‘Best in Class’ Touts the Anthems That Defined Student Listening in Celebration of This Year’s 2025 College Graduates
After four years of lectures, study sessions, exams, and parties, college seniors around the U.S. are getting ready for a major life milestone: graduation. And if the playlists they’re making are any indication, there’s an acute feeling of nostalgia for the music and moments of years past.
To celebrate the Class of 2025, Spotify is launching Best in Class, a playlist and trend report that captures student listening over the last four years. Curated by our editorial experts, Spotify’s official Best in Class playlist blends student user streaming data and editorial cultural trends to capture the songs, artists, and throwbacks that soundtracked the Class of 2025’s college years.
Class Heroes graduate with honors
College is a time to grow and evolve—and musical tastes are no exception.
From their first year to their final, the Class of 2025’s listening habits have ranged from unabashed pop gems, to emo-drenched R&B slow jams, to high-energy club anthems. Check out the Class Heroes that students streamed the most each of the last four years:
FRESHMAN YEAR (August 1, 2021 to May 30, 2022)
“INDUSTRY BABY” by Lil Nas X & Jack Harlow
“STAY (with Justin Bieber)” by The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber
“Need To Know” by Doja Cat
SOPHOMORE YEAR (August 1, 2022 to May 30, 2023)
“As It Was” by Harry Styles
“Bad Habit” by Steve Lacy
“Glimpse of Us” by Joji
JUNIOR YEAR (August 1, 2023 to May 30, 2024)
“Boy’s a liar Pt. 2” by PinkPantheress & Ice Spice
“The Color Violet” by Tory Lanez
SENIOR YEAR (August 1, 2024 to March 15, 2025)
“Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter
“Good Luck, Babe!” by Chappell Roan
“BIRDS OF A FEATHER” by Billie Eilish
OVERALL (August 1, 2021 to March 15, 2025)
“See You Again (feat. Kali Uchis)” by Tyler, The Creator & Kali Uchis
“Sweater Weather” by The Neighbourhood
“Die For You” by The Weeknd
“Dark Red” by Steve Lacy
This year’s graduates are turning back the clock
Since the beginning of the school year, Spotify listeners in the U.S. have created more than 37,000 playlists that have “graduation” or “Class of 2025” in their title.
These playlists tend to go heavy on throwback 2010s songs with sentimental themes. In fact, nine out of the 10 most-popular tracks added to these playlists were released more than a decade ago.
“Where’d All the Time Go?” by Dr. Dog (2010)
“Good Old Days” by Macklemore & Kesha (2017)
“The Spins” by Mac Miller & Empire Of The Sun (2010)
“I Lived” by OneRepublic (2014)
“Night Changes” by One Direction (2014)
“We Are Young” by fun. & Janelle Monáe (2012)
“Story of My Life” by One Direction (2013)
“Tongue Tied” by GROUPLOVE (2011)
“Viva La Vida” by Coldplay (2008)
But the nostalgia goes even deeper than that, with tracks from the 1970s and ’80s frequently popping up in playlists. These include:
“Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac (1975)
“Dancing Queen” by ABBA (1976)
“Vienna” by Billy Joel (1977)
“Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears (1985)
Looking back at the Class of 2015
Speaking of nostalgia, let’s rewind a decade. During the 2014-2015 school year, listeners in the U.S. created nearly 17,000 Spotify playlists with “graduation” in the title.
Much like their current-day equivalents, 2015 graduation playlists did not hold back on sentimentality, with plenty of throwback hits from earlier decades. Here are the 10 songs that top that list:
“Graduation (Friends Forever)” by Vitamin C (1999)
“Happy – From ‘Despicable Me 2’” by Pharrell Williams (2014)
“Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” by Green Day (1997)
“Best Day of My Life” by American Authors (2014)
“Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars (2015)
“My Wish” by Rascal Flatts (2006)
“Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey (2001)
“It’s Time” by Imagine Dragons (2012)
“Rather Be” by Clean Bandit and Jess Glynne (2014)
To round out the playlist, our team of editors has also added in a mix of hits across genres from the last four years, graduation classics, party bangers, and a few tear-jerkers as students close the chapter on their student years.
Toast the Class of 2025 and discover the hits that soundtracked their college experience by pressing play on our Best in Class playlist.
*College students refers to current Spotify Student plan subscribers in the U.S.
**All data reflects U.S. listening only
