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s 2025 winds down, many people are reflecting on whether they hit their personal goals—but Pornhub is looking back at what got us all going this year. And yes, the stats are spicy!
If you want to know what a culture really believes about sex, skip the think pieces and look at the search bar. And this year? The data reads like a cultural reset.
2025’s trends weren’t just about fantasy. They were about visibility, vulnerability, and validation — proof that audiences aren’t just consuming content; they’re seeking connection. From queer representation to the rise of mature beauty, from scandal-fueled curiosity to small-town quirks in America’s search maps, the year’s biggest turn-ons reflected a growing appetite for authenticity.
Let’s take a slow, thoughtful look at what 2025’s most-searched desires reveal — not just about porn, but about people.
The Queer Curve Keeps Climbing
Searches for LGBTQ+ content hit record highs this year, led by a surge in lesbian-focused terms — with “lesbian scissoring” up nearly 80% and “lesbian MILF” climbing over 120%.
The Trans category also became the second most-viewed worldwide, a milestone that’s less about novelty and more about normalization. As trans performer and advocate Natassia Dreams put it, “People are finally seeking out stories that break old ideas about gender. This isn’t just viewership — it’s visibility.”
Searches for “queer” jumped 132% and “bisexual” by 88%, signaling a generation more curious about connection than labels. It’s clear that representation — even in porn — matters deeply. These searches aren’t just about pleasure; they’re about affirmation.
MILFs Still Reign Supreme (and They’re Aging Like Fine Wine)
If 2025 had a mascot, she’d be 40, confident, and completely unbothered by the male gaze.
The MILF category held steady as the second most-searched term, just behind hentai. But this isn’t your stepmom’s fantasy anymore — it’s an ode to maturity, confidence, and natural beauty. Searches for “hot milf” and “cougar” both surged, along with “real woman” and “no makeup.” As one educator from Pornhub’s Sexual Wellness Center put it, “People are craving realism — attraction that looks like life, not filters.”
Performer Cherie DeVille summed it up best: “The world really does want to be tucked in by a hot, confident, mature woman. MILFs are in charge, and the internet loves it.”
Roleplay Gets a Reality Check
From plumbers to professors, roleplay made a big comeback — and no, it’s not about costumes as much as context.
Searches for work-based fantasies like “driver” (+144%), “plumber” (+67%), and “professor” (+33%) spiked across the board. It’s not hard to see why: the world feels chaotic, and fantasy thrives on control, structure, and power dynamics.
Affairs, Scandals, and the Sex Appeal of Risk
Every year has its viral scandal, and 2025’s Coldplay concert CEO drama was a masterclass in lust meets tabloid frenzy. As headlines heated up, so did searches: “cheating” rose 94%, “cheating wife” 61%, and “sneaky cheating” nearly 150%.
Even corporate fantasies caught fire — “office affair” searches exploded 210%, while “CEO” skyrocketed almost 400%. Apparently, nothing says forbidden desire like an HR violation.
The Femboy Phenomenon
If 2024 was the year of the MILF, 2025 might just be the year of the femboy. Once a subcultural term, it’s now a global curiosity — breaking into Pornhub’s top 10 for the first time.
Searches for “cute femboy” and “sexy femboy” soared, reflecting a new openness to androgyny and fluid attraction. That nuance — that flexibility — is what defines the modern sexual landscape: desire as spectrum, not binary.
SFW Is the New NSFW
In a plot twist no one saw coming, one of the fastest-growing trends on Pornhub this year was… SFW content. Searches for “SFW podcast,” “SFW ASMR,” and “SFW dance” surged, as users tuned in to see their favorite performers as people, not just performers.
The rise of safe-for-work content isn’t prudish — it’s personal. It suggests a shift toward curiosity about creators’ real lives, their voices, their humor. As educator Courtney Brame notes, “People are gravitating toward authenticity — they want to see performers being human, not just sexual.”
What America Clicked: State-by-State Fantasies
The United States continues to be the largest audience in the adult space, but 2025’s data shows just how wildly diverse that audience really is.
Each state, it seems, has its own flavor of curiosity.
- Oregon and Maine favored searches around mature women — affectionately proving that wisdom never goes out of style.
- Iowa and New Jersey leaned into cultural identity, with interest in specific religious or ethnic niches.
- Colorado and Hawaii explored localized searches tied to heritage.
- Washington stood out with pegging trends (read: open-minded experimentation).
- Minnesota clicked on creative accessories; Vermont leaned into queer gear; D.C. searched for things best described as “not safe for committee hearings.”
- The Midwest showed affection for authenticity — searches involving real-life couples and amateur dynamics trended across several states.
- Meanwhile, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania embraced uniquely sensory fascinations (let’s call them texture-forward curiosities).
Star Power: 2025’s Most-Searched Performers
Every year brings new faces — and in 2025, a few familiar ones held their thrones while newcomers stole the spotlight.
Adult performer Alex Adams climbed to the top as the year’s most-searched star, surpassing longtime favorite Angela White, who remains a cultural icon in her own right. Violet Myers held strong in third, while rising stars Bonnie Blue and Lily Phillips cracked the top five.
Industry veterans like Jessica Sodi, Blake Blossom, and Coco Lovelock saw massive growth in viewership, while new names such as Martina Smeraldi and Salome Gil joined the elite ranks of top-searched performers.
The data reveals a shift toward diversity — not just in body or background, but in persona. Viewers gravitate toward performers with unique voices, humor, and authenticity.
In short: charisma is the new clickbait.
So, What Does It All Mean?
If porn is society’s funhouse mirror, this year’s reflection looks remarkably human. Audiences are growing up — not out of their fantasies, but into them. They’re embracing diversity, celebrating age, and blurring the boundaries between sexuality and sincerity.
As one performer told us off the record, “People don’t just want to get off — they want to feel seen.” And that might be the most revolutionary search trend of all.
