The Memes of 2020
A year spent indoors, online
Feeds and Algorithms, 2016–2020
The World Health Organization declared a pandemic on 11 March, and for months almost every meme was about being at home. Ghanaian pallbearers dancing to a pop track became the Internet’s dark shorthand for risk, and a Netflix series about big-cat owners took over the spring.
In the autumn, a game released two years earlier became a sensation as friends played it remotely, and its crewmates were soon everywhere.
Top memes of 2020
4 memes in the archive peaked this year, and 2 first went viral.
1Among Us
33/100+2%Classic2018Peaked in 2020
2Coffin Dance
21/1000%Classic2003Peaked in 2020
3Wojak
57/100+9%Rising2009Peaked in 2020
2020, month by month
The leading memes of the year on one scale, 0 to 100. The yellow dot marks each one’s highest month.
Among Us
Among Us: Jan 4, Feb 4, Mar 4, Apr 6, May 7, Jun 10, Jul 28, Aug 52, Sep 79, Oct 96, Nov 85, Dec 70 Coffin Dance
Coffin Dance: Jan 15, Feb 30, Mar 63, Apr 85, May 63, Jun 46, Jul 48, Aug 46, Sep 52, Oct 52, Nov 51, Dec 48 Wojak
Wojak: Jan 75, Feb 78, Mar 78, Apr 78, May 78, Jun 78, Jul 77, Aug 77, Sep 78, Oct 76, Nov 78, Dec 73 This Is Fine
This Is Fine: Jan 74, Feb 73, Mar 74, Apr 75, May 72, Jun 71, Jul 73, Aug 73, Sep 72, Oct 69, Nov 65, Dec 61 Gigachad
Gigachad: Jan 31, Feb 32, Mar 32, Apr 34, May 35, Jun 38, Jul 41, Aug 45, Sep 52, Oct 59, Nov 63, Dec 70 Woman Yelling at Cat
Woman Yelling at Cat: Jan 57, Feb 58, Mar 57, Apr 52, May 52, Jun 51, Jul 50, Aug 48, Sep 51, Oct 46, Nov 50, Dec 46
Attention index, 0 to 100 on one scale for the whole archive. Estimated from each meme’s key dates, not measured.
Timeline
Dated moments from the memes above, in order.
Feels Good Man. A documentary about Pepe and his creator premieres at the Sundance Film Festival.
Astronomia. Videos of the pallbearers are paired with an electronic dance track and spread on TikTok.
Hearthstone legend. The character is a Legendary card in Blizzard’s Hearthstone and a staple reference for impulsive play.
Everything is on fire. It surges again at the start of a year of global disruption.
A new set of concerns. Attention shifts away as the pandemic reshapes everything online.
The pandemic joke. The format is added to videos of dangerous mistakes across the Internet.
Meme of the Year. It wins Meme of the Year at the 12th Shorty Awards.
Fatigue. The joke wears thin as the pandemic drags on.
A shared reference. Remembered as the shortest, brightest spike of the 2010s.
Streamers find it. Twitch streamers begin playing, and its social deduction format makes for great viewing.
Everyone is sus. The game explodes in popularity, along with the memes and slang it generates.
A revival. News of a COVID-19 outbreak at the White House brings the format back.
Congress plays. Two US representatives stream a game on Twitch to a vast live audience.
What kind of memes
Categories across the memes active in 2020.