Friday — Rebecca Black

Its reputation as the worst song ever recorded is unfair; it's merely the most visible example of a child artist exploited by a pay-to-play label. Compared to Harlem Shake, Friday shows more authenticity—Black's earnest delivery makes it a human failure, not a calculated gimmick. The track's legacy endures as the benchmark for so-bad-it's-viral internet music, a $4,000 investment that generated global notoriety but zero artistic credibility, earning only $25,000 in royalties alongside public ridicule.