Now In Its Fifth Year, Grindr’s Global Community Reflects on the Hottest Pop Culture Moments that Lit up The Grid – From Gaga Dominating the Rankings, to Top Countries That Love Open Relationships and So Much More
GRINDR UNWRAPPED 2025 is here, delivering the hottest, boldest take on global gay and pop culture trends. Returning for its fifth year, GRINDR UNWRAPPED pulls profile data from the app’s 15 million+ monthly average users and over 32,000 votes (three times more than last year) cementing Grindr as the ultimate cultural compass.
The report from the Global Gayborhood in your PocketTM spills the tea on what truly makes millions of Grindr users tick and how they lit up the grid all year long. Revealing the hottest takes from 2025 across celebrity news, music trends, and fashion fads, along with juicy in-app chatter and usage stats that shine a light on what made the gay community extra horny this year.
“The internet moves fast, but the gay internet is driving,” says Tristan Pineiro, Grindr’s SVP of Marketing and Communications. “UNWRAPPED is our annual pulling of receipts. It proves gay culture doesn’t just follow trends, we create them. What starts in our community today becomes mainstream culture tomorrow.”
This year, GRINDR UNWRAPPED 2025 debuted new categories like “Mother-in-Training,” “Press Tour of the Year,” and “Wig of the Year,” providing an expanded view into the top pop culture moments that drove queer culture in 2025.
Here’s a taste of who came out on top (or bottom) this year – with plenty more in the full report:
- Mother of the Year: Lady Gaga
- Mother-in-Training of the Year: Sabrina Carpenter
- Daddy of the Year: Pedro Pascal
- Girl Group of the Year: KATSEYE
- Hottest Man of the Year: Jonathan Bailey
- Best Bulge (Sponsored by Woodwork): Bad Bunny’s Calvin Klein ad
- Album of the Year: Lady Gaga, Mayhem
- Porn Star of the Year: Joey Mills
- Gaymer of the Year: Dan and Phil
- Viral Sound Bite of the Year: Nothing beats a Jet2holiday
But the drama didn’t stop there — real-life heatwaves turned into digital thirst fests. Lady Gaga’s Monster Ball Tour had Grindr users tapping, messaging, and gassing up the grid, with app usage spiking nearly 7% on nights in cities when she slayed the stage.
And turn ons? They’re global and wildly diverse:
- Finland is the top nation for sending nudes
- South Korea leads with the most open relationships
- Switzerland has the highest percentage of twinks
- Italy is the number one nation most into feet
Roles are evolving in real-time – the US and UK have climbed into the top five for most Hung Bottoms (a ranking led by France, oui, oui!) after both nations were MIA last year. Regional tastes may vary, but hookups are happening fast: 10 PM is prime time for instant sparks shown via the app’s ‘Right Now’ feature, and Paris is the city everyone wants to ‘Roam’ to, keeping the international Grindr grid hot and humming. Other findings include:
- Grindr users sent 12.8+ billion taps globally this year
- ‘Hung’ was the most searched for profile tag
- The US has the highest percent of self-proclaimed ‘daddies’ by country
- W.A.P. by Cardi B was most frequently appearing song on Grindr profiles
- London was named the top city to visit for a Gaycation
“These findings capture a community that’s bold, brash, and unapologetically itself,” says Zachary Zane, Grindr’s sex and relationship expert. “UNWRAPPED proves Grindr is more than just an app, it’s the gay community’s canvas for expression, making real-time fluidity the new cultural norm.”
To dive deeper into the full GRINDR UNWRAPPED 2025 experience, check out the report at grindr.com/unwrapped, follow Grindr on Instagram, or check it out right in the app.
