# Popular memes, explained

Every popular meme we track: this week's trending memes and the older staples people still search. Each of these 79 popular memes has a page that explains what it means, where it came from and where it is in its life, with sources.

## Popular memes rising now

These popular memes are still gaining searches, so now is a good time to post them.

- [Biddy Blas (Scrib Doon)](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/biddy-blas-scrib-doon) (first seen Oct 6, 2026): Write it down. Tattoo it on your arm. Or just say "scrib doon" like he does.
- [Skyler Gisondo Smiling Meme](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/skyler-gisondo-smiling-meme) (first seen Sep 30, 2026): A pleasant young man, assigned a full biography by strangers.
- [Scientists Reveal the Hi (Cat Meme)](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/scientists-reveal-the-hi) (first seen May 28, 2026): Breaking: after years of research, the cat says hi.
- [Yung Lean Storm AI Trend](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/storm-yung-lean-ai-trend) (first seen Sep 2026): Everyone dances in perfect unison. You stand very still.
- [AI Halloween Costume Trend](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/ai-halloween-costume) (first seen Aug 2026): Try the costume on before you buy it. Or instead of buying it.
- [Malfoid (Female Draco Malfoy)](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/female-draco-malfoy) (first seen Sep 22, 2026): Same smirk, same platinum hair, same rivalry with Harry. Now she's a girl.
- [Shan Shen Bu (Shanshenbu, the Chinese Flash Step)](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/shan-shen-bu) (first seen Sep 2026): A dance professor calls the step. You use it to get out of the dishes.
- [Tralala SpongeBob (Tra La La)](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/tralala-spongebob) (first seen Oct 2, 2026): One banana, two banana, zero explanation.
- [Kyle Looking at Photo Meme (South Park Nostalgia)](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/kyle-looking-at-photo-meme) (first seen Oct 9, 2026): He's a grown man now. The meme he's mourning really isn't that old.
- [Alors on Danse Meme](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/alors-on-danse-meme) (first seen Sep 2026): One makes the song, one takes the credit. Now everyone wants to be in that white studio.
- [AI Game Merging](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/ai-game-merging) (first seen Sep 19, 2026): Minecraft in Elden Ring. Skateboards in Call of Duty. Nobody asked, everybody watched.
- [Black Cat Clapping Meme](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/black-cat-clapping-meme) (first seen Sep 25, 2026): A cat with human hands applauds your worst decision. Slowly.
- [Car Jump AI Trend](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/car-jump-ai-trend) (first seen Oct 2, 2026): Sit still, look bored, let a car fly over your head.
- [How Kids See Us Meme](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/how-kids-see-us-meme) (first seen Sep 19, 2026): You're 16, you eat cereal for dinner, and to a first grader you look like a wanted man.
- [Imagine Spinning Apples Meme](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/imagine-spinning-apples-meme) (first seen Apr 9, 2026): Picture an apple. Now picture three. You are a genius, apparently.
- [Ramalama Trend (Costume Walk)](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/ramalama-costume-walk-trend) (first seen Sep 30, 2026): Shoes first. Then the rest of the nightmare.
- [Mandem Style](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/mandem-style) (first seen Sep 26, 2026): Gangnam Style, but make it drill. Sasuke shrugs along.
- [Sey Mami Dance Trend](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/sey-mami-dance-trend) (first seen Aug 21, 2026): Nine seconds, one routine, the whole break room.
- [Turn To Your Neighbor and Say Meme](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/turn-to-your-neighbor-and-say) (first seen Sep 20, 2026): A gospel call-and-response, now the soundtrack to every fumble.
- [What's Up Brah Meme (Randy Marsh vs.)](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/whats-up-brah-meme) (first seen Oct 4, 2026): Arms out. Circling slowly. Absolutely no plan.
- [Arc'teryx Meme](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/arcteryx-meme) (first seen Sep 19, 2026): It's OK to cry. The jacket will handle it.
- [Baby You Buggin'](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/baby-you-buggin) (first seen Sep 30, 2026): One word, sung four ways, explained in full. TikTok took it from there.
- [Losercore Playlist Meme](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/losercore-playlist-meme) (first seen Jun 5, 2026): An ad for a sad-boy playlist, made by AI, roasted by everyone.

## Popular memes at their peak

Almost everyone gets these popular memes right now; post them before people tire of them.

- [K-Pop Demon Hunters Costume Trend](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/k-pop-demon-hunters-halloween-costumes) (first seen Sep 2026): Three friends, three wigs, zero arguments about the group costume this year.
- [Nicole Kidman Song Trend](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/nicole-kidman-adela-trend) (first seen Sep 4, 2026): Mouth a movie star's name. Cut to the outfit. The movie star mouths it back.
- [Flying Car Meme (We Got Flying Cars Before GTA 6)](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/flying-car-meme) (first seen Oct 15, 2026): Rockstar finally dated the game. A car jumped over other cars the same day.
- [Bulin 47 Dame Hombro Trend](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/bulin-47-dame-hombro-trend) (first seen Oct 2026): A fan with a speaker, a freestyle outside a restaurant, 65 million-plus views.
- [Rumpelstiltskin Meme (Tip Toein' In My Jordans)](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/rumpelstiltskin-tip-toe-meme) (first seen Aug 27, 2026): Not a lost 1980s movie. Just an AI imp who will not stop tiptoeing.
- [Remember November 2026 Is Coming (Polar Bear)](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/remember-november-2026-is-coming) (first seen Aug 28, 2026): A polar bear from 2023 promised you'd get the joke in November 2026. It's almost November.
- [AI Zombie Trend](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/ai-zombie-trend) (first seen Sep 2026): One of you turned. The other one can't do it.
- [Why Would I Deceive You Meme](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/why-would-i-deceive-you-meme) (first seen Sep 6, 2026): She is not lying. She would like you to stop asking.
- [October Is All About Me (Drake Lyric Trend)](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/october-is-all-about-me) (first seen Sep 2026): One line from a breakup verse. Every October, it becomes everyone's caption.
- [Cat With Sword Meme (Knight Cat)](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/cat-with-sword-meme) (first seen Aug 2026): Tiny armour, enormous sword, terrible weather. Ready for Monday.
- [Ghost Photoshoot Trend (Sheet Ghost)](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/ghost-photoshoot-trend) (first seen Sep 2026): One white bedsheet, two eye holes, a pair of sunglasses. Every October, again.
- [AI Gender Swap](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/ai-gender-swap) (first seen May 2019): Same face, other gender. Your twin you never had, in one photo.
- [Ber Months Meme](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/ber-months-meme) (first seen Sep 1, 2026): It's September 1. Someone you know has already put up a tree.
- [Burning Bridges AI Trend](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/burning-bridges-ai) (first seen Sep 19, 2026): One chandelier, one cup, one hand over the eyes. Still looking.
- [Ceiling Fan Trend](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/ceiling-fan-ai-trend) (first seen Sep 23, 2026): Every blade pass is a costume change. The fan is doing all the work.
- [Chud (Slang)](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/chud-meaning) (first seen Feb 2026): A 1984 sewer monster, now a word your kids probably use.
- [Pretty Little Liars Text Trend](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/pretty-little-liars-a-text-trend) (first seen Sep 2026): An anonymous stalker knows about your snack drawer. You open it anyway.
- [I Can't Do Nathan Meme](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/i-cant-do-nathan-meme) (first seen Aug 18, 2026): Nathan is not a person. Nathan is how you feel about first period.
- [Let's Groove Kronk Dance Meme](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/lets-groove-kronk-meme) (first seen Aug 30, 2026): Kronk and Miss Birdwell's bread-baking dance, redrawn for every fandom alive.
- [Mogging (Frame Mogged)](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/mogging-meaning) (first seen Feb 6, 2026): Your new phone mogs your old one. Sorry, old phone.
- [Pumpkin Head Trend](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/pumpkin-head-trend) (first seen Sep 2026): Every October, the internet swaps its head for a jack-o'-lantern. This year the pumpkin floats.
- [Things To Say Meme](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/things-to-say-meme) (first seen Aug 17, 2026): Terrible advice, delivered with total confidence.
- [Welcome to TechTok, Brother Meme](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/welcome-to-techtok-brother-meme) (first seen Aug 22, 2026): Join a corner of TikTok and an AI crowd will chant your name. Well, its name.
- [We're All Just Blocking the Street Meme](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/were-all-just-blocking-the-street-meme) (first seen Jul 17, 2026): A 2017 Family Guy cutaway, now the official anthem of slow walkers.
- [You're Blatantly Just Not Me Nan](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/youre-blatantly-just-not-me-nan) (first seen Aug 17, 2026): Nightcap, glasses, floral quilt. Still a dog.
- [I'm Feeling Tremendous Meme](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/im-feeling-tremendous-meme) (first seen Sep 8, 2026): Nobody claps when you finish a sentence. This sound pretends they do.

## Popular memes past their peak

Brands have found these popular memes, so they work best with your own twist.

- [Jimothy the Raccoon](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/jimothy-the-raccoon-meme) (first seen Jul 14, 2026): Short spine, long summer. Seattle has a new mascot.
- [Quiet on the Creek Meme](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/quiet-on-the-creek-meme) (first seen Jul 2026): Big news? Lovely. Tell no one. The fish are listening.
- [Ain't In LA Trend](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/aint-in-la-trend) (first seen Jul 2026): Not everyone gets to live in LA. Somebody has to film the school hallway.
- [La Peace Meme](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/la-peace-meme) (first seen Aug 16, 2026): It was lapis lazuli. It was also, somehow, enlightenment.
- [Gucci Morty Meme](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/gucci-morty-meme) (first seen Aug 16, 2026): Same Morty. New haircut, skinny jeans, a Gucci tee and unreasonable aura.
- [Jean Phil (Jean Philanthrope)](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/jean-phil) (first seen Sep 17, 2026): He has never said a word. He has shadowboxed in front of a Renaissance painting.
- [AI School Photo Trend (ChatGPT School Pictures)](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/ai-school-photo-trend) (first seen Sep 24, 2026): A plain wall, a phone and one prompt. The mottled blue backdrop does the rest.
- [Split Face Trend (You Look Like Your Mom)](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/split-face-trend) (first seen Aug 7, 2026): Half of you, half of your mom, one line down the middle. Everyone at Thanksgiving was right.
- [Chile Meme (Skinny Chile)](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/chile-meme) (first seen Sep 18, 2026): Long country, narrow country, very narrow car.
- [80s AI Photo Trend](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/80s-ai-photo-trend) (first seen Sep 2026): Same face, bigger hair, and a date stamp that says 1985.
- [Fart Goes the Butt Meme](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/fart-goes-the-butt-meme) (first seen Aug 2026): A country star teased a new song. The comment section wrote its own.
- [Gas Station Trend](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/gas-station-ai-trend) (first seen Sep 2026): Three friends, two open car doors, one dance by the pumps.
- [Grr Mondays Meme](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/grr-mondays-meme) (first seen Sep 4, 2026): A teddy bear's 2015 caption, now the official sound of the work week.
- [Hotel Lobby AI Trend](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/hotel-lobby-ai-trend) (first seen Sep 2026): Two people. One orange booth. Bars.
- [Kinda Chic Trend](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/kinda-chic-trend) (first seen Apr 27, 2026): Going to bed at nine is a look now. So is your age.
- [Nihilist Penguin Meme](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/nihilist-penguin-meme) (first seen Jan 16, 2026): One penguin leaves the group chat. Permanently.
- [Not Laughing Cow Meme](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/not-laughing-cow-meme) (first seen Sep 22, 2026): After more than 100 years of smiling, the cheese cow would like a word.
- [Punch the Monkey](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/punch-the-monkey-meme) (first seen Feb 3, 2026): Baby monkey, plush orangutan, the whole internet as his emotional support.
- [6-7 Meme](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/six-seven-meme) (first seen Dec 2024): It means nothing. Teachers would like it to mean less.
- [Bald Filter Prank](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/ai-bald-filter-trend) (first seen Sep 2020): Same face, no hair. The reaction is the whole video.
- [Earth Zoom Out](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/earth-zoom-out-ai-trend) (first seen Jun 23, 2025): It starts on your face and ends on the whole planet. Very humbling, very fast.

## Popular memes that are over

These popular memes have faded as trends, but people still search for them, so they're good to know.

- [Old Woman From Widow's Bay Meme](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/old-woman-from-widows-bay-meme) (first seen Jul 9, 2026): Gather round, children. We had a whole room just for computers.
- [Raindance AI Trend](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/raindance-ai-trend) (first seen Sep 30, 2026): Golden hour, the water, a love song sung straight at the camera.
- [Cat in the Hat Serial Killer Trend](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/cat-in-the-hat-serial-killer-trend) (first seen Aug 18, 2026): Police would like everyone to know the Cat in the Hat is not in Curracloe.
- [Halloweenposting (Spookyposting)](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/halloweenposting-spookyposting) (first seen Oct 4, 2024): Take any meme. Add a pumpkin. Change one word to "witch". Post.
- [Marvel's Wolverine Fart Gas Meme](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/marvels-wolverine-fart-gas-meme) (first seen Sep 10, 2026): Logan's super senses, as seen by everyone else: a blue cloud pointing the way.
- [Niu Lai Cow Movie Meme](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/niu-lai-cow-movie-meme) (first seen Aug 5, 2026): A stiff little calf, a dream about courage and, somehow, a box-office hit.
- [Thoughts On Lanterns Meme](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/thoughts-on-lanterns-meme) (first seen Sep 4, 2026): Two Green Lanterns walk down a road. Then they're SpongeBob and Patrick.
- [US Open Fist Pump vs. Racket Smash Meme](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/us-open-fist-pump-racket-smash-meme) (first seen Aug 31, 2026): Winning and losing, framed like a movie poster.
- [Hug Your Younger Self AI Trend](https://viralmeme.ai/meme/hug-your-younger-self-ai-trend) (first seen Sep 15, 2025): Grown-up you, kid you, white curtains and one long hug.

## Questions about popular memes

### What are the most popular memes right now?

The most popular memes right now, by US search interest on Oct 17, 2026, are Jimothy the Raccoon, Biddy Blas (Scrib Doon), and the K-Pop Demon Hunters Costume Trend. The board ranks all 20 of this week's popular memes with their 24-hour change.

### What are the popular memes of 2026?

Popular memes of 2026 so far include Jimothy the Raccoon, Biddy Blas (Scrib Doon), the K-Pop Demon Hunters Costume Trend, and the Nicole Kidman Song Trend. This library has 73 popular memes first seen in 2026, and each page gives the date it was first seen.

### What are popular memes to dress up as for Halloween?

Popular memes to dress up as for Halloween include the K-Pop Demon Hunters Costume Trend, the AI Halloween Costume Trend, Ghost Photoshoot Trend (Sheet Ghost), and Ramalama Trend (Costume Walk). Their pages explain each one and how people post it.

### What are popular meme songs right now?

Popular memes built on a song or a sound right now include the Nicole Kidman Song Trend, the Quiet on the Creek Meme, the Ain't In LA Trend, Rumpelstiltskin Meme (Tip Toein' In My Jordans), and the Pretty Little Liars Text Trend. Each page says where the sound comes from and how people use it.

### What are popular TikTok memes right now?

72 of the 79 popular memes in this library spread on TikTok, according to their sources. The most searched popular memes on TikTok this week are Jimothy the Raccoon, Biddy Blas (Scrib Doon), and the Nicole Kidman Song Trend.

### What are popular memes to recreate with friends?

Popular memes to recreate with friends or a partner include the K-Pop Demon Hunters Costume Trend, the Nicole Kidman Song Trend, the Bulin 47 Dame Hombro Trend, and the AI Zombie Trend. Each page explains who is usually in it and how the format works.

### What are popular memes with animals?

Popular memes with animals right now include Jimothy the Raccoon, Scientists Reveal the Hi (Cat Meme), the AI Zombie Trend, and AI Gender Swap. Animal clips turn into popular memes when people add their own captions, sounds or pets.

### What are the most popular memes of all time?

We track popular memes from the last few years rather than all of internet history. The oldest popular memes in this library that people still search are AI Gender Swap, Bald Filter Prank, and Halloweenposting (Spookyposting), and each page says when it was first seen.

### What does popular meme mean?

A popular meme is a joke, image, sound or video format that lots of people recognize and reuse. Some popular memes last for years as staples; others trend hard for a short time and then fade.

### Where do popular memes come from?

Popular memes come from everywhere: a TV scene, a livestream, an animal video, a song lyric or an AI photo trend. Each popular meme page here tells its origin with dated sources, from the first post to the moment it spread.

### Are memes still popular?

Yes. Memes are still popular, and new ones take off every week on TikTok, Instagram Reels, X and Reddit. Because popular memes rise and fade quickly, every page here shows its stage.

### How do you decide which memes are popular?

We measure popular memes by search interest: each board ranks this week's memes by US Google Trends data from the last full day, and every meme in the library keeps a stage from early to over. Our guide to how memes go viral explains the method.

### Which popular memes can I make with my own photo?

The popular memes built for your own photo include the Bulin 47 Dame Hombro Trend, the AI Zombie Trend, the AI Halloween Costume Trend, the 80s AI Photo Trend, AI Gender Swap, and the Alors on Danse Meme. Their Make button shows the price, 5 credits for an image or 10 for a short video, and whether making is open yet.