# Know This Meme

> What does that meme mean? Clear explanations of internet memes and slang: what they mean, where they came from, and how to use them.

Know This Meme (knowthismeme.com) is an independent, English-language meme encyclopedia, not affiliated with Know Your Meme (knowyourmeme.com) or any other meme reference site. Every entry follows the same structure: quick answer, origin, examples, literal vs. intended translation, and FAQ. All content is free to read — there is no pricing or paywall.

## Pages

- [llms-full.txt](https://knowthismeme.com/llms-full.txt): Every published meme entry with full text, in one document
- [Home](https://knowthismeme.com): Landing page
- [Memes](https://knowthismeme.com/memes): Meme meanings, origins and examples
- [Image macros (category)](https://knowthismeme.com/categories/image-macro): What is an image macro? The captioned-picture meme format explained, plus the meaning and origin of every image macro in our library, from Advice Dog to Stonks.
- [Video memes (category)](https://knowthismeme.com/categories/video): Video memes explained: what each clip means, where the original footage came from, and why it spread — from Rickroll to Nyan Cat and beyond.
- [Slang (category)](https://knowthismeme.com/categories/slang): Internet slang explained in plain English: what terms like rizz and brainrot actually mean, where they started, and how to use them without sounding off.
- [Rage comics (category)](https://knowthismeme.com/categories/rage-comics): Rage comics explained: the MS Paint era of meme history — what each rage face means, where the characters came from, and why the format ruled 2008–2012.
- [Reaction memes (category)](https://knowthismeme.com/categories/reaction): Reaction memes explained: the images people post instead of writing a reply — what each one means, where it came from, and when it fits.
- [Music memes (category)](https://knowthismeme.com/categories/music): Music memes explained: the songs and audio clips that turned into running jokes — what each one means, where it came from, and how it is used.
- [AI memes (category)](https://knowthismeme.com/categories/ai): AI memes explained: jokes about chatbots, hallucinations and generated images — what each one means, what it was made with, and where it first spread.
- [Memes of the 2000s](https://knowthismeme.com/years/2000s): The memes that built internet humor from 2000 to 2009 — what each one means, where it started, and why it still shows up today.
- [Memes of the 2010s](https://knowthismeme.com/years/2010s): The defining memes of the 2010s — what each one means, where it started, and the context to know before you use it. From Doge to Stonks.
- [Memes of the 2020s](https://knowthismeme.com/years/2020s): The memes defining the 2020s — what each one means, where it started, and how it is used. New entries added continuously.
- [What is this meme?](https://knowthismeme.com/tools/what-is-this-meme): A tool page for identifying a meme from a description, with a three-step method
- [About](https://knowthismeme.com/about): What Know This Meme is and how entries are made
- [Contact](https://knowthismeme.com/contact): How to reach Know This Meme: corrections, suggestions, copyright requests

## Memes

- [Draw 25](https://knowthismeme.com/memes/uno-draw-25-cards): UNO Draw 25 meaning: the 2020 two-panel card meme where someone refuses an easy option and would rather draw 25 — origin and examples.
- [Waiting Skeleton](https://knowthismeme.com/memes/waiting-skeleton): Waiting Skeleton meaning: the skeleton-on-a-bench meme for waiting so long you have died — origin from "waiting for OP" and how it is used today.
- [Rage Comics](https://knowthismeme.com/memes/rage-comics): Rage comics meaning: the 2008 MS Paint comic format and its cast of rage faces — what each face means, where it started, and every face in our library explained.
- [Pablo Escobar Waiting](https://knowthismeme.com/memes/sad-pablo-escobar): Pablo Escobar Waiting (Sad Pablo Escobar) meaning: the 2016 three-panel Narcos meme for the bleak boredom of waiting — origin and examples.
- [Always Has Been](https://knowthismeme.com/memes/always-has-been): Always Has Been meme meaning: the two-astronaut format where one discovers an absurd truth and the other, gun raised, admits it was always so.
- [It's Finally Autism](https://knowthismeme.com/memes/its-finally-autism): Why is everyone captioning autumn leaves "it's finally autism"? The 2024 borzoi photo, the typo that launched a season of meme redraws, and why it stuck.
- [Absolute Cinema](https://knowthismeme.com/memes/absolute-cinema): Absolute Cinema meaning: the Martin Scorsese reaction image calling something peak cinema — sincere for sports drama, ironic for everything else.
- [Hotel Lobby AI](https://knowthismeme.com/memes/hotel-lobby-ai): Hotel Lobby AI meaning: the 2026 trend that face-swaps any two people into Quavo and Takeoff's 2022 COLORS performance — origin, tools, and the backlash.
- [Left Exit 12 Off-Ramp](https://knowthismeme.com/memes/left-exit-12-off-ramp): Left Exit 12 Off-Ramp is the drifting-car template for swerving toward the tempting option instead of the sensible one.
- [Running Away Balloon](https://knowthismeme.com/memes/running-away-balloon): Running Away Balloon is the two-panel webcomic of a goal drifting out of reach — the meme for things you can't quite get.
- [I Am Once Again Asking for Your Financial Support](https://knowthismeme.com/memes/bernie-sanders-once-again-asking): Bernie Sanders' 2019 "I am once again asking" line became the internet's template for every repeat request — money, upvotes, help.
- [Epic Handshake](https://knowthismeme.com/memes/epic-handshake): Epic Handshake meaning: the Predator (1987) forearm-clasp template with two labeled arms agreeing on one shared thing — origin and caption guide.
- [Gru's Plan](https://knowthismeme.com/memes/grus-plan): Gru's Plan is the four-panel Despicable Me format where the last panel reveals the plan backfired on the planner himself.
- [For the Better, Right?](https://knowthismeme.com/memes/anakin-padme-4-panel): For the Better, Right? is the Anakin/Padme four-panel: a hopeful question repeated against one silent, sinister answer.
- [Wojak](https://knowthismeme.com/memes/wojak): Wojak — aka Feels Guy — is the simple bald MS Paint man from 2009–2010 who became the internet's face for every mood and archetype.
- [SpongeBob in Handcuffs](https://knowthismeme.com/memes/spongebob-in-handcuffs): SpongeBob in Handcuffs is the 2017 SpongeBob screenshot with oversized cuffs, used to mock people trapped in trivial, self-made situations.
- [Ew, I Stepped in Shit](https://knowthismeme.com/memes/ew-i-stepped-in-shit): Ew, I Stepped in Shit is the 2013 LOLnein comic whose blank shoe sole turns any opinion into the mess you just stepped in.
- [Brainrot](https://knowthismeme.com/memes/brainrot): Brainrot is internet slang for low-effort, endlessly repeated online content — Oxford's Word of the Year 2024.
- [Overly Attached Girlfriend](https://knowthismeme.com/memes/overly-attached-girlfriend): Overly Attached Girlfriend is Laina Morris's wide-eyed stare from a 2012 Justin Bieber parody, used for jokes about clingy, all-consuming relationships.
- [Scumbag Steve](https://knowthismeme.com/memes/scumbag-steve): Scumbag Steve meaning: the 2011 backwards-cap image macro for that one selfish friend everyone has — origin, caption format, and examples.
- [Socially Awkward Penguin](https://knowthismeme.com/memes/socially-awkward-penguin): Socially Awkward Penguin meaning: the 2009 advice animal for small, cringey social blunders — the counterpart to Good Guy Greg. Origin and examples.
- [Success Kid](https://knowthismeme.com/memes/success-kid): Success Kid is the fist-clenching beach baby photo used to celebrate small victories — one of the internet's favorite reaction images.
- [Trollface](https://knowthismeme.com/memes/trollface): Trollface is the smug MS Paint drawing from 2008 that became the universal symbol of trolling, always captioned 'Problem?'
- [Nyan Cat](https://knowthismeme.com/memes/nyan-cat): Nyan Cat is the 2011 Pop-Tart cat flying through space trailing a rainbow — one of the most-viewed and most wholesome viral videos of its year.
- [One Does Not Simply](https://knowthismeme.com/memes/one-does-not-simply): 'One does not simply…' is the Boromir snowclone from Lord of the Rings, used to explain why an obvious-sounding plan is secretly impossible.
- [Dramatic Chipmunk](https://knowthismeme.com/memes/dramatic-chipmunk): Dramatic Chipmunk is the five-second 2007 clip of a prairie dog turning to stare as dramatic music hits — an early template for reaction edits.
- [Forever Alone](https://knowthismeme.com/memes/forever-alone): Forever Alone meaning: the 2010 rage-comics face for joking about being single and unwanted — origin, the crying face's roots, and how it is used today.
- [The Most Interesting Man in the World](https://knowthismeme.com/memes/most-interesting-man): The Most Interesting Man in the World gives us 'I don't always X, but when I do, Y' — the Dos Equis macro for deadpan personal rules.
- [Ancient Aliens](https://knowthismeme.com/memes/ancient-aliens): Ancient Aliens meaning: Giorgio A. Tsoukalos and the "but it was aliens" image macro — its History series origin and how captions put it to work.
- [Bad Luck Brian](https://knowthismeme.com/memes/bad-luck-brian): Bad Luck Brian is the awkward yearbook photo meme where everything in the caption goes humiliatingly wrong for the kid in the sweater vest.
- [Advice Dog](https://knowthismeme.com/memes/advice-dog): Advice Dog is the 2006 puppy-on-a-color-wheel macro giving terrible advice — the template behind the whole advice animal genre.
- [Numa Numa](https://knowthismeme.com/memes/numa-numa): Numa Numa is Gary Brolsma's 2004 webcam dance to "Dragostea din Tei" — one of the first truly global viral videos.
- [Star Wars Kid](https://knowthismeme.com/memes/star-wars-kid): Star Wars Kid is the 2002 school-video of a teen swinging a golf-ball retriever like a lightsaber — one of the first viral videos.
- [Chocolate Rain](https://knowthismeme.com/memes/chocolate-rain): Chocolate Rain is Tay Zonday's 2007 viral music video — a baritone performance whose delivery became as famous as its lyrics.
- [LOLcats](https://knowthismeme.com/memes/lolcats): LOLcats are cat photos captioned in deliberate baby-talk misspellings — the 2007 format behind "I Can Has Cheezburger?".
- [O RLY?](https://knowthismeme.com/memes/o-rly): "O RLY?" is a snowy-owl reaction macro from 2006 — sarcastic "oh really?" used to mock a claim someone doubts.
- [All Your Base Are Belong To Us](https://knowthismeme.com/memes/all-your-base-are-belong-to-us): "All your base are belong to us" is a mistranslated line from the 1991 game Zero Wing and one of the internet's first memes.
- [Rizz](https://knowthismeme.com/memes/rizz): 'Rizz' is slang for charisma — specifically the skill of charming a romantic interest. It went mainstream in 2023 through Kai Cenat and was crowned Oxford Word of the Year.
- [Rickroll](https://knowthismeme.com/memes/rickroll): Rickrolling is a bait-and-switch prank where a link promises something interesting but opens Rick Astley's 1987 music video 'Never Gonna Give You Up' instead.
- [Stonks](https://knowthismeme.com/memes/stonks): 'Stonks' is a deliberate misspelling of 'stocks', mocking absurd financial decisions — classically paired with a grey, featureless statue-like figure holding an upward arrow.
- [Doge](https://knowthismeme.com/memes/doge): Doge meaning: the 2010 Shiba Inu meme in broken Comic Sans — "such wow, much sad" — where it started, how it peaked, and why it spawned Dogecoin.