A new trend has hit TikTok, with the “Rat Dance” racking up millions of views thanks to the contributions of renowned YouTuber, IShowSpeed. Ever since the influencer decided to recreate the moves on TikTok, the said trend seems to have blown up on the internet, with countless users submitting their renditions of the dance on the platform. But what exactly is the Rat Dance trend, and who started it?
Here’s everything you need to know regarding the new dance routine that has taken netizens by storm, mostly due to the involvement of IShowSpeed.
How IShowSpeed helped ‘Rat Dance’ to go viral on TikTok
The Rat Dance trend came into being due to viral videos of animated rats and recently became popular due to IShowSpeed.
The trend originated from a user called @ratomilton, who posts videos of animated rats dancing to the tunes of popular songs at the end of 2024. In their videos, viewers can see a 3D-rendered rat enacting various types of dances in front of different backgrounds. However, one of their most popular videos is a recent one with Joyful’s “Chess Beat Rhythm” playing in the background.
Check out the original Rat Dance video below:
The Rat Dance trend essentially follows the moves showcased in the Criss Cross emote from the online multiplayer game, Fortnite. It involves the subject moving their legs in a criss-cross motion while swinging their arms back and forth.
Shortly afterward, IShowSpeed released his take on the same and inadvertently ended up increasing the frenzy surrounding the Rat Dance by tenfolds. The internet personality’s attempt at recreating the trend has so far garnered more than 150 million views, making it one of the hottest templates on TikTok. Fans have gone as far as to label the routine as “the IShowSpeed dance,” with many also tagging him in their own interpretations of the Rat Dance.
Here’s the video shared by IShowSpeed:
The growing popularity of IShowSpeed’s post has even resulted in a user called @janro2109 sharing an animated video that features his signature 3D rat enacting the dance routine alongside an animated version of the YouTuber. Posted a week earlier, the video has already amassed close to 8 million views on TikTok. Overall, the Rat Dance is the latest addition to TikTok’s long list of trends.
