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)

Kill Bill by SZA

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)

Kill Bill by SZA

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)

Ribs by Lorde (2013)

Night Changes by One Direction (2014)

We Are Young by fun. & Janelle Mon e (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)

Pompeii by Bastille (2013)

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

LINK:	https://newsroom.spotify.com/2025-05-01/best-in-class-college-student-...
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