I was doomscrolling on Christmas morning when a song I couldn’t stand got stuck in my head! The song had gone viral and was being criticized by netizens for its repetitive lines, a single annoying word dominating the entire track, and its abrupt ending without proper closure, as such songs often do.

The song in question, Lollipop by Neha and Tony Kakkar, is a great example of the kind of music Indian youth are currently into. The visuals are heavily influenced by K-pop songs like Candy by NCT Dream, Candy Pop by Twice, Sour Candy by Blackpink and Lady Gaga, and Pop by Nayeon of Twice.

Lollipop feels like a low-budget Indian version of K-pop, with accented English lyrics in the chorus, candy-store visuals, and brightly styled outfits. But ultimately, it comes across as a cheap imitation of a larger South Asian pop culture ecosystem.

There are several haters as well as supporters of this song. While in many online posts, I found people dismissing it as “pure shit” and “brain rot,” a handful of people, however, pointed out something more telling:

Artists today are struggling to keep up with the changing internet, and are forced to adapt!

Songs with meaningful lyrics barely get traction, while item songs and brain rot music racks up millions of streams across platforms. Thus artists are increasingly pushed to switch their content from classy, literary, lyrical songs to erratic, vulgar, high-energy tracks with minimal meaning. This is the sad but true reality of our times.

We have always defined songs by their meaningful lyrics or the cozy atmosphere they create. But my generation seems to be hyping songs that completely deviate from the standards set by older generations, songs as we traditionally understand them to be.

And this raises an important question about our evolving taste in music. Are we witnessing a steady decline in standards? Or simply a shift?

As the music industry reshapes itself with the use of various AI tools, mostly autotune to refine tracks, there are some creators who seem to be slipping into the excesses of these tools. But can we really blame them? What options do they even have?

Yes brain rot songs are annoying and sometimes even distasteful. But given the grim context in which the music industry operates today, I think these songs are pure genius and innovative!

Perfectly designed for today’s internet, they use repetition and catchy beats to get our attention. And deserve to be engaged with rather than outrightly dismissed and frowned upon.

With everything moving online, and the sheer volume of content we are constantly subjected to on our screens, it’s easy to feel like we are passive consumers in this cycle of brain rot. But maybe it isn’t that simple.

Maybe brain rot isn’t ruining music after all. Maybe it is us!

Maybe brain rot just reveals something uncomfortable about us, our attention spans, our habits, and the kind of ease we keep returning to. Maybe what we call “brain rot” is a reflection of how we truly want to feel… Something that doesn’t ask too much of us. Something quick and easy.

After all, whether you like it or not, there is still intention behind these songs. Someone put them out with the hope that they would reach people. And clearly they do! For a certain audience, this is not “bad music.” This is music.

And the uncomfortable part is that we are not entirely separate from that audience. We laugh at it, critique it, but we also remember it, replay it, and sometimes even enjoy it.

As ironic as this sounds, I guess the only way to exit brain rot music would be to not judge it, but try and understand it, even engage with it.

And ask uneasy questions about the industry and ourselves. Only then can we enter a mindful arena where we can stream our thoughts and wish to consume in a meaningful way. Where we can be aware of what we are consuming, and what we support or promote, so that the artists who are also making a living on online platforms remain rooted to their creativity and are not forced to create cringe to garner more eyeballs. But until that happens, happy smash listening!

Here are my top five brain rot songs by Indian artists... These songs might have questionable sur and taal but have garnered millions of views (and some hearts) on the internet:

5. Hum Pagal Nahin Hain by Himesh Reshammiya (A bad song that became my childhood anthem)

We all know Himesh Reshammiya for the quirky magic he brings to his music. His songs have been an integral part of my childhood. But this particular song, from the movie Hamshakals, stands out for its insane lyrics: “Hum pagal nahi hai bhaiya, hamara dimag kharab hai” (I'm not mad, my brain just don't work). I instantly took to this song while I was watching the film and haven’t stopped listening to it ever since!

My rating on the bad music list: 6/10.

4. Kurta Pajama by Tony Kakkar (A monotonous shade)

The hook of this song has mostly the word kala (black in Hindi) repeating. The video is flashy with people seen dancing to the taal-less beat. The only lesson one can safely and confidently draw from this song is that the kurta pyjama is indeed black!

My rating on the bad music list: 7/10.

3. Naagin by Aastha Gill (An odd ode to naagin)

It's been long...
Teri been sune pardesi
(since I've listened to the sound of your wind instrument)
Naagin gin gin gin gin... mar gayi
Naagin gin gin gin she died
Naagin gin gin gin gin... mar gayi
(I've died)

A Youtube comment aptly summarizes this song as containing 2% naagin, 10% din and 88% gin! The visuals are a combination of desi and hip hop songs referencing Nicki Minaj’s Anaconda and Cardi B's music videos.

It feels almost sacrilegious to invoke naagin (female snake worshipped in some Indian cultures) at the start of the chorus, only to end with her death, played for humour. No wonder there are memes circulating about writers of such songs being drunk or even high while coming up with such nonsense lyrics. But is it entertaining? Of course!

My rating on the bad music list: 8/10!

2. Chocolate by Tony Kakkar (A not so delicious song)

Aa jaati hai usse jab bhi bulao
(She comes whenever I call her.)
Par aati thoda late hai
(but arrives a bit late)
Kudi toh chocolate late hai
(Girl, you are chocolate, you are late )
Late hai
(you are late)
Meri cuppy cake hai cake hai cake hai
(she is cake.)

This song was produced right after the release of Kurta Pajama Kala Kala. The visuals are directly copied from K-pop, but it's got a bizarre charm of its own. Tony Kakkar has worked very hard to successfully create a song that makes no sense at all!

My rating on the bad music list: 8.5/10.

Papa Ki Pari by Dhinchak Pooja (Because you are Maa ka Magarmach)

This song by the once very famous Dhinchak Pooja has been stuck in my head ever since I heard my hostel senior singing it while doing the dishes, taking a dig at all the “papa ki paris.” The entire music video is shot against a green screen, featuring two animated crocodiles and Dhinchak Pooja in a hip-hop outfit, doing her signature flowy moves. The editing of the music video is pure 'saste cyber cafe wali effects' iykyk.

The song essentially revolves around a single line, but what a line it is, delivered with such unapologetic, jocular energy that it somehow lands as a punch:

Main hoon Papa ki Pari, tu hai maa ka magarmach
(I am daddy's little princess, you are mommy's cry baby)

We’ve all grown up hearing terms like papa ki pari, the pampered princess daddy's girl, but never quite its counterpart. Maa ka Magarmach fills that gap in the most bizarre way possible. If one sibling is a pari (princess), the other becomes a magarmach (cry baby or drama queen).

The crocodile is clearly a nod to the familiar phrase magarmach ke aansu (crocodile tears), often used when someone pretends to cry. This one is my personal favourite, and honestly, it deserves more visibility!

My rating on the bad music list: 9/10. Because no one can beat Dhinchak Pooja when it comes to bad music!