The Memes of 2022
Five letters a day
Short Video and Brainrot, 2021–2026
The New York Times bought Wordle on 31 January. In March, Will Smith struck Chris Rock at the Oscars and the clip was remade within minutes. In October, Twitter’s takeover closed, and the platform’s rules and branding began to change.
On 30 November, OpenAI released ChatGPT. Within a week the Internet had a new source of screenshots to share and joke about.
Top memes of 2022
1 meme in the archive peaked this year.
2022, month by month
The leading memes of the year on one scale, 0 to 100. The yellow dot marks each one’s highest month.
Wordle
Wordle: Jan 88, Feb 76, Mar 58, Apr 53, May 49, Jun 44, Jul 42, Aug 43, Sep 42, Oct 39, Nov 39, Dec 38 Wojak
Wojak: Jan 65, Feb 64, Mar 63, Apr 63, May 63, Jun 62, Jul 62, Aug 61, Sep 62, Oct 60, Nov 58, Dec 61 Gigachad
Gigachad: Jan 61, Feb 61, Mar 59, Apr 55, May 53, Jun 56, Jul 55, Aug 55, Sep 53, Oct 51, Nov 50, Dec 50 Stonks
Stonks: Jan 51, Feb 50, Mar 50, Apr 53, May 54, Jun 54, Jul 54, Aug 54, Sep 53, Oct 53, Nov 53, Dec 53 This Is Fine
This Is Fine: Jan 50, Feb 52, Mar 51, Apr 46, May 47, Jun 49, Jul 49, Aug 44, Sep 48, Oct 46, Nov 46, Dec 44 Doge
Doge: Jan 45, Feb 43, Mar 41, Apr 39, May 38, Jun 38, Jul 38, Aug 39, Sep 37, Oct 38, Nov 39, Dec 38
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.
A daily ritual. The game reaches millions of daily players.
The New York Times. The newspaper announces it has bought Wordle.
A base layer. The original face becomes a template for hundreds of variants and parodies.
A reference point. Memes about creepers stay a staple of Minecraft culture.
Standard shorthand. No longer a trend, but a permanent part of the reaction image vocabulary.
A standing template. Used whenever a choice is being presented as temptation.
Standard slang. The phrase remains understood and is still used in generational arguments.
A standard format. Still the first template many people reach for to show a preference.
A permanent word. The term outlives the image and enters everyday finance jokes.
Wearing off. The meme fades, though the show remains a popular reference.
Saturation. Brands and parodies take over from the original users.
What kind of memes
Categories across the memes active in 2022.