Memes & Phenomena
Articles on memes and broader online phenomena that originated on or were popularized by imageboards.
Where Did the '67' Meme Come From? Origin Explained
The '67' (or '6 7') meme exploded in 2024-2025. Trace its origin, the source clip, and how it spread across TikTok and chans.
Where Did the Chill Guy Meme Come From? Origin Explained
The Chill Guy meme — a smug cartoon dog in a sweater — took over feeds in late 2024. Here's where it came from.
Where Did 'Absolute Cinema' Come From? Meme Origin
The 'Absolute Cinema' meme pairs a Scorsese photo with sweeping music. Here's the origin of the phrase and image.
Where Did the Lizard Meme Come From? Origin Explained
The lizard meme is everywhere. Trace its origin clip, how it spread across TikTok and X, and what makes it stick.
'Can He Beat the Allegations?' Meme Origin Explained
'Can he beat the allegations?' became a 2024 viral phrase. Trace the origin clip and how it spread.
Pepe the Frog
Comic character created by artist Matt Furie in 2005 that became one of the most widespread, and contested, internet memes of the 2010s.
Rage Comics
User-generated four-panel comic format that dominated the imageboard and Reddit meme economy from 2008 to roughly 2013.
Anonymous (collective)
Loosely organized hacktivist movement that emerged from 4chan in the late 2000s, famous for Project Chanology.
Rickrolling
Bait-and-switch internet prank in which a hyperlink leads to the music video for Rick Astley's 1987 song 'Never Gonna Give You Up'.
Lolcats and Image Macros
Cat photos with overlaid captions in broken English; the format that established image macros as the dominant meme genre of the 2000s.
Doge
Image-macro meme based on a 2010 photograph of a Shiba Inu named Kabosu, popular from 2013 onward.