If you’ve spent any time looking at the global creator economy, you've probably heard the name Bilibili. Most people just shrug it off. "Oh, it's just the Chinese version of YouTube," they say.
That's wrong.
Honestly, calling Bilibili "the Chinese YouTube" is like calling a Tesla "just a car with a battery." It misses the entire point of why the platform has become a cultural juggernaut. It’s a messy, vibrant, chaotic, and highly specific ecosystem that serves as the heartbeat of China’s Gen Z and Gen Alpha.
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If you want to understand what is Bilibili, you have to stop looking at it through a Western lens. It isn't just a place where videos live. It’s a community-driven powerhouse that blends long-form content, live streaming, mobile gaming, and an "ACGN" (Anime, Comics, Games, and Novels) obsession that borders on religious.
The Weird, High-Stakes Entrance Exam
Most social media sites want you to sign up as fast as possible. They want your data. They want you scrolling in seconds. Bilibili is different.
To become an "official member"—which you need to do if you want to use the platform's most famous feature, "bullet comments"—you used to have to pass a 100-question exam. No joke. It covers community etiquette, copyright law, and extremely niche questions about anime and internet subcultures.
While they've softened the requirements a bit over the years to help growth, that barrier to entry created something rare: a sense of belonging. You didn't just click "Sign Up" with a Google account. You earned your way in. This gatekeeping actually worked. It fostered a high-engagement culture where users feel like they are part of an elite club, rather than just another number in an algorithm.
Bullet Comments: The Soul of the Platform
You're watching a video. Suddenly, a wave of white text flies across the screen from right to left. Then another. Then a green one. Then a hundred more until you can barely see the video.
These are danmu—literally "bullet curtains."
Western viewers usually find this horrifying. It looks like digital clutter. But for Bilibili users, it’s the whole point. It creates a "shared watching" experience. Even if you’re sitting alone in your room at 3:00 AM, you’re watching that video with thousands of others. You see their jokes, their reactions to a specific jump scare, or their explanations of a complex plot point, all synced to the exact millisecond of the footage.
It’s social viewing in its purest form. It turns a passive act into an active conversation.
The Business of Being Bilibili
From a business perspective, the company—founded by Xu Yi in 2009 and later led by Chen Rui—is a bit of a chameleon. While YouTube relies almost entirely on ads and a small sliver of subscriptions, Bilibili’s revenue streams are all over the place.
- Gaming: For a long time, Bilibili was basically a gaming company that happened to host videos. They struck gold by becoming the exclusive publisher for the Chinese version of Fate/Grand Order. At one point, gaming accounted for the vast majority of their revenue.
- Value-Added Services (VAS): This is fancy talk for "people paying for stuff." This includes "Big Member" (Bilibili’s premium tier) and virtual gifting during live streams.
- Advertising: They do it, but they’re careful. The community is notoriously protective. If Bilibili pushes too many "un-skippable" ads, the users revolt.
- E-commerce: They sell high-end anime figurines, tickets to offline events like Bilibili World, and other merchandise that appeals to their core demographic.
It's a diversified model. It’s also a risky one. Balancing the demands of Wall Street with a fickle, hardcore fan base is a tightrope walk that the leadership performs every single day.
Why Creators Are Moving There
We’re seeing a shift. It’s not just anime fans anymore.
"Professional User Generated Content" (PUGC) is the new gold standard on the platform. Think of high-production video essayists, lifestyle vloggers, and tech reviewers. Because Bilibili’s algorithm prioritizes engagement and "coins" (a digital currency users give to show appreciation) over raw views, it rewards quality.
A creator like Pan Shancun, known for his incredibly detailed craftsmanship videos, or tech reviewers who tear down the latest Huawei or Apple products, find a more attentive audience here than on shorter-form apps like Douyin (China's TikTok).
There is room to breathe. You can post a 20-minute video about the history of the Roman Empire or the chemistry of a specific cooking technique, and people will actually watch the whole thing. They'll argue about it in the bullet comments. They'll make memes about it.
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The Shadow of Censorship and Regulation
We can't talk about what is Bilibili without mentioning the regulatory environment. This is China. The platform operates under some of the strictest content moderation rules in the world.
Bilibili has a massive team of moderators. They have to. One "wrong" video or a rogue comment section can lead to "rectification" orders from the government. Over the years, they’ve had to scrub content, ban certain keywords, and promote "positive energy" (state-approved content).
It’s a tension that exists in every Chinese tech company. Bilibili has to be "cool" enough for the kids but "safe" enough for the regulators. When those two worlds collide, the platform usually leans toward safety, much to the chagrin of some long-time users who feel the original "underground" spirit of the site is fading.
Bilibili vs. The Rest of the World
How does it stack up against the competition?
- vs. YouTube: Bilibili has a much more unified "culture." YouTube is a utility; Bilibili is a community.
- vs. Douyin/TikTok: Douyin is for the "now." It’s fast, addictive, and shallow. Bilibili is for the "deep." It’s where you go when you want to learn something or immerse yourself in a fandom.
- vs. Twitch: Bilibili’s live-streaming sector is massive, but it’s integrated into a larger video ecosystem, whereas Twitch is almost exclusively live.
The platform is also trying to go global. They’ve launched versions of the app in Southeast Asia, focusing heavily on anime titles. They want to be the primary destination for ACGN content globally, not just in the mainland.
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The Future: AI and Beyond
Like everyone else in 2026, Bilibili is betting big on AI.
They are integrating AI to help creators with editing and to make their recommendation engines even stickier. But more interestingly, they are leaning into Virtual Idols (Vtubers). Bilibili is arguably the world capital for Vtubing. These digital avatars—streamers who use anime-style 3D models—generate millions in revenue.
It’s a strange, fascinating world where a digital character can have a more loyal following than a Hollywood movie star.
What You Should Do Next
If you're a brand, a creator, or just a curious bystander, simply knowing what is Bilibili isn't enough. You need to see it.
- Download the app: Even if you don't speak Mandarin, navigate the interface. Look at the danmu density. See how the "Moment" feed works.
- Study the "Greats": Look up the top "UP Masters" (Bilibili's term for creators). Use a translation tool to read their comment sections. You'll see a level of nuance and community interaction that barely exists on Western social media.
- Monitor the ACGN Trends: If you want to know what the next big thing in global pop culture will be—whether it's a specific art style or a type of mobile game—it almost always bubbles up on Bilibili six months before it hits the West.
- Consider the Niche: If you're looking to enter the Chinese market, don't just dump ads. You have to contribute to the culture. Sponsor a creator who fits your vibe, or create content that actually teaches the audience something.
Bilibili isn't just a website. It's a digital city. And like any city, you can't understand it just by looking at a map; you have to walk the streets.