Simultaneously, the music industry pumped out dangdut (a genre blending Indian, Malay, and Arabic rhythms). The visual accompaniment to dangdut—specifically the flashy, energetic performances—laid the groundwork for what would later become viral dance challenges. When YouTube arrived, the first popular videos were often dangdut music videos and sinetron bloopers. The turning point for Indonesian entertainment and popular videos came with the rise of YouTube around 2013-2015. While Western creators focused on gaming and tech reviews, Indonesian creators tapped into sehari-hari (daily life).

Netflix's The Night Comes for Us (action) and Photocopier (drama) received international acclaim. Meanwhile, streaming service Viu has cornered the market on Indonesian adaptations of Korean dramas and original web series.

In the last decade, the landscape of global media has shifted from Hollywood-centric to hyper-local. At the epicenter of this shift is Southeast Asia, and leading the charge is Indonesia. With a population of over 270 million people and a mobile-first generation that is relentlessly connected, Indonesian entertainment and popular videos have evolved from a niche category into a cultural and economic juggernaut.