Spotify Wrapped 2025 turns listening into a competition | The VergeSkip to main contentThe homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.The VergeThe Verge logo.TechReviewsScienceEntertainmentAIHamburger Navigation ButtonThe homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.Hamburger Navigation ButtonNavigation DrawerThe VergeThe Verge logo.Login / Sign UpcloseCloseSearchTechExpandAmazonAppleFacebookGoogleMicrosoftSamsungBusinessCreatorsMobilePolicySecurityTransportationReviewsExpandLaptopsPhonesHeadphonesTabletsSmart HomeSmartwatchesSpeakersDronesScienceExpandSpaceEnergyEnvironmentHealthEntertainmentExpandGamesTV ShowsMoviesAudioAIVerge ShoppingExpandBuying GuidesDealsGift GuidesSee All ShoppingCarsExpandElectric CarsAutonomous CarsRide-sharingScootersOther TransportationFeaturesVideosExpandYouTubeTikTokInstagramPodcastsExpandDecoderThe VergecastVersion HistoryNewslettersExpandThe Verge DailyInstallerVerge DealsNotepadOptimizerRegulatorThe StepbackArchivesStoreSubscribeFacebookThreadsInstagramYoutubeRSSThe VergeThe Verge logo.Spotify Wrapped 2025 turns listening into a competitionComments DrawerCommentsLoading commentsGetting the conversation ready...NewsCloseNewsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All NewsEntertainmentCloseEntertainmentPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All EntertainmentStreamingCloseStreamingPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All StreamingSpotify Wrapped 2025 turns listening into a competitionWrapped Party pits your listening habits against your friends’ to see who’s more afraid of silence.Wrapped Party pits your listening habits against your friends’ to see who’s more afraid of silence.by Terrence O'BrienCloseTerrence O'BrienWeekend EditorPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Terrence O'BrienDec 3, 2025, 1:00 PM UTCLinkShareWait, is 78,432 minutes supposed to be a lot? Image: SpotifyTerrence O'BrienCloseTerrence O'BrienPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Terrence O'Brien is the Verge’s weekend editor. He has over 18 years of experience, including 10 years as managing editor at Engadget.It’s time for year-end lists, annual roundups, and, of course, Spotify Wrapped. The usual suspects are here, like your most listened to song, your total time listened, and your favorite artist. You also get your 2025 Wrapped playlist, which now shows how many times you listened to each of your top 100 tracks this year. But, as usual, Spotify is also adding a ton of new stuff to its annual tradition, including Wrapped Party, which pits you against your friends to see who is the bigger (or weirder) music fan.Wrapped Party is an interactive feature that you “play” with friends. Granted, there isn’t much to actually do, since it’s mostly about what you’ve already listened to. You can’t go back in time and listen to a more obscure song than your friends, or retroactively listen to more horror audiobooks. Still, turning listening to music into a competitive sport is definitely a new twist on the annual Wrapped tradition.As part of the competition, you’ll receive individual awards like “The Onion Chopper” for listening to the saddest songs. But your entire group will be judged based on how well your tastes lineup, from “Copy and Paste” when your listening habits are almost identical, to “Chaos Crew” when you don’t share a single artist in common.RelatedApple Music Replay 2025 is back with new listening statsYouTube introduces its own version of Spotify Wrapped for videosSpotify is also bringing back its interactive song quiz and top artist sprint, which shows how your top five artists changed month by month. But the company will also be highlighting our top albums for the first time. In the past, Wrapped has been entirely focused on individual songs and on artists or genres. This year, the company is finally acknowledging that some of us still listen to albums from start to finish. Wrapped 2025 will also go further beyond music, highlighting your top audiobook genres for the first time.Two other new features that aim to offer some insight into your listening habits are Clubs and Listening Age. The former is basically a more fun way of approaching your favorite genre. Rather than simply saying you listened to metal the most, you’ll be placed in the Grit Collective, which “believes in rebellion through music.” You’ll also be given a role in the club, such as Scout if you tend to be on the cutting edge of up-and-coming artists.Where Clubs foster a sense of belonging, Listening Age seems more designed to highlight how you might not fit in with your generation. It looks at your listening habits and basically says, “You listen to the music of a 70-year-old,” even if you’re only 38. If you’re still spinning late ’90s Nu Metal, it’s gonna say your Listening Age is in your early 40s. Listening to stuff that primarily came out in 2025? Well, you might only be 18 then.Spotify wasn’t first out of the gate with its annual Wrapped feature this year. Apple Replay launched on Monday, as did Amazon Delivered, and YouTube Music dropped its Recap before Thanksgiving. But while it might not be first, Spotify’s annual recap remains the most extravagant.Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Terrence O'BrienCloseTerrence O'BrienWeekend EditorPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Terrence O'BrienAppsCloseAppsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All AppsEntertainmentCloseEntertainmentPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All EntertainmentMusicCloseMusicPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All MusicNewsCloseNewsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All NewsSpotifyCloseSpotifyPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All SpotifyStreamingCloseStreamingPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All StreamingTechCloseTechPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All TechMost PopularMost PopularOpenAI declares ‘code red’ as Google catches up in AI raceSteam Machine today, Steam Phones tomorrowMKBHD is taking down his wallpaper appSilicon Valley is rallying behind a guy who sucksHBO Max’s Mad Men 4K release is the opposite of a remasterThe Verge DailyA free daily digest of the news that matters most.Email (required)Sign UpBy submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice. 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Spotify’s 2025 Wrapped experience has introduced a competitive element, shifting beyond purely individual listening statistics to foster a sense of playful rivalry among users. As detailed by Terrence O’Brien in his Verge article, the revamped feature, titled “Wrapped Party,” pits users against their friends to determine who is most “afraid of silence” – essentially, who listens to music more consistently. This isn’t a simple comparison of plays; it’s a judgment based on aggregated listening habits, awarding titles like “The Onion Chopper” for melancholic music choices or “Chaos Crew” for a disparate musical taste.

The core of the experience revolves around individual awards, but also incorporates group judgments based on listening alignments. Spotify has expanded beyond just individual song and artist data. A major addition is the introduction of “Clubs,” which categorize users into affinity groups – like the “Grit Collective” for those embracing rebellious genres – and assigns them a role within this group, such as a “Scout” for those staying ahead of emerging artists. This element of belonging aims to elevate the overall experience from simple data tracking to a broader social engagement.

Another significant change involves “Listening Age,” a feature that analyzes a user’s listening habits to assign them a generational label. Based on the music they’re consuming, Spotify suggests a “Listening Age,” potentially labeling someone who frequently listens to 2025 releases as belonging to the late teens or early twenties, even if they are older. This subtly disrupts the traditional notion of listening as a purely chronological activity.

Beyond these core additions, Spotify is incorporating elements familiar from other streaming services’ annual recaps - namely, its top albums are being highlighted for the first time. The company has also reintroduced its interactive song quiz and top artist sprint, allowing users to test their knowledge of musical trends. Spotify is adopting a multi-faceted approach, addressing the listening habits of a user on many different levels. The introduction of "Clubs" and "Listening Age" highlight an intent to move beyond merely tracking data to fostering a sense of community and subtly shaping interactions based on musical preference, demonstrating a deliberate attempt to create a more engaging and competitive experience than previous iterations. Terrence O'Brien notes the feature’s ambition is to transform a simple annual recap into a social endeavor.