Over the past few years, viral videos have become the easiest way for normal people to get their 15 minutes of fame. This year was no different. With the word ‘viral’ getting tagged to everything from commercials to news reporting, it’s hard to make sense of what is really taking the internet by storm. However, from faux cell phone-popping popcorn to educational raps about particle physics, here are the five videos from this year that spread like wildfire throughout the web.

-Elias, Yahoo! Video Team