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.
image-macro2010
Decade
Memes of the 2010s
The 2010s were the image-macro decade: social platforms standardized the formats, and a meme could go from one subreddit to every timeline in a week. Most entries below are captioned images whose meanings are now permanent internet vocabulary. Each entry covers the meaning, the origin story with dates, and how the meme is used today.
41 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.
rage-comic2010
The Most Interesting Man in the World
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.
image-macro2010
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.
image-macro2010
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.
image-macro2011
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.
video2011
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.
image-macro2011
Scumbag Steve
Scumbag Steve meaning: the 2011 backwards-cap image macro for that one selfish friend everyone has — origin, caption format, and examples.
image-macro2011
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.
image-macro2012
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.
image-macro2012
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.
image-macro2013
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.
image-macro2016
Pablo Escobar Waiting
Pablo Escobar Waiting (Sad Pablo Escobar) meaning: the 2016 three-panel Narcos meme for the bleak boredom of waiting — origin and examples.
image-macro2016
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.
image-macro2017
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.
image-macro2017
SpongeBob in Handcuffs
SpongeBob in Handcuffs is the 2017 SpongeBob screenshot with oversized cuffs, used to mock people trapped in trivial, self-made situations.
image-macro2017
Epic Handshake
Epic Handshake meaning: the Predator (1987) forearm-clasp template with two labeled arms agreeing on one shared thing — origin and caption guide.
image-macro2018
Gru's Plan
Gru's Plan is the four-panel Despicable Me format where the last panel reveals the plan backfired on the planner himself.
image-macro2018
I Am Once Again Asking for Your Financial Support
Bernie Sanders' 2019 "I am once again asking" line became the internet's template for every repeat request — money, upvotes, help.
image-macro2019
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.
image-macro2019