YouTube To Remove 'Trending' Section From Platform

YouTube has announced plans to discontinue its Trending section in the coming weeks, marking a significant shift in how the platform surfaces popular content. The decision comes as part of the company's broader strategy to expand YouTube Charts, which highlight top-performing videos across specific content categories.

Introduced in 2015, the Trending page was designed to answer the question "What's trending?" by aggregating viral videos into a single list. However, YouTube noted that today's trends are increasingly fragmented, shaped by diverse communities, fandoms, and micro-trends. The rise of multiple discovery ways, such as recommendations, search suggestions, Shorts, comments, and Community posts, has further reduced the use of the Trending page, especially over five years.

In its place, YouTube Charts will serve as a more targeted discovery tool, allowing users to explore top content across categories, including Trending Music Videos, Weekly Top Podcast Shows, and Trending Movie Trailers. Additional categories are expected to be introduced soon. Content creators who previously relied on the Trending page are now being directed to the Inspiration tab within YouTube Studio, which offers AI-powered content suggestions. YouTube also continues to develop features in the platform, like the Hype promotional system, released last year, which enables viewers to promote videos they like.