Know Your Meme is a site that researches and documents Internet memes and viral phenomena. Founded in December of 2008, Know Your Meme's research is handled by an independent professional editorial and research staff and community members. In three years of its existence, the site grew to reach more than 9.5 million people every month and is considered the most authoritative source on news, history and origins of viral phenomena and Internet memes. In March of 2011, Cheezburger -- the company behind other Internet phenomena such as FAIL Blog, I Can Has Cheezburger?, and The Daily What -- acquired Know Your Meme from Rocketboom, LLC. Know Your Meme is located in Cheezburger's New York City offices in Manhattan.

Much like wikis, any registered member can submit a meme or viral phenomena for research at knowyourmeme.com. Other members may contribute to the research of the topic, archival of notable media or discussion about a meme. The editorial staff and moderators then evaluates each entry by further researching the online presence of the meme for confirmation or invalidation. For more information, please refer to our Rules and Guidelines. The editorial staff also provides interviews or Q&As with subjects of memes or notable individuals who are involved with the meme culture.

Know Your Meme's research and reporting has appeared in major news publications and outlets, including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, PBS, CNN, MSNBC, Wired, TIME, Newsweek, The Atlantic, The Guardian, The Telegraph, Le Nouvel Observateur, Le Monde, Der Spiegel and The Estadão among others. Know Your Meme has also earned several recognitions and awards for its research including TIME Magazine's 50 Best Websites of 2009, the 2010 Streamy Award for Best Guest Star in a Web Series and the 2012 Webby Award for Best Cultural Blog. In 2014, Know Your Meme was inducted into the Web Archiving Program run by The American Folklife Center at the U.S. Library of Congress.

Trending Memes


Boogie2988's Unhinged Rant About Hating His Life Has Become A Reaction Video On Sad Twitter

"I Hate Being Alive" Boogie2988 refers to a viral clip of YouTuber Boogie2988 (aka Boogie) freaking out on the Lolcow Live podcast after Keemstar asked him to explain his cancer scam allegations. In the clip, Boogie is seen repeatedly screaming, "I want to die!" and "I hate being alive!" The viral video became a TikTok green-screen meme and reaction video on Twitter / X in mid-2024.


Dr Disrespect Returns, Posts A Cryptic Photo In Front Of A Chess Board, Quickly Inspires Memes About His Allegations

The Dr DisRespect Chess vs. Checkers Post is an X / Twitter post made by streamer Dr DisRespect, aka Guy Beahm, consisting of a POV photo taken opposite of Beahm sitting at one end of a chessboard, tenting his fingers, with chess pieces on the board in front of him while the other side of the board has checkers laid out on it, suggesting Dr DisRespect is playing chess while his opponent is playing checkers. The post was made in late July 2024 following a brief hiatus due to allegations of Dr DisRespect grooming a minor and was seen by many as a teaser for his comeback. The post inspired reactions and memes across social media, with many referencing the grooming controversy.


A Purported Secret Meaning Of The 'Double Arm Band' Tattoo Goes Viral On Reddit, TikTok

Double Arm Band Tattoo Hidden Meaning or Two Armband Tattoos Meaning refers to a purported lesser-known meaning behind a common tattoo design consisting of two thick, parallel, often black bands or "bracelets" around a person's forearm. The meaning of these tattoos is often debated online, with some claiming that, in the LGBTQ+ community, they represent how far a person can fit their arm up another person during the sexual act of fisting. Others refer to them as "mourning bands" and claim they represent the mourning of a dead loved one, while others claim they are simply aesthetically pleasing. Discussions about the "secret meaning" behind the tattoo, referring to the fisting claims, became increasingly popularized throughout the 2010s and 2020s.


The Indonesian Includes The Suffix 'Nya', Which Is Making Facebook Users Think Indonesians Are Cosplaying As Cat Girls

Indonesian Suffix -nya refers to discourse surrounding Indonesians who add the "nya" suffix to various words, such as semuanya (Eng. All of it), which makes people think they are mimicking the anime cat girl sound, typically written as "nyah."


RoboCop's Reaction To Seeing The Few Remnants Of His Human Body Gets Strangely Relatable In Memes

Holy Christ, There's Nothing Left refers to a memorable scene from the 2014 film RoboCop in which protagonist Alex Murphy / RoboCop (portrayed by actor Joel Kinnaman) sees how little human parts still remain in his cyborg body. Starting in 2023, the scene has been used as a caption meme format, used in formats such as First Person to Fall Asleep at the Sleepover.


SpongeBob Had Some Mean NPCs, But The Rudest Has To Be The Fish Saying 'Oh Brother, This Guy STINKS!'

Oh Brother This Guy STINKS! is a catchphrase from the animated children's show Sponge Bob Square Pants, where Sponge Bob's weak attempts at doing stand-up comedy elicit the heckle. The emphatic delivery of the line led to the audio clip as well as a screengrab of a mostly mute audience being used in memes online.


Embarking On Side Quests Both IRL And In Video Games Has Inspired Countless Memes Since The 2010s

Side Quests or Side Missions are optional quests in video games given to the player by NPC characters that often have no effect on the main story of the game, instead offering additional experience, rewards, storylines and ultimately extending the length of the game. Side quests are also typically associated with RPGs, though not exclusive to them. As a slang term, "side quest" is used in an IRL context to similarly refer to tasks that are not necessary to do but are distractions embarked on spontaneously without much planning. While memes about video game side quests appeared online throughout the 2010s, the term was popularized as slang throughout the 2020s as it was referenced in memes, skits and various posts on social media, often being applied to real-world things.


Skibidi Toilet Movie Reportedly From Director Michael Bay Is In The Works As Memes Flood The Timeline

The Skibidi Toilet Movie refers to an upcoming movie based on the YouTube series Skibidi Toilet reportedly being developed by director Michael Bay and former Paramount Pictures President Adam Goodman with the help of Alexey Gerasimov (aka YouTuber DaFuq!?Boom! the creator of Skibidi Toilet). The possible film, and an additional TV series, was announced in July 2024, causing a slew of reactions and memes online.


Image Showing 'Light Yagami' At The Olympics Is Funny, But Not Real

Light Yagami At The Olympics refers to a parody image in which Japanese football coach Hajime Moriyasu is labeled "Light Yagami" and pictured writing in a notebook, referencing the protagonist of the anime and manga series Death Note. The image convinced some online that Japan actually had a coach named Light Yagami during the 2024 Summer Paris Olympics, leading fact-checkers to clarify that the image was not legitimate. In late July 2024 during the Olympic games, the image of Hajime Moriyasu labeled "Light Yagami" was notably used in a number of memes on various platforms.


Since 2010, Memes About 'Oiling Up' Have Been Growing Online

Oil Up and Oiled Up refer to a series of memes in which someone is asked to or asks someone to "oil up," meaning to apply oil to their bodies, often with a sexual connotation. Memes about oiling up were first popularized online as early as 2014 with Ainsley Harriott memes about oiling up appearing on 4chan, becoming further popularized in late 2023 and early 2024 on sites like TikTok after a clip of someone asking Dana White if they can oil him up went viral online. In memes, "oil up" and "oiled up" are often used as copypastas and catchphrases.


Mysterio Gives Spider-Man A Sneaky Kiss In 'You're A Good Kisser, Parker' Memes

You're a Good Kisser, Parker refers to a series of exploitable image macro memes based on a meme combining elements of two scenes from Spider-Man: Far From Home, one in which Peter Parker kisses MJ and one in which Mysterio uses illusions to fight Parker. The meme was originally posted online in July 2023 and became the subject of photoshops and redraws over the next year.


Syndrome Walking To The God Of Basketball Theme Song Is The Newest Greenscreen Template

Syndrome Walking is an exploitable video meme template using a scene from The Incredibles showing the villain character Syndrome (Buddy Pine) walking dramatically and smiling manically. In the scene, Syndrome is seen with his high-peaked orange hair and a black-and-white supersuit. The Syndrome Walking meme trended en masse on TikTok in mid-2024 when a green-screen template and CapCut template went viral. Users layered Syndrome Walking on top of different backgrounds correlating with the video's caption, which often outlined a scenario in which someone's walking with a purpose despite said purpose being ridiculous or unserious. The most common song used in the Syndrome Walking memes was the God of Basketball's intro from Regular Show, which was also sampled in the Yeat song "Breathe."


South Korean Shooter Kim Yeji Stuns At The 2024 Olympics, Quickly Amassing An Army Of Fans

Kim Yeji, also known as Kim Ye-ji or Yeji Kim, is a female South Korean sport shooter who participated in the 2024 Summer Paris Olympics. A video of Kim winning gold and breaking a world record at the ISSF World Cup 2024 went viral on Twitter / X amid the 2024 Olympics in July of that year. Many X users humorously labeled her the "main character" and became infatuated with her look as she became the subject of memes. In the 2024 Olympics, she won silver in the 10m Air Pistol Women's Final, outmatched by her countrywoman Oh Ye Jin. Internet users shared Kim's Olympic press release photos in which she was wearing sports shooting glasses, adding to the discourse about her aura.


This Olympic Gymnast Has Inspired Memes For Being A "Sleeper Agent" That Activated Just In Time To Cinch A Medal

Stephen Nedoroscik, also known as the Pommel Horse Guy, is an American gymnast best known for his pommel horse routine in the 2024 Summer Paris Olympics. Nedoroscik went viral for sitting with his eyes closed for the duration of the competition while wearing glasses until he was finally called for his last and singular event, winning his team their first bronze medal since 2008. Memes about Nedoroscik being a "sleeper agent" and about how his job is "horse" began making the rounds online in late July 2024.


Skibidi Toilet Creator Allegedly Sent Garry's Mod A DMCA Takedown Notice

Skibidi Toilet DMCA Takedown refers to a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown sent by DaFuq!?Boom!, the creator of the digital series Skibidi Toilet, to Garry’s Mod (GMod), alleging unauthorized use of copyrighted assets. The DMCA claim was revealed by Garry Newman in late July 2024, developer of the independent physics sandbox game, on the Garry’s Mod s&box Discord server. Online, numerous netizens criticized the takedown notice, as the series was created using assets from GMod.

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Trending Images

Videos


Glowing Eyes / Laser Eyes Meme Explained

Glowing Eyes or Laser Eyes is a Photoshop meme in which the eyes of various people, characters and animals are edited to appear as if they are glowing with bright energy, mimicking a common trope found in various animated films and television shows. Watch the full video here: https://youtu.be/jaw5inJCR3I Subscribe to our PRINT magazine for more in-depth analysis: memeinsider.com/subscribe Subscribe to our channel to learn more about trending memes, hear interviews from meme personalities and more!


The Origin of The Glowing Eyes / Laser Eyes Photoshop Meme Explained

In the online space, there's been a growing trend year over year of people photoshopping images with Laser Eyes onto portraits of people. Over time, the meaning and severity of the Photoshop edits have increased, leading to a mixed message of what's going on. For more information visit: https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/glowing-eyes-laser-eyes Subscribe to our PRINT magazine for more in-depth analysis: memeinsider.com/subscribe Subscribe to our channel to learn more about trending memes, hear interviews from meme personalities and more!


Brat Summer Memes Explained

Brat Summer or Brat Girl Summer is a slang term and play on the idea of hot girl summer that references Charli XCX's album Brat. Following the release of the album in June 2024, fans began posting on social media about having a "Brat summer," meaning a summer defined by the vibes of the album and by being a "brat." Many posts about Brat summer often include images of subjects colored in the same lime-green hue as the album's artwork. The definition of a Brat summer is loose, with Charli XCX saying during an interview that it can go "quite luxury" but also "trashy […] like a pack of cigs and a Bic lighter." Subscribe to our PRINT magazine for more in-depth analysis: memeinsider.com/subscribe Subscribe to our channel to learn more about trending memes, hear interviews from meme personalities and more!


Brat Summer Summarized: The Best Memes About Charli XCX's Album, Brat Taking Over Everything

Pop artist Charli XCX has found massive success with her latest album Brat and many are calling it the album of the summer. Taking things a step further, some of her biggest fans have declared summer 2024 a Brat summer, denoted by a specific shade of green, acting trashy and letting loose. But what exactly is a Brat summer and why has it become such a massive meme? @Aztrosist explains what you need to know. For more information visit: https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/brat-summer Subscribe to our PRINT magazine for more in-depth analysis: memeinsider.com/subscribe Subscribe to our channel to learn more about trending memes, hear interviews from meme personalities and more!


Kamala Harris Coconut Tree Brat Summer

It’s not a White Boy Summer or a Hot Girl Summer, it is…. not a great summer for people who hate the color green, because it is a BRAT summer and everything is BRAT.


Hawk Tuah Girl Wants to Fight JoJo Siwa

Recently Haliey Welch, known for her viral “hawk Tuah” clip was asked by the president of Karate Combat who she would want to face off in a fight, and Welch without hesitation dropped JoJo’s name.


Skibidi Toilet Movie

Today we mourn the death of cinema because Michael Bay is bringing us a Skibidi Toilet Movie AND TV Series.


Gen X Has Declared War on Gen Z

Gen X rise. Who would win in an actual fight?


Trump Trump Baby Song

America is a country divided at the moment. So, what do we need to unite? There’s only one solution: a rap song called “Trump Trump Baby.”


Hot Cop the Next 'Hawk Tuah'?

Stop whatever you're doing, we have a hot cop alert.

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Meme Insider Magazine

Insights


The Power Of Memes: Measuring The Impact Of Humor In Viral Content

Many people know that memes can be a powerful tool online, but how can we measure that power? In our latest Insights report, we delve into numerous tests and studies to determine just how influential memes are compared to other types of content.


What Is a Meme? The History and Evolution Of Memes Explained

Memes have come a long way in the past 20-plus years. Here's a brief history of their evolution and a comprehensive guide to defining them.


Who Is The Most Memed Person Ever? Online Fame And Parasocial Love, By The Numbers

Looking into the numbers behind the 21st-century online celebrity to see which high-profile individuals have racked up the most meme and internet virality over the years.


The Power Of Memes In Different Fandoms: How Fans Contribute To The Expansion Of Narrative Universes And Influence Media Consumption

In this Insights piece, we take a look at the biggest fandoms across the internet and explain how the memes, trends and other viral phenomena they create impact the world of entertainment.


The Barbenheimer Phenomenon: How Memes And Viral Marketing Impacted The Success Of The 'Barbie' And 'Oppenheimer' Movies

_Barbie_ and _Oppenheimer_ are smash hits at the box office and they have the Barbenheimer meme to thank for some of that. Here's how memes and social media trends surrounding the two films affected their success.


Cocaine Bear: How Meme Marketing Conquered Hollywood

Memes and movies — the best combo since hard drugs and apex predators. Here's a breakdown of the secret sauce and internet history behind _Cocaine Bear's_ viral success.


TikTok By The Numbers: How Trend Engagement Shapes Internet Culture

The way TikTok users interact with memes can provide interesting insight into how the platform's trends spread online. In our latest case study, we take a look at three of the year's biggest TikToks to analyze the way user interaction shaped them.


Where Do Memes Come From? The Top Platforms From 2010-2022

From the rise of TikTok to the Boomerification of Facebook, our data tells many important stories. We take a look back at the history of meme origins from the last decade-plus to infer how the internet and its culture have evolved.


KYM Insights: The Ukraine-Russia Conflict Meme Report

Reflecting on the last two months since the start of the conflict, this report presents the major memes, trends and viral discussions of the war in Ukraine and its tremendous effect on the internet.


KYM Insights Releases '2021 End Of Year Report' With Everything You Need To Know About 2021's Biggest Memes And Internet Trends

Pulling data from Know Your Meme's vast database and team of internet culture experts, KYM Insights has dropped its 2021 wrap-up on all of last year's biggest viral moments and trends you should know about.

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