YouTube 2018 Rewind Puts the Creators in Control

As is now tradition, YouTube’s 2018 Rewind has hit the internet, colliding the biggest moments, memes and characters of the platform’s year in one huge recap.

Created by digital content studio Portal A, the video doesn’t settle on a clear central theme this year, instead opting to drop content creators into a jungle via the school bus hot air balloon made famous by the year’s runaway gaming sensation, Fortnite, and letting them choose what makes it into the Google-owned platform’s definition of 2018. 

The overall concept is framed by the more conventional celebrity presence of Will Smith introducing the scene, but it’s the faces of YouTube who discuss celebrities and pop culture trends they think deserve to be in the spotlight, from K-pop to royal weddings to drag queens. They even give the dreaded commenters a chance to shine.

In case you want to know who all these people are (surely nobody is plugged in enough to know ALL OF THEM), YouTube’s put together a convenient gallery of featured YouTubers. You can also explore the trends in more depth on the Rewind.YouTube hub.