These 10 Songs Are Fighting for the Song of the Summer Crown

Last summer had folks claiming there was a “lesbian renaissance” thanks to Chappell Roan’s campy, drag-inspired pop. On the other side of the spectrum of queer women dropping bangers lies Young Miko. The Puerto Rican rapper has been on the scene for a minute (and even collaborated with fellow boricua hottie, Bad Bunny), and her rise is imminent thanks to her latest Lil Wayne-sampled track, “WASSUP.” This has already been on heavy rotation and will continue to be all summer long.

I’m the first person who loves to see a Florida girl winning, and Doechii has consistently slayed since she dropped “Yucky Blucky Fruitcake” all those years ago. While “NISSAN ALTIMA” was my personal song of summer 2024, I can’t imagine this year without the multifaceted emcee’s voice booming through my speakers. Her latest feature on The Weeknd and Playboi Carti’s “Timeless” brings a fresh spin to the standard track that dropped earlier this year, and every party that emerges this summer will definitely have this on its playlist.

I don’t know if you heard Lady Gaga, but she said the category is “Dance or Die.” She’s back in full force on her seventh effort, Mayhem, as she revisits the disco-fueled dark pop that put her name on the map in the early aughts. While the album’s second single, “Abracadabra,” is a mainstream favorite reminiscent of her monster hit “Bad Romance,” it’s an obvious choice. If Gaga’s headlining Coachella performance indicates which Mayhem track could take over our social feeds and radio waves alike, I have to go with “Zombieboy.” Every person in that crowd moved their body one way or another, and I fear that’s what this summer desperately craves.

EYEKONS, I have to admit that this one was a grower for me. As someone who ate up KATSEYE’s “Touch” and “Debut”—and was even roped into learning the choreo by some of my best friends—“Gnarly” caught me completely off-guard. Its in-your-face, bombastic production is such a departure from the girlies’ debut. But, just like their star power, the track is impossible to ignore. I haven’t been able to stop myself from singing my latest vocal stim twice on the hour: “Hottie, hottie like a bag of Takis / I’m the shit.”

Thanks to its instant virality, “Gnarly” has found its way into the crevices of my brain, and I haven’t been able to get it out. Something tells me most people won’t be able to, either.

We’ve officially survived the Lorde drought since 2021’s Solar Power, and honestly, I only felt like summer started once I found myself perched in Washington Square Park waiting for her to preview this track. “What Was That” promises the upbeat and unapologetic arrival of a Lorde that’s evolved through Melodrama into new territories. It only makes me wonder what else she has up her sleeve, and how her upcoming album Virgin will amplify the voice of a generation (again).

PinkPantheress said she wanted to make music for the clubs, so she did and dropped her mixtape, Fancy That. The electronic star is a force to be reckoned with, and her lead single “Tonight” makes a Panic! at the Disco sample sound like a voguing track made for endless nights breaking a sweat on the dance floor. She even received a stamp of approval from the brat queen and fellow Brit, Charli XCX—who’s down for a collab, by the way.

Doja Cat is slowly defrosting. Her upcoming album, Vie, marks her first full-length release since 2023’s Scarlet, and fans are itching for more. The multifaceted rapper is no stranger to a hit, as her Grammy-winning collaboration with SZA, “Kiss Me More,” was rightfully crowned the song of summer 2021. There’s a chance that her (hopefully!) soon-to-be-released track, “Jealous Type,” will take the reins, as proven by fans’ reactions to her Marc Jacobs pre-fall campaign.

Charli XCX has always been ahead of the curve. Despite being released five years ago, “party 4 u” is undeniably the song of summer 2025. The How I’m Feeling Now standout has seemingly taken on many different lives since it dropped in 2020, was featured in Bottoms’s major fight scene in 2023, and gained traction this year thanks to a TikTok trend. As she comes off the high of last year’s brat summer, her Gatsby-esque confessional keeps the party going.