Brands Rising Among Gen Z in the U.S. in 2026

From AI platforms to established consumer names, these brands made the biggest gains in Consideration among U.S. Gen Z adults in 2026.

YouGov’s Brands Rising Among Gen Z analyzes more than 2,000 brands tracked through daily surveys in YouGov BrandIndex to identify the strongest quarter-over-quarter improvers.

Consideration measures the share of consumers who would consider purchasing from a brand. Rankings are based on the percentage growth in each brand’s average score compared with the previous quarter.

U.S. Gen Z's 10 fastest-rising brands in Q2 2026

Johnnie Walker led this quarter’s ranking, more than doubling its Consideration score among U.S. Gen Z adults. OpenAI and Claude also placed among the top 10 as AI brands continued to gain ground, alongside established names spanning food, technology, personal care, automotive and retail.

Johnnie Walker brings “Keep Walking” to a new generation

Johnnie Walker recorded the largest proportional increase, with its Consideration score rising from 7.5% in Q1 to 20.0% in Q2 among Gen Z adults of legal drinking age.

The increase came as the brand continued the latest chapter of its long-running “Keep Walking” platform. The refreshed campaign was created to engage a new generation of whisky drinkers and has rolled out across streaming, digital, paid social and out-of-home media during Q2 2026.

OpenAI and Claude build consumer momentum

OpenAI and Claude both featured among the quarter’s fastest risers, underscoring how quickly AI companies are developing into mainstream consumer brands. OpenAI’s Consideration increased from 10.1% to 22.1%, while Claude nearly doubled from 14.2% to 28.1% - the highest Q2 Consideration score among the brands in the ranking.

OpenAI entered the quarter following a high-profile Super Bowl campaign centered on Codex and continued to release updates to ChatGPT’s default GPT-5.5 Instant model during May and June. The updates focused on making responses more accurate, natural and useful for everyday decisions and practical tasks.

ChatGPT (also tracked in BrandIndex) witnessed a growth of more than 50% Consideration among Gen Z, from 16.3 % to 25.4%.

Claude followed a different positioning strategy. Anthropic used its first Super Bowl campaign to emphasize that Claude would remain free of advertising, creating a clear consumer-facing point of difference. During Q2, the company also expanded Claude’s capabilities through releases including Claude Cowork, Claude Design and new models, while increasing usage limits for customers. That combination of distinctive brand positioning and continued product development may have helped Claude broaden its appeal beyond its initial developer and professional audience.

Google Assistant rises during a major AI transition

Google Assistant’s Consideration rose from 8.1% to 15.8% during a quarter of intense attention around Google’s wider AI ecosystem. Google I/O in May brought a substantial wave of Gemini announcements, followed in June by the launch of Google’s first new smart speaker in six years.

The result is particularly notable because Google is moving its home voice experiences from Google Assistant toward Gemini. The rise may therefore reflect renewed attention to Google’s voice-assistant ecosystem and continued familiarity with the established Google Assistant name, rather than a conventional campaign promoting the legacy product itself.

REI benefits from seasonal and promotional visibility

REI’s Consideration increased from 9.0% to 17.2% as consumers prepared for the spring and summer outdoor season.

The retailer held its largest annual sale from May 15 to May 25, discounting more than 6,000 products across camping, hiking, running, apparel and other outdoor categories. The event also generated coverage across lifestyle and specialist publications, giving REI additional visibility during a key period for outdoor purchases. Its rise may reflect a combination of seasonal category demand, promotional activity and the brand’s established association with outdoor participation.

The wider ranking shows that Gen Z momentum is not confined to AI platforms or brands traditionally associated with younger consumers. Stacy’s, Philips, Bridgestone, Dove Baby and Bumble Bee all recorded substantial quarterly growth, illustrating how established brands across a wide range of categories can gain new consideration among Gen Z adults.

Methodology: YouGov BrandIndex collects data on thousands of brands every day. Consideration is based on responses to the question: “When you are in the market next to make a purchase, from which of the following would you consider purchasing?”

The analysis compares brands’ average Consideration scores in Q2 2026 (April, May and June) with their average scores in Q1 2026 (January, February and March) among U.S. Gen Z adults.

Gen Z is defined as people born between 1997 and 2012. As YouGov’s U.S. panel surveys adults aged 18 and older, the analysis represents the adult portion of Gen Z. Alcohol brands are shown only to respondents aged 21 and older.

Rankings are based on the relative percentage increase in Consideration between the two quarters. Only brands with a Consideration score of at least 15% in Q2 are included. A minimum base size of 300 is required, and brands must have scores available for at least 135 days across the analysis period.

Percentage growth is calculated using unrounded BrandIndex scores. The Q1 and Q2 scores displayed in the article are rounded to one decimal place and may therefore not reproduce the reported percentage growth exactly.

Image: Getty Images