This summer has been full of viral songs. Yet, no one can agree on what the song of the summer is. Although other publications and platforms have released a list of popular songs from this summer, not a single one has been crowned “song of the summer.” Here are the top 10 songs from this summer and which song is West High’s song of the summer.
“Golden” by HUNTR/X
On June 20, Netflix released “K-pop Demon Hunters.” The movie quickly rose in popularity, becoming Netflix’s best-performing movie in history.
Almost every song on the movie’s soundtrack was popular among the fans. Out of the soundtrack, the song “Golden” by HUNTR/X became a fan favorite.
Many resonate with the song’s message of embracing your true self and finding strength in solidarity. The vulnerable lyrics and the amazing vocals would push the song to break many records.
“Golden” broke records for being the first song by a K-pop girl group to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The song stayed at the top of the charts for four consecutive weeks.
“Lover Girl” by Laufey
At her concert in Mexico City on May 27, Laufey performed her unreleased song “Lover Girl” for the first time. It wasn’t until a month later, on June 25, that she officially released the song.
The song is about Laufey missing a “certain someone” while on tour in Tokyo. In the song, Laufey teases herself for being a lover girl, yet at the same time, she shares her vulnerable feelings and struggles throughout the song.
The song features a bossa nova beat, which is similar to her previous songs like “From the Start” and “Tough Luck.”
“Ordinary” by Alex Warren
On Feb 7, Alex Warren released “Ordinary.” Warren said in an interview with Music News(?) that his song is about wanting to be special in the eyes of that one person and the pain that comes when that dream doesn’t come true.
Over the summer of 2025, “Ordinary” went viral. Due to its relatable lyrics and emotionally raw vocals, it became a comfort song for many fans.
The song hit number one on the Billboard charts and stayed on top for 10 weeks.
“Manchild” by Sabrina Carpenter
After having the 2024 song of the summer with “Espresso,” Sabrina Carpenter released “Manchild” on June 5. “Manchild” is the title track to Carpenter’s seventh studio album “Man’s Best Friend.”
The song mocks and calls out exes. Carpenter even mocked her own type in men within the song.
Weeks before the release of “Manchild,” Carpenter put up billboards on I-69 to get fans to look forward to the release. Within its first week of streaming, “Manchild” hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The song mixes pop and country, with upbeat instrumentals to accompany Carpenter’s voice. The catchy beat and lyrics blew up on TikTok. For weeks, people would post videos dancing to “Manchild.”
“Gnarly” by KATSEYE
“Gnarly” was released on April 30. The song debuted at 92 on the charts and peaked at 90. The song received many mixed reactions at first. The lyrics were highly criticized for not making sense, but fans reached an understanding after KATSEYE members said that “Gnarly” is supposed to mean everything: the good and the bad.
As time passed, “Gnarly” gained popularity with fans adjusting to the new concept. The song’s choreography became a viral TikTok dance, and certain lyrics became popular sound bites. With a catchy beat and vibes that screamed confidence, the song remained popular throughout the summer.
“Vodka Cranberry” by Conan Gray
On June 25, Conan Gray released a 33-second snippet of his new song “Vodka Cranberry” ahead of its July 11 release.“Vodka Cranberry” is the second track on his fourth studio album “Wishbone.”
The song is about a relationship coming to an end, yet the one who is falling out of love isn’t taking the initiative to end things.
“Vodka Cranberry” would debut and peak at 24 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song became extremely popular because of Gray’s fantastic vocals and the vulnerability in the lyrics.
“No One Noticed” by The Marías
On May 30, 2024, The Marías released their song “No One Noticed.” The song is about María and her feelings of being unnoticed by her lover. The song didn’t become popular until the late winter to early spring months of 2025. At its peak, “No One Noticed” charted at number 22 on the Billboard.
María’s vocals and the soft instrumentals that complement her voice make the song feel comforting. Many fans of the song can relate to it; the song’s chorus often gets tied to long-distance friendships or relationships.
The song remained viral over the summer, even growing in popularity since The Marias were on tour from July to September.
“back to friends” by Sombr
On December 27, 2024, up-and-coming artist Sombr released his single “back to friends.” The song is about struggling to return to a friendship after an intimate connection.
The song originally debuted at 90 on the Billboard Hot 100. Yet the song didn’t go viral on TikTok until March of 2025. In June, the song peaked at number one on the Billboard charts. Sombr and his fans would post clips of him singing live, each clip receiving millions of views. The relatable lyrics and excellent vocals made it one of the most popular songs of the summer.
“Love Me Not” by Ravyn Lenae
“Love Me Not” by Ravyn Lenae was released on May 3, 2024. The song is about an unstable relationship with a constant push and pull. Despite the melancholy lyrics, the song went viral over the spring and summer of 2025. The song was all over TikTok, either mashed up with other songs or in many edits. Lenae would even make a TikTok post joking about how she released the song of summer 2025 a year early.
The beautiful vocals, catchy lyrics, and upbeat instrumentals made the song perform extremely well. At its peak, the song reached number six on the Billboard Hot 100.
“The Subway” by Chappell Roan
After first debuting her song “The Subway” live at the Governors Ball music festival on June 9, 2024, the song quickly became one of Roan’s most anticipated songs to release. The song is about yearning over an ex-lover, with heartfelt lyrics and emotional vocals. The song quickly went viral on TikTok, especially due to Roan singing an E5 high note, which became a beloved soundbite on social media.
On July 31, Roan finally released “The Subway” onto streaming, accompanied by a four-minute music video. The song debuted at the Billboard Hot 100 in third place and was number one on Spotify’s Global and US charts.
Results
West High students received a poll with 10 popular songs from this summer. In the poll, West High students would vote for their favorite song.
In the poll, every song received a vote, yet there was only one song with an overwhelming majority. “Gnarly” would be voted number one by the West High student body. Officially, the school’s song of the summer.
