Meme Database

A penguin on a split blue background, typically accompanied by text describing awkward social experiences.

Socially Awkward Penguin

Golden Age of Memes

Image Macro

4chan

socially awkward penguin, advice animal, penguin, social anxiety, awkward situations, 4chan, george mobley, national geographic, blue background

Created on Reddit in 2009, Socially Awkward Penguin gave voice to everyday introvert anxieties through a simple visual joke.

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School photo of a red-haired boy in a plaid vest with braces

Bad Luck Brian

Golden Age of Memes

Image Macro

bad luck brian, kyle craven, ian davies, advice animal, yearbook photo, sweater vest, braces, archbishop hoban high school, reddit

A school photo paired with ironic misfortunes launched one of the most iconic image macros of the 2010s.

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Screenshot of Rick Astley in the 'Never Gonna Give You Up' music video

Rickrolling

Golden Age of Memes

Video Meme

4chan

rickroll, rick astley, never gonna give you up, bait and switch, 4chan, duckroll, grand theft auto iv, hyperlink, prank, youtube

A bait-and-switch prank where users are misled into watching Rick Astley's 'Never Gonna Give You Up' music video.

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Michael Jordan crying during 2009 Hall of Fame speech

Crying Jordan

Golden Age of Memes

Image Macro

Boxden.com

crying jordan, michael jordan, crying mj, basketball hall of fame, sports meme, photoshop, superimposition, stephan savoia, tears

A teary photo of Michael Jordan was used to express failure or emotional loss.

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Baby boy clenching fist with determined face

Success Kid

Golden Age of Memes

Image Macro

MySpace

success kid, sammy griner, laney griner, baby, fist pump, victory, i hate sandcastles, beach, sand, achievement, advice animal

A toddler clenching his fist became a symbol of personal victory and small wins.

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One Does Not Simply

Golden Age of Memes

Image Macro

Something Awful

boromir, sean bean, lord of the rings, peter jackson, mordor, fellowship of the ring, snowclone, phrasal template, catchphrase

A quote by Boromir from Lord of the Rings became a meme for describing difficult or unrealistic actions.

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Cat with caption asking for a cheeseburger

I Can Has Cheezburger?

Golden Age of Memes

Image Macro

Cheezburger

lolcats, happycat, cheezburger, eric nakagawa, kari unebasami, ben huh, lolspeak, image macro, cats, something awful

A photo of a British Shorthair cat with the caption 'I Can Has Cheezburger?' launched the LOLcat phenomenon and a massive meme website.

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Kimberly 'Sweet Brown' Wilkins animatedly recounting her experience escaping an apartment fire.

Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That

Golden Age of Memes

Video Meme

YouTube

sweet brown, kimberly wilkins, apartment fire, oklahoma city, bronchitis, lord jesus it's a fire, viral video, news interview, catchphrase

The meme originated from a 2012 televised interview, capturing Wilkins' expressive recounting of an apartment fire.

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Girl holding Goosebumps books with exaggerated braces face and pigtails

Ermahgerd

Golden Age of Memes

Image Macro

ermahgerd, berks, gersberms, goosebumps, books, reddit, image macro, broken english, lolspeak

Mimicking an excited speech impediment, “Ermahgerd” parodied over-the-top fandom through text and image.

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Chad

Contemporary Meme Culture

Image Macro

4chan

chad, virgin vs chad, gigachad, 4chan, r9k, alpha male, incel, masculine, meme, internet culture

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