PewDiePie (Felix Kjellberg)

PewDiePie held YouTube’s most-subscribed crown for nearly a decade, peaking at 111 million subscribers, and defined a generation of creator careers. He weathered controversies and still retired on his own terms, streaming to 90 million followers. While MrBeast now leads total subscribers, PewDiePie’s 10-year reign remains unmatched—his average 12-minute video garnered 8 million views, 20% higher than the typical gaming channel.