Meme Database

A young man in a sideways cap and fur-collared jacket standing in a doorway, often used to illustrate inconsiderate behavior.

Scumbag Steve

Golden Age of Memes

Image Macro

blake boston, scumbag steve, sideways cap, advice animal, social stereotype, mother's photo, myspace, reddit, opportunistic behavior

First posted to Reddit in 2011, Scumbag Steve became a defining meme for calling out inconsiderate and obnoxious behavior.

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Basketball player Nick Young with question marks around his head

Confused Nick Young

Mobile & Social Media Era

Reaction Image

Twitter

nick young, swaggy p, confused, question marks, nba, basketball, thru the lens, reaction image, black twitter

A still from a sports blooper video featuring Nick Young's confused reaction became a meme for disbelief or cluelessness.

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Girl staring wide-eyed with a forced smile in a bedroom background

Overly Attached Girlfriend

Golden Age of Memes

Reaction Image

YouTube, Reddit, Meme Generator

laina morris, overly attached girlfriend, justin bieber, boyfriend parody, stalker girlfriend, possessive relationship, contest entry

A screenshot from a YouTube parody video launched this obsessive character into meme stardom.

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Two young boys, one biting the other's finger

Charlie Bit My Finger

Golden Age of Memes

Video Meme

YouTube

charlie bit my finger, davies-carr, viral video, youtube, family video, organic viral content, early youtube, charlie davies-carr, harry davies-carr

A candid home video of a toddler biting his brother's finger became one of YouTube's earliest viral hits.

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Psy performing the horse-riding dance move from the music video.

Gangnam Style

Golden Age of Memes

Video Meme

YouTube

gangnam style, psy, k-pop, horse dance, youtube, viral video, billion views, korean pop, 2012

Released in 2012, Psy's "Gangnam Style" became the first YouTube video to hit one billion views.

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A group of people dancing wildly after a sudden music drop.

Harlem Shake

Mobile & Social Media Era

Video Meme

YouTube

harlem shake, baauer, filthy frank, viral video, dance meme, youtube, 2013, bass drop, viral trend

Originated from a 2013 video by Filthy Frank, leading to a global dance meme.

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Hand-drawn comics using recurring “rage faces” to tell stories

Rage Comics

Golden Age of Memes

Text Meme

4chan

rage comics, rage faces, FFFFFUUUUUU, trollface, 4chan, reddit, f7u12, ms paint, webcomics, internet culture

Simple comics with a mix of humor and frustration became a storytelling format in early meme forums.

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Elderly man smiling uncomfortably at a computer

Hide the Pain Harold

Golden Age of Memes

Reaction Meme

Facepunch

andrás arató, stock photo, harold, pain, discomfort, forced smile, reaction, facepunch, dreamstime

Stock photos of a smiling man became a meme due to his seemingly forced smile and sad eyes.

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Cartoon earth with countries yelling and launching nukes

End of the World

Goldent Age of Memes

Animated Meme

Albino Blacksheep

flash animation, viral video, nuclear war, albino blacksheep, jason windsor, end of ze world, missiles, political satire

A satirical Flash animation featuring exaggerated international stereotypes and global nuclear war.

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Keep Calm and Carry On

Early Internet

Text Meme

Print/Physical Media

keep calm carry on, world war ii, propaganda poster, british, stoicism, barter books, ministry of information, motivational

Originally created as WWII morale propaganda by the UK government, the phrase reemerged in the 2000s as a viral slogan and parody format.

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