Popularity is not what is simple, easily understandable, and authentic, but rather what is known and leads charts, bestseller lists, and popularity rankings. Unicorns and superheroes, science fiction movies, fantasy novels, television chefs, and hip-hop are popular. Since the 18th century, popularity has been a contentious issue in philosophical, aesthetic, political, and scientific debates about what is liked and gains attention. What can become popular and what cannot? What are the characteristics of popular culture items? What does it mean when culture becomes popular? This introduction reconstructs the semantic career of the popular, which navigates between grassroots valorizations and elite distinctions, between 'high' and 'low' culture, and also encompasses the realms of 'pop' and 'populism.'.