If 2024 was a genre, it would be filed right under dark comedy. During the bleakest hour, we let our brain cells wilt by scrolling through mindless content scattered across the usual online spaces we inhabit. All with the sole purpose of making us laugh. There were new leading ladies—some brat, some demure, mostly defiant. There were new words to describe daily activities that we’ve been doing all along without a thought in the world (remember rawdogging?).
There was even a word for all this newness we rabidly consumed. Oxford’s Word of the Year 2024, ‘brain rot’, perfectly described our obsessive thirst for low-brow internet content that made a poster girl out of an obscure woman who likened sex to a spittoon and made a celebrity out of a tiny pygmy hippo with a big personality.
But even the perpetually online had to get some down time. And that’s when we played padel (and recorded ourselves for Reels), voted (and took selfies for the gram), binged a few good shows and movies (and made memes about them), and cried foul over our birthright to watch Coldplay live in concert (and tweeted jokes to assuage our outrage). Music critic Ted Gioia called used the term “crisis of seriousness” to describe an age when we expected laughs not only from our comics and entertainers, but Olympic stars and even politicians.
Covering the news and small nothings that flooded our feed in 2024, The Nod’s December cover, brilliantly designed by artist Rohan Hande, is like a Waldo-esque hunt of 45 things, places, animals and people that shook 2024. From the hottest bar to the most hyped accessory, tell us: how many can you find?
Scroll below for spoilers.
Inputs from Butool Jamal, Chloe Chou, Diya Parakh, Megha Mahindru, Ridhima Sapre, Ruhi Gilder, Samira Sood, Shahnaz Siganporia, Sheree Gomes and Sheya Kurian
1. Memelympics > Olympics
While the Olympics were, of course, big news, this year was also all about the Memelympics. Snoop Dogg had the best time ever serving as torchbearer, and kicked off the meme-ry with his Olympic rings shades. Videos of the Pommel Horse Guy Stephen Nedoroscik, and shooters Kim Yeji and Yusuf Dikeç were all over our feeds. And let’s not forget ‘Muffin Man’, aka Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen, who got possessed by the Village’s chocolate chip muffins, and turned himself (and the edibles) into internet sensations.
2. Ananya Panday found her groove
We saw a glimmer of it at the end of 2023 when Kho Gaye Hum Kahan won a spot on film buffs’ top-movie lists. But in 2024, with Call Me Bae and CTRL, which are as different as chalk and cheese, it was conclusively proved: Ananya Panday had come into her own. Choosing interesting movies and directors, she found her space, even if her roles within that were a bit too similar. And there’s more to come in 2025.
3. Bend and snap: The flip phone is back
’90s kids remember the satisfaction of clapping that hot pink (or black, depending on which side of the Elle Woods-to-Evanescence spectrum you fell on) Razr shut, with purpose, after a conversation. The flip phones are back in the young circuit with a vengeance, accessorised with beaded loops and charms for a current-day iteration. Motorola and Samsung both released new models this year, and a rumoured Pixel clamshell is in the works.
4. Nobody Wants This—except every millennial who can’t let go of Adam Brody
Adam Brody aka Seth Cohen returned to our screens in Netflix’s Nobody Wants This, and suddenly we were 14 again, heart-eyes and all. Who knew we still needed him to make us laugh and feel things at the same time?
5. Goodbye X, hello Bluesky
A digital refuge from Elon Musk, this text-based social media app saw users fly to it to escape X and keep their opinions short and sweet.
6. The boys in blue won the T20 Men’s Cricket World Cup
And became the first team in history to win it without losing a single match in the entire tournament. Take a bow, Rohit and squad.
7. Shōgun slayed at the Emmys
With epic battles and mind-blowing performances, historical drama Shōgun slashed its way through the competition to sweep 18 Emmys—proving that feudal Japan is the new prestige TV goldmine.
8. The OG plushie turned 50
You’re never too old to learn something new and this year we discovered that a) despite the ears, Hello Kitty is not a cat, but a girl. And b) she lives in the suburbs of London (with her own cat). The Japanese character embraced midlife with a bang, celebrating her 50th with a collaboration with Péro.
9. Tequila became the undisputed drink of the party season
Tequila and its smokier cousin, mezcal, emerged as the star spirits on drink menus across the country. A surge in agave-focused bars, plus the proliferation of celebrity-owned agave spirits, transformed the shot of shame from olden days into a modern must-have.
10. A Bengaluru speakeasy quietly emerged as the hottest bar in town
Zia’s Lounge Bar, which locals call ZLB 23, is a 50-seater Kyoto-style speakeasy with all the ingredients of a top bar: stellar cocktails, banging food, mahjong den-styled interiors, sexy love seats, and a staff that is 80 per cent female. Industry insiders agree: it rightfully deserves its spot as one of Asia’s 50 Best Bars.
11. Hanumankind took on the big dawgs of hip hop
With his viral audio banger and big max energy, the ganji-clad breakout music star from Kerala overtook Kendrick Lamar and Eminem on the Spotify Global Top 50 chart while introducing the world to the everyday daredevilry of the maut ka kuan. And it didn’t end there—his anthem ‘The Game Don’t Stop’ for Squid Game Season 2 just dropped, with an acting cameo in Malayalam thriller Rifle Club coming soon.
12. Payal Kapadia made us see the light
After winning the Grand Prix at Cannes, All We Imagine As Light became one of the most talked-about movies of 2024. The way it’s racking up wins and noms, from the Gothams to the Golden Globes, director Payal Kapadia may need to get a bigger mantelpiece.
13. Diljit Dosanjh for king of the world
What a mega year for Diljit Dosanjh who, in between his global Dil-Luminati tour, made time to release two films, Amar Singh Chamkila and Jatt & Juliet 3, performed the banging title track of Crew, and became the first Punjabi singer to appear on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. And he’s not done yet. Dosanjh just released a new single titled Don that features a voice over by Shah Rukh Khan.
14. Maison Margiela’s show had the internet in a chokehold
The declaration that French house’s haute couture show in January was “the collection that will go down in fashion history” was not exaggerated. From the porcelain doll-like beauty look to the body-morphing corsets, every detail captured our imaginations. Designer John Galliano just announced his exit from the house last week, making this—his last couture show—even more iconic.
15. and 16. The pop girlies took over the world
Sabrina Carpenter, Chappel Roan, Tyla, Gracie Abrams—pop was back and thriving this year. Between the release of Short n’ Sweet (‘Espresso’ will be stuck in our heads for the rest of time), and her very viral, very naughty Nonsense outros at the Eras Tour, 2024 was Sabrina Carpenter’s year. Meanwhile, even though Chappell’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess dropped in 2023, she absolutely blew up this year, bringing fresh energy, raw openness, and major queer representation to pop.
17. The cup that won first place
The Stanley Cup’s utility is part hydration and part status symbol. Described as an adult sippy cup, the vacuum-insulated bottle and its many, many accoutrements (think cloud-shaped silicone straw covers and an official Stanley crossbody carry strap) were seen in a lot of selfies this year.
18. A viral chocolate that went snap, crackle, and crunch
Creamy pistachio and tahini paste was combined with crunchy knafeh and enrobed in a snappy milk chocolate coating—the result is the viral chocolate bar from Dubai’s FIX Dessert Chocolatier that’s still flooding our IG explore feeds.
19. Our Paralympians made history
We had our best-ever medal haul at the Paralympics, with 29 medals (seven gold, nine silver, and 13 bronze). Shooter Avani Lekhara and javelin thrower Sumit Antil defended their titles and won history-making golds. Preethi Pal, Harvinder Singh, Dharambir and Pranav Soorma, Sheetal Devi, Mariyappan Thangavelu, and many others, all showed incredible athletic prowess and grit, and gave us plenty to cheer about.
20. Baby (animal) fever
This was the year of baby animals, and honestly, we needed it. Moo Deng was the internet’s ultimate It girl and meme queen. Pesto the chonky penguin also had his moment in the sun, and lately, everyone’s been fawning over Ava, the golden tabby tiger whose floofy face could solve world peace.
21. Intermezzo: The book we pretended to read at coffee shops
Sally Rooney’s latest masterpiece had the book community swooning over more simmering tension, existential longing, and conversations so intimate they felt like eavesdropping.
22. The IYKYK shoe that spawned a thousand dupes
Alaïa’s ballet flats entered the mainstream, appearing in countless IG influencer OOTDs, unboxing videos, and recommendation lists (we’re guilty too!).
23. “You know who’s on Ozempic now?”
The answer to the question on everyone’s group chat was—everyone, apparently. From your favourite body-positive icon to the woman in the next cubicle, dramatic transformations were everywhere in 2024. Not the best year for body acceptance, but a great one for the pharma companies who rolled out semaglutide variants by the truckload.
24. Stalker drama got too real for comfort
Baby Reindeer, Netflix's dark comedy about a comedian stalked by a woman obsessed with him, became the sleeper hit of 2024—partly thanks to its wild premise and the lawsuit from the real-life stalker “Martha” claiming defamation.
25. The Coldplay-Soldplay fiasco
We’re probably never getting over how nobody got tickets to Mumbai’s 2025 Coldplay shows, but yet, somehow, they were all sold out? Everyone seemed to be 8,00,000 in line and everyone was hella pissed, but at least we got some good content out of the drama.
26. Laapataa Ladies spotted in LA
Kiran Rao’s movie about a mix-up involving identically dressed, ghoonghat-covered brides is at once bitingly funny, gently sad, and yet somehow warm and hopeful. The team is busy campaigning for it in the US after its selection as our official entry for the 2025 Oscars. Whether it makes history or not, it has found a permanent place in our hearts.
27. Shalini Passi emerged as the undisputed reality queen
“The only reason I don’t hold grudges against other people is because it affects my skin” is one of the many gems that made everyone fall in love with the greatest Indian reality star of all time and what may just have been the screen debut of 2024, in Fabulous Lives vs Bollywood Wives.
28. The mirror-selfie got its most photographed accessory
Hailey Bieber’s Rhode lip gloss phone case was the accessory that spawned a thousand selfies. A chunky phone cover made to hold its Lip Peptide Treatment, it introduced the trend of merch by beauty brands. It was spotted in the hand of every cool girl in 2024, accompanied by a beaded phone charm, of course.
29. Nicole Kidman made a genre of her own
Rich, dysfunctional family, bored female lead, hot young boys, peak quiet luxury wardrobe—the Australian actor made a genre of her own in 2024, with Babygirl, The Perfect Couple, A Family Affair, and Expats.
30. We woke up to the gift of A24
A24 has steadily acquired a cult-like fanbase over the decade it’s been around, but you couldn’t be blamed if you haven’t heard of the Manhattan-based art house studio before. You probably have, however, seen some of its most popular productions, including award-season favourites like Midsommer, Everything Everywhere All At Once, The Whale, and shows like Euphoria and Beef. This year, it was thanks to A24 that we got to see Hugh Grant finally enter his villain era in Heretic and Nicole Kidman as a corporate baddie exploring a Dom/sub power exchange with a much younger intern in Babygirl—and for that, we are grateful.
31. Delhi AQI became India’s most successful record-breaker
As Delhi’s pollution levels crossed 1,000 according to IQAir on November 18, the city not only became a toxic gas chamber engulfed in an unbreathable blanket of smog, but also the most polluted city in history.
32. Imane Khelif became the most searched sportsperson
Imane Khelif brought the new model of femininity to the rink. The Algerian boxer’s journey to glory at the Paris 2024 Olympics wasn’t just about clinching the women’s welterweight gold—it was put hateful misinformation and transphobic firestorm to rest.
33. Wicked brought back ‘holding space’ to Gen-Z vocab
Yeah, Wicked was good, but the ‘holding space’ memes were LIFE. Come on, did journalist Tracy Gilchrist seriously think she could say “people have been taking the lyrics of ‘Defying Gravity’ and really holding space with that and feeling power in that” and the internet wouldn’t go crazy? Like ‘Brat’ and ‘Demure’, we’re not really sure what this phrase means (and neither are Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande), but it’s changed our vocab for the better.
34. Substance exposed the beauty myth
Ever since Demi Moore’s grotesquely brilliant body horror played at TIFF’s Midnight Madness section, audiences have been torn about loving or hating the movie. Through its lead, Elisabeth Sparkle, a 50-year-old actor aged into obsolescence, the very-difficult-watch film blew the lid off anti-ageing and how women internalise the male gaze.
35. Jeremy Allen White’s CK campaigns made us scream “Yes Chef!” louder than ever
Jeremy Allen White graced our screens three times this year, once in chef whites and twice in other whites—with his chiselled abs glistening in the sunlight. The comments and tweets were, predictably, quite thirsty.
36. Prateek Sadhu took fine dining to a small Himalayan hamlet
The Kashmiri chef, named the best chef of 2024, left Mumbai to launch a beautiful restaurant in a beautiful location with no grocery stores in sight. Naar, his 16-seater in Kasauli, was on every obsessive foodie’s list this year—even that of Rene Redzepi.
37. Zendaya served (both physically and metaphorically)
All April, we could only do one thing: feast our eyes on Zendaya’s tennis-themed outfits put together by Law Roach for the Challengers press tour.
38. Padel courts became the bougie hotspot with a waitlist
The buzz around Challengers seemed set to make this the year of the tennis renaissance—a tennissance, if you will. But in the battle of the rackets, padel and pickle remained undefeated. Not quite as establishment as tennis, not proletarian like badminton, they were just right for the bougie set as their latest weekend activity to build a new wardrobe around.
39. A bag charm for you, for you, and for you
This year, we moved on from bows and Birkin-ified everything we owned. From bags and phones to sippy cups and shoes, we attached unique charms on every surface possible in the name of personal style.
40. Brain rot: The word we didn’t know we were living
Brain rot summed up the side effects of our online obsession—numb minds, endless scrolling, and Reels-induced memory loss. It became Oxford’s word of the year because it’s exactly how we all feel after 2024’s non-stop content binge.
41. A duct-taped banana ate and was eaten
Consumption took on a whole new meaning in the art world, when Chinese crypto businessman Justin Sun created headlines by buying the US$6.2 million duct-taped banana (Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan’s ‘Comedian’) and then again, when he ate it on stage at a press conference.
42. Gaurav Gupta shut down the international red carpet
Indian designers proved they know how to do glamour right. A slew of homegrown names made moves internationally, either on the red carpet or through collaborations, but Gaurav Gupta took it a step further. His high-shine, sculptural designs were spotted on Adele, Beyoncé, Nicola Coughlan, Mariah Carey, and Kim Kardashian.
43. Nara Smith cooked this year
Love her, hate her, want to be her, there’s no denying that whatever Nara Smith was serving, people wanted more. She’s been on The Today Show and on magazine covers, endorsed products, and bought a house (she’s 23 so yes, you should feel bad). And though we’ll never really be able to figure her out (is she actually a trad wife or just mocking them, or both?), one thing is certain—she knows how to get people talking.
44. The Demure and Mindful extravaganza
One minute we were all about strappy white tops with no bras, and the next we were being ‘demure’ and ‘mindful’. On the surface, this trend, started by American TikToker Jools LeBron, seemed like a refined, elegant clapback to the chaos that was Brat, but it was actually a subtle, hilariously ironic commentary on performative femininity (that gave us some killer memes).
45. Charli XCX, Brat Summer, and coconut trees. Need we say more?
Charli XCX’s hedonistic June album created a lime-green monster and no one was spared—not even Kamala Harris or coconut trees. Brat Summer was the law and everyone and everything—people, brands, products—followed.
