The Jellyfish Cut Is 2025’s Most Unexpected Yet Exciting Hair Trend

For anyone who has caught the urge to reinvent themselves with a new spring haircut, the season’s biggest trends have range. As of late, edgy, modified versions of classic styles like the bob are rising in popularity, along with the resurgence of fan favorites like “The Rachel” cut. But there’s one particular standout look that keeps showing up on major red carpets like the 2025 Grammys and making the rounds on TikTok. Enter: the jellyfish cut. Featuring a jaw or chin-length blunt layer in the front and contrasting longer length in the back, the mullet-like look counts Billie Eilish, Rihanna, and Miley Cyrus among its fans.

The beauty of this bold haircut is that it’s extremely versatile. Hairstylists say there are a number of ways you can adapt the jellyfish to suit your hair texture and personal style. In fact, the looks you’ve seen on your favorite celebrities and your FYP are actually modified takes on the cut.

That's why TZR reached out to two top hairstylists to break down the trend and all of its nuances. Ahead, they share their tips on what to ask for at the salon and how to style your jellyfish cut, no matter your hair type.

What Is The Jellyfish Cut?

New York-based hairstylist at Salon SCK Devin Toth says the cut is aptly named due to its unique shape. “The jellyfish haircut looks like a bulb-ish bob that has a longer and completely separate haircut emerging out from underneath it, reassembling the tentacles of a jellyfish,” he explains.

Both Toth and Los Angeles-based celebrity stylist Travis Ogletree reveal that there’s actually a key difference between the looks celebs have been wearing and a traditional jellyfish cut. “What we saw at the 2025 Grammys on Miley Cyrus and Lady Gaga were actually called ‘hime cuts’” Toth explains. “While most face-framing layered haircuts have soft, seamless, diagonal layers in the front around the face, the jellyfish and hime both have disconnected – and rather blunt – horizontal tiers or lines of layers in the front, often resting around the jaw or cheekbones.” He goes on to say that while hime cut’s disconnection is only on the front layers, a classic jellyfish cut’s disconnection will wrap around the entire head and is a bit more mullet-esque.

Since the hime cuts you saw at the Grammys had disconnected horizontal edges in the front, they can be considered “modified jellyfish cuts.”

What To Keep In Mind Before Getting A Jellyfish Cut

Toth and Ogletree agree that this particular look can work great if you’re feeling bold and want to try something new. Olgetree says, “I think that so long as you’re down for an interpretation of the look and not a carbon copy, this could work on anyone looking to edge-up their style.”

Both say that there are a few things to remember, though, before getting this haircut. When cutting the front of a regular or modified jellyfish cut, it’s important to consider the amount of hair that you want to cut around the sides of your face. If you don’t cut enough, it can look unintentional and more like grown-out breakage. On the flipside, too much hair around this area can look overly chunky — it’s all about finding the right balance. Overall, Olgetree and Toth say the key is to make it look intentional, not accidental.

Toth also says that you should remember that cutting horizontal lines into the hair around your face brings attention to that area. “A modified jellyfish cut brings attention to your jaw line. If you don't want that attention and would rather have a softer look, then this haircut isn't for you,” shares. “If you're really inspired to try it, but want a softer version, opt for Gaga's by asking your stylist to texturize them with a razor, point cutting or thinning shears.”

Does The Jellyfish Cut Work On All Hair Types?

While this cut is traditionally styled on those whose hair is on the straight side, Toth says you can still try it out on curlier textures. It just may require a few tweaks to work with your specific curl pattern, and you should always talk to your stylist beforehand about what will work best.

Ogletree adds that the jellyfish cut has much shorter layers throughout and because of this, would work particularly best for people with a bit more wave and texture to their hair. “[It would work well for] dense or medium density hair that blows out smoothly, or hair that is very straight naturally,” he says. If you do have type 3 or type 4 hair, Ogletree adds that getting your hair smooth constantly for this look could be a challenge, so that’s something to keep in mind. While there aren’t any hair types that should necessarily avoid this cut, Ogletree says to be sure you’re willing to commit to a more drastic style and to always see a cutting specialist that is well-versed in more avant-garde hairstyles.

How To Style A Jellyfish Cut

Luckily, once you have this cut, it’s pretty easy to style on straighter hair types. Ogletree suggests using a lightweight leave-in conditioner (his favorite is LolaVie’s Perfecting Leave-In) and a hair oil to smooth the hair and add shine if you have medium to dense hair. If you have finer hair, a lightweight detangling spray combined with a drop or two of oil will do the trick to help keep this style in place without making your strands greasy.

For textured hair, Toth has a fun styling idea. “One way to create the jellyfish look on textured hair is to straighten the bottom back [area of] the hairstyle, making it significantly longer than the rest and then braiding the length into pigtails, which you can also do on any texture of hair.” Ogletree says that if you plan on flat-ironing your natural texture to achieve a straighter look, heat damage could become an issue, so a heat protectant and leave-in conditioner are absolutely key. If not, don’t worry, you can still style it curly. “I always start my styling of curlier textures by using the LolaVie Glossing Detangler, finger combing throughout, two drops or so of their lightweight oil and a couple pumps of the Perfecting Leave-In and emulsifying them together in my hands,” he shares. “I scrunch that in and make sign language like movements with my hands while forming the curls and waves as I see fit.”