans, Inside Out 2 became Pixar’s highest-grossing film ever, proving audiences still crave emotionally intelligent storytelling.
Wicked brought the beloved Broadway musical to cinemas with Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande leading the cast. Critics praised its faithful adaptation and impressive set pieces. Meanwhile, Nosferatu offered horror enthusiasts a gothic reimagining that satisfied genre devotees.
Television Worth Streaming
Shōgun on FX/Hulu emerged as a critical darling, blending historical drama with political intrigue in feudal Japan. The limited series earned widespread acclaim for its performances and authentic production design.
The Bear Season 3 kept food service drama fans invested, though some viewers felt the pacing slowed compared to earlier seasons. House of the Dragon Season 2 delivered dragon battles and Targaryen scheming, maintaining strong viewership numbers even though mixed reception to certain plot decisions.
For lighter fare, Nobody Wants This on Netflix became a surprise hit. The romantic comedy starring Kristen Bell and Adam Brody proved audiences still hunger for charming, low-stakes love stories.
Music That’s Defining The Moment
Music pop culture picks in 2024 and early 2025 reflect diverse tastes and unexpected comebacks.
Chart Dominators
Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet album turned her into a mainstream force. Tracks like “Espresso” and “Please Please Please” dominated playlists and radio rotation throughout summer and fall. Her witty lyrics and retro-pop production resonated with listeners seeking fun, catchy hooks.
Chappell Roan emerged as the year’s breakout artist. The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess gained momentum slowly before exploding into cultural consciousness. Songs like “Good Luck, Babe.” and “HOT TO GO.” became anthems, and her elaborate live performances drew comparisons to pop legends.
Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter pushed country music boundaries, sparking conversations about genre, race, and artistic evolution. The album earned Grammy nominations and proved her creative ambitions remain unpredictable.
Other Notable Releases
Tyler, the Creator dropped CHROMAKOPIA, continuing his artistic experimentation. Charli XCX’s brat coined the aesthetic term of the summer, influencing fashion and social media trends beyond just music. Kendrick Lamar’s diss tracks against Drake kept hip-hop fans engaged in the year’s biggest rap beef.
These pop culture picks demonstrate how music remains central to cultural conversation, shaping memes, fashion, and even political discourse.
Books And Podcasts Worth Your Time
Reading and podcast listening remain popular ways to engage with pop culture picks beyond screens.
Bestselling Books
Sarah J. Maas continues dominating fantasy fiction. Her A Court of Thorns and Roses series maintains devoted readership years after initial publication, while newer titles regularly top bestseller lists. BookTok, TikTok’s reading community, drives sales for romance, fantasy, and thriller titles with particular enthusiasm.
Colleen Hoover’s backlist still sells consistently, though some readers have moved toward newer voices in the romance genre. Rebecca Yarros’s Fourth Wing series captured dragon-fantasy fans seeking action-packed romance with military academy settings.
For non-fiction readers, memoirs and cultural criticism perform well. Books examining technology, social media, and generational differences attract audiences seeking to understand current cultural shifts.
Podcasts People Love
SmartLess (Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, Will Arnett) remains a celebrity interview favorite. The hosts’ chemistry and surprise guest format keep episodes engaging.
True crime maintains its grip on podcast charts. Serial spinoffs and independent investigations attract millions of downloads. Meanwhile, comedy podcasts like Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend offer lighter alternatives for commute listening.
The Rest Is History appeals to those seeking educational content with entertaining delivery. Pop culture commentary shows like Keep It provide weekly breakdowns of entertainment news with sharp opinions.
Gaming And Digital Entertainment Highlights
Gaming pop culture picks show the industry’s continued evolution and cultural influence.
Major Game Releases
Black Myth: Wukong became 2024’s surprise phenomenon. The action RPG based on Chinese mythology sold over 10 million copies within days of launch, proving single-player experiences still attract massive audiences. Its success challenged assumptions about what games can achieve commercially without multiplayer modes.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC satisfied FromSoftware fans craving more challenging content. The expansion earned acclaim for its boss encounters and world design, though some players found difficulty spikes frustrating.
Nintendo’s releases kept Switch owners engaged while anticipation builds for its successor console. The Legend of Zelda franchise maintained cultural relevance through continued sales of Tears of the Kingdom.
Live Service and Competitive Gaming
Fortnite continues reinventing itself through collaborations and seasonal updates. The game’s cultural events, including concerts and movie tie-ins, keep it relevant beyond traditional gaming audiences.
Helldivers 2 launched to unexpected success early in 2024, offering cooperative shooter gameplay that fostered strong community engagement. Its satirical tone and challenging missions attracted players seeking team-based action.
Esports viewership fluctuates, but League of Legends World Championship and Counter-Strike 2 tournaments still draw millions of viewers globally.
Social Media Trends And Viral Moments
Social media shapes pop culture picks faster than any other medium. Platforms create trends, amplify artists, and define what people discuss.
TikTok Trends
“Brat summer” dominated mid-2024, inspired by Charli XCX’s album aesthetic, lime green visuals, low-quality photos, and devil-may-care attitudes. The trend influenced fashion, beauty, and even political campaign strategies.
Demure and mindful content emerged as a countertrend later in the year. Creator Jools Lebron’s viral videos spawned countless parodies and brand collaborations, demonstrating how quickly internet culture cycles through phases.
Nostalgia content performs consistently well. Videos celebrating 2000s fashion, early internet culture, and childhood memories resonate across age groups.
Platform Shifts
Instagram’s algorithm changes push creators toward Reels, mirroring TikTok’s short-form video success. Threads, Meta’s Twitter alternative, gained users but struggled to maintain engagement momentum.
Bluesky attracted users seeking Twitter alternatives, particularly those frustrated with X’s direction under Elon Musk’s ownership. The platform’s growth accelerated in late 2024 as more creators established presence there.
Viral Moments
Celebrity moments drive conversation cycles. From awards show reactions to relationship revelations, social media transforms brief incidents into multi-day discourse events. Memes spread instantaneously, giving shared cultural touchstones to millions of users simultaneously.
These pop culture picks reflect how interconnected entertainment has become, music influences social media, which affects fashion, which shapes how people consume movies and TV.
