The 15 most popular YouTubers in the world

YouTube has exploded since it first launched in 2005, becoming the de-facto launchpad for the next generation of celebrities.

We did the math and found YouTube's 20 biggest independent stars based on how many subscribers each has. We only focused on independent YouTube stars, disregarding YouTube channels like mainstream music artists' VEVO accounts.

While some of the names may be obvious to YouTube aficionados (big comedy stars like Jenna Marbles and Ray William Johnson come to mind), there were just as many relative unknowns, who are building absolutely huge fan bases around niche formats like video game commentating and unwrapping toys. 

There's no doubt that among teens and tweens, these are the new celebrities.