Google has unveiled its definitive annual snapshot of the American zeitgeist, with the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk in September driving him to become the platform's top trending US search of 2025. The revelation came as part of Google's Year in Search report, published on Sunday, which chronicles the topics, names, and questions that captivated the nation over the past twelve months.
The Top Ten: A Blend of Tragedy, Politics, and Pop Culture
The search giant's data paints a vivid picture of a tumultuous year. Immediately following Charlie Kirk in the overall trending searches was the surprise children's sensation KPop Demon Hunters. This Netflix animated series, featuring a Korean girl band battling evil spirits, also smashed records as the platform's most-watched film ever.
Completing the top five were the collectible Labubus toy line, Apple's iPhone 17, and President Donald Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill' legislation. The list then featured New York City's newly elected mayor, Zohran Mamdani, and the Chinese AI platform DeepSeek, highlighting the growing public interest in artificial intelligence. Rounding out the top ten were the record 43-day government shutdown, the ongoing intrigue of the Epstein files, the FIFA Club World Cup, and the perennial topic of tariffs.
Category Deep Dive: News, Celebrities, and Confused Parents
Beyond the overall list, Google's breakdown into specific categories offered further insight. In news searches, Trump's legislative proposal took the number one spot, followed by the government shutdown, with the Charlie Kirk assassination ranking third. Unsurprisingly, Kirk also dominated the list of most-searched celebrity deaths.
A particularly telling category was the trending searches by 'confused parents' asking 'why do kids say...'. This list was topped by the enigmatic '6-7' meme, followed by terms like 'Sigma', 'Skibidi', and 'Ohio', underscoring the perpetual generation gap in digital culture.
In other trending categories:
- Taylor Swift claimed four spots in the top ten most-searched songs.
- Pedro Pascal was the most-searched actor.
- Musician d4vd led the artists list, likely fueled by year-long controversy.
- Seattle and Boston topped the travel destination searches.
- Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders was the top trending athlete.
- The drama series 'The Hunting Wives' led TV show queries.
What the Trends Tell Us About 2025
Google's Year in Search for 2025 serves as a powerful, data-driven reflection of a year marked by political division, shocking events, and the relentless rise of online phenomena. The top searches seamlessly blend hard news with viral entertainment, illustrating how digital platforms have become the primary lens through which the public processes both tragedy and trend. The prominence of figures like Charlie Kirk and Donald Trump, alongside AI tools and niche memes, captures a nation navigating a complex information landscape where politics, pop culture, and technology are inextricably linked.
