What is the name of YouTube's annual year-end recap video series?

YouTube's annual year-end recap video series was called YouTube Rewind. It summarized the platform's major viral videos, creators, trends, events, and music from the preceding year.

The first installment appeared in December 2010 as “2010 YouTube Rewind: Year in Review.” Early versions focused on the year's most popular videos, while later editions became large-scale productions featuring well-known creators, musicians, actors, and internet personalities. From 2011 onward, the installments were primarily released through YouTube's official Spotlight channel, which was later known simply as YouTube.

The series ran annually from 2010 through 2019, producing ten main installments. Several editions used parody, music-video, or interactive themes, including “YouTube Rewind: What Does 2013 Say?” and “The Shape of 2017.” The 2018 edition became particularly controversial and was widely criticized by viewers, eventually becoming one of the most-disliked videos on the platform.

YouTube did not produce a traditional Rewind in 2020, citing the unusual year, and announced in 2021 that it would stop making the year-end compilation series. Later livestreams and recap features have not changed the historical name of the original series: YouTube Rewind.