12 Unique and Unusual Categories for Your Trivia Quizzes

Looking to spice up your next trivia quiz night or come up with some fun ideas for a trivia party or trivia event (like a baby shower!) and not sure where to start? Try your hand at these unique questions from twelve unusual categories! 

While generic catch-alls (think History, Mathematics, Literature, and Foreign Languages) are wonderful for expanding your knowledge on a large scope, sometimes they can get a little, well, boring. The categories we’ve chosen are far from dry, and they’re crowd favorites that are easy to pepper in during your next trivia night. These are great options to test your friends’ knowledge of highly specific niche topics and have fun doing so. 

Ready to dive in? Take a look at these categories. Then, you can take a stab at some example questions. Let’s go!

Funny Fruits

You know apples, blueberries, and bananas, but have you ever heard of a breadfruit? What about a jujube? And don’t forget the humble durian! The “Funny Fruits” category is sure to bring a smile to your face.

Food trivia isn’t all that uncommon, but with questions this specific, you’re sure to raise some eyebrows. Call your produce aficionado friends over and see what they think of these funky questions!

Question: What heart-shaped fruit has a scaly green outer skin and creamy white flesh?

Question: Named for a bird, these round orange berries are native to Europe but also grow in North America.

Question: What spiky melon has recently gained popularity as a vegan meat substitute?

Question: What fruit has a custardy inside that is known to smell like sweat or rotten vegetables?

Mascot Mania

Who’s your favorite mascot? In our world of mass consumerism, there are hordes of famous mascots out there to promote businesses and brands. Plus, most colleges and sports teams have an animal or creature mascot to bring their institution good luck. You’re likely to see these mascots represented in commercials, as a cardboard cutout, or in a costume on a field.

Test your knowledge of well-known mascots in our “Mascot Mania” category. This is a fun and quirky category that’ll liven up your next trivia quiz.

Question: What orange animal does a g-g-g-g-g-reat job of promoting a sugary cereal?

Question: What reptile with an Australian accent sells insurance?

Question: Instead of flying in with a baby in tow, this bird wants you to purchase their pickles.

Question: What’s the name of the bird who serves as the mascot for the Seattle Seahawks?

Netflix Originals

Hulu, Showtime, Peacock, oh my! We’re truly living through the golden age of streaming services, and when it comes to streaming, there’s no bigger titan than Netflix. Known for its endless supply of original TV shows and movies, Netflix seems to constantly be churning out new content.

Have you been binge-watching recently? This category will surely determine the best film consumer of the bunch.

Question: What makeover show features five LGBTQ+ hosts?

Question: What adult cartoon has a depressed equine protagonist?

Question: This dramatic film, starring Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson, was nominated for six Academy Awards.

Question: What acclaimed show depicts the life journey of a chess prodigy in the 1960s?

Haunted Places

Ooo, spooky! Are you up to date on the latest hot ghost stories and conspiracy theories? There are many people who believe that certain earthly spaces are inhabited by supernatural forces, after all.

A boatload of creepy, crawly places out there have a reputation for being haunted. If you’re looking for a spooky mid-trivia quiz, this is the category for you. Whether or not you believe in ghosts, these questions will be thought-provoking for all.

Question: What is an underground system in Paris that is lined with more than 6 million human skulls?

Question: What Pennsylvanian battlefield is said to be haunted by the ghosts of unburied Civil War soldiers?

Question: This author’s home, now open as a museum in Connecticut, is said to be a spot for ghost sightings.

(Potentially Baseless) Celebrity Gossip

What do you know about famous celebrity controversies throughout media history? We’re not saying you’ll do better in this category if you’re up to date on your tabloid reading, but we will say it can’t hurt. These questions are ideal for a mid-quiz celebrity gossip session.

Not into rumors? Fair enough! There are plenty of concretely confirmed celebrity realities to quiz you upon, too. No matter your preference, this category will get your group chatting.

Question: This couple with eight children split in 2009; however, their reality show continued with a new name.

Question: Who did Kim Kardashian file for divorce from in 2011 after only 72 days of marriage?

Question: Which pop star had a wide grin in his mugshot when he was arrested for driving under the influence in 2014?

Jazzy Gems

According to Ryan Gosling’s character in La La Land, jazz is “conflict and it’s compromise…and it’s very, very exciting.” No matter your music taste, jazz is so much more than elevator music. Why not offer up an exciting trivia category about the chaotic and thrilling music genre?

Despite recent releases of several great biopics about famous jazz singers and musicians (think Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and The United States Vs. Billie Holiday), there hasn’t seemed to be much of an increase in jazz popularity lately. Don’t overlook the culture of jazz and instead commit to learning more about it by answering these questions. Who knows, maybe you’ll choose jazz next time you’re searching for a radio station.

Question: What early 20^th century genre served as a predecessor to jazz?

Question: Which American jazz singer, known as “The First Lady of Song,” made a name for herself with her unique scat singing?

Question: What famous Duke Ellington jazz standard is about the New York City subway system?

Question: What pair of songwriting brothers created the opera Porgy and Bess?

Infomercial Nostalgia

The late ’90s and early aughts were crawling with infomercials, with memorable slogans and catchy (yet often very annoying) jingles that stuck in your brain for weeks on end. See if you can dig up those memories to answer the following questions—zero installments of $19.99 required. Without a doubt, this category will bring back nostalgia for a simpler, albeit incredibly commercial, era.

Question: What children’s beauty product featured the jingle that began with “the cool new tool to bejewel your hair”? 

Question: What blanket with sleeves first gained popularity from an early 2000s infomercial?

Question: What cleaning product was promoted by the late Billy Mays?

Question: This strange piece of workout equipment is infamous for its somewhat suggestive infomercial.

Millennial Internet Culture

Were you an avid Tumblr user circa 2012? What are your favorite Twitter posts? And don’t leave out Buzzfeed! When the thirty-somethings of today were coming of age, they sure left a mark on the internet. 

Nowadays, internet culture is constantly evolving and trends change overnight. But a decade ago, there was enough time between the creation of each viral meme for each to take off and get popular on its own. 

Have fun with this category—you can get nostalgic and intersperse your favorite memes of yesteryear with more obscure internet trivia.

Question: What famous Tumblr post featured a hilarious story of a pizza order gone wrong?

Question: This meme template features a stock photo of a white woman crying over a variety of small, mundane issues.

Question: YouTube released this video annually from 2010 to 2019 to celebrate creators and trends from the previous year.

Question: What group of four Buzzfeed employees left the company to form their own popular YouTube channel?

Schitt’s Creek

Who didn’t binge watch Schitt’s Creek during the pandemic? And, by extension, who didn’t laugh hysterically along with the Rose family? Or didn’t bawl during the series’ epic finale last year? 

Schitt’s Creek is a sitcom for the ages with some of the most hilarious and witty moments seen on screen in recent years. Grab your (perhaps dysfunctional) family and (perhaps frumpy) friends to quiz them on this already classic show.

Question: Who delivers the following iconic line: “Ew, David!”

Question: What analogy does David Rose use to describe his pansexuality to a confused Stevie?

Question: What’s the name of the acapella group Jocelyn leads?

Question: What simple kitchen instruction do David and Moira misunderstand when making enchiladas?

The Incredible Edible Egg

There’s a case to be made for eggs as the perfect food item. They’re a great source of protein, they’re super accessible, and they can be prepared in an infinite number of ways. But do you know your frittatas from your quiches?

Whether you take your eggs sunny side up, over easy, or on top of avocado toast, we hope these egg-cellent questions make you smile. Maybe serve up a scramble at your next trivia brunch as you introduce the category!

Question: What type of egg is boiled without its shell?

Question: What do you call an egg that’s been scrambled with roughly chopped meats and vegetables?

Question: This type of egg is cooked in a skillet while hot oil is spooned over its top.

Question: What do you call a thick casserole of bread, egg, and cheese?

It’s a Date

Do you have a knack for remembering when specific events occur? If so, our “It’s a Date” category is perfect for your trivia quiz.

Throughout history, there have been countless notable dates of important moments. Below, we’ve included a few well-known examples, but feel free to get as niche as you’d like with this one.

Question: What day was Nelson Mandela released from prison?

Question: What date was gay marriage legalized in the United States?

Question: What day did Captain Sully Sullenberger land flight 1549 on the Hudson River?

Songs of the Summer

Every summer, new upbeat tunes vie for the abstract title of “song of the summer,” and every summer, there’s some sort of debate over which song best embodied the summer at hand. Regardless of personal opinions, these songs are undeniably summery, and come to represent passing eras better than much of the culture at hand. 

See if you can recall summers of yesteryear with the questions below.

Question: What song of the summer in 1996 is often accompanied by its simple well-known dance?

Question: What country rap song of summer 2019 featured Billy Ray Cyrus?

Question: What 1966 tune laments high taxes on a beautiful day as the British lead singer lazes in the summertime?

We at Trivia Bliss hope you thoroughly enjoyed these unique and unusual trivia categories, and that you found some inspiration for your next trivia quiz. If you’re looking for more trivia question ideas, check out this list of 100 super-hard trivia questions, and these fun ideas for visual rounds!

Got another idea for an unusual category? Let us know in the comments below.