MA-0027 · first seen 26 September 2017
Fortnite Dances
Dance emotes from a battle royale game that spilled out of the screen and into every playground.
- Status
- ClassicPeaked more than five years ago
- Trend score
- 28/100Estimated
- Change, 90 days
- −2%Estimated
- Peak
- 88Jul 2018
- Years active
- 10Index of 30 or more
- First seen
- 201726 September 2017
Popularity over time
Monthly attention from Sep 2017 to Oct 2026. Hover or tab through the chart for each month.
- First appearance
- Went viral
- Peak
- Decline
Attention index, 0 to 100 on one scale for the whole archive. Estimated from each meme’s key dates, not measured.
About
Fortnite Battle Royale launched on 26 September 2017. Its dance emotes, short moves that players could buy and perform in the game, quickly became its signature. The Floss, Orange Justice and others were recreated by children in schools and sports stadiums throughout 2018.
The craze raised questions about authorship. In December 2018 several performers who had popularised moves, including Backpack Kid and 2 Milly, sued the game’s maker over the use of their dances, setting off a debate about whether choreography can be copyrighted.
Origin
Dance emotes introduced in Fortnite Battle Royale, which launched on 26 September 2017.
26 September 2017
Viralization
Streamers and children imitated the emotes through 2018, from playgrounds to professional sports.
2018
Peak
Estimated peak in summer 2018.
Jul 2018
Timeline
From the first post to where it stands today.
Origin
Battle Royale launches
Fortnite Battle Royale is released with dance emotes among its cosmetic items.
Early adoption
Streamers show off
Streamers and YouTubers popularise the emotes in their videos.
Viral
In the playground
Children and athletes imitate the dances outside the game.
Peak
A cultural moment
The dances appear in sports, television and school halls worldwide.
Decline
Who owns a dance?
Several performers file lawsuits against the game’s publisher over the use of their moves.
Current
Weekly new emotes
The game keeps adding emotes, though the cultural peak has passed.
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