MEET THE YOUTUBE MILLIONAIRES: These are the highest-paid YouTube stars of 2016

YouTube has exploded since it first launched in 2005, becoming the de facto launchpad for the next generation of internet celebrities.

It's no secret that YouTube's biggest stars are using sponsored videos and advertising to make a living on the platform, in addition to just making a name for themselves.

Over the past few years, they have also begun to snag big-time shows from places like Netflix or YouTube Red, the company's subscription tier, and pump out memoirs.

But who on YouTube is getting paid the most?

Forbes recently published its look at which YouTube stars made the most money in 2016. The publication based its rankings on raw, pre-tax estimates of earnings.

Here they are:

Maya Kosoff contributed to an earlier version of this post.