The Memes of 2023
Pink, black, and a toilet that sings
Short Video and Brainrot, 2021–2026
Barbie and Oppenheimer opened on the same day, 21 July, and audiences turned the coincidence into an event. A series of YouTube shorts about singing toilets became a phenomenon among young viewers, and baffled almost everyone else.
Platforms shifted underneath: Reddit communities went dark in protest in June, Threads launched on 5 July, and Twitter was renamed X at the end of the month.
Top memes of 2023
2 memes in the archive peaked this year, and 2 first went viral.
1Skibidi Toilet
46/100−9%Falling2023Peaked in 2023
2Barbenheimer
14/100−1%Falling2023Peaked in 2023
3Wojak
57/100+9%Rising2009Peaked in 2020
2023, month by month
The leading memes of the year on one scale, 0 to 100. The yellow dot marks each one’s highest month.
Skibidi Toilet
Skibidi Toilet: Feb 4, Mar 21, Apr 36, May 48, Jun 56, Jul 67, Aug 74, Sep 89, Oct 95, Nov 90, Dec 85 Barbenheimer
Barbenheimer: Mar 6, Apr 14, May 19, Jun 40, Jul 91, Aug 62, Sep 24, Oct 21, Nov 18, Dec 16 Wojak
Wojak: Jan 61, Feb 59, Mar 59, Apr 58, May 55, Jun 60, Jul 57, Aug 58, Sep 58, Oct 56, Nov 54, Dec 57 Stonks
Stonks: Jan 53, Feb 51, Mar 52, Apr 52, May 48, Jun 51, Jul 52, Aug 50, Sep 48, Oct 47, Nov 49, Dec 47 Gigachad
Gigachad: Jan 50, Feb 48, Mar 50, Apr 47, May 47, Jun 48, Jul 48, Aug 50, Sep 46, Oct 47, Nov 49, Dec 48 This Is Fine
This Is Fine: Jan 44, Feb 45, Mar 45, Apr 44, May 44, Jun 44, Jul 44, Aug 44, Sep 44, Oct 44, Nov 44, Dec 44
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.
An 11-second video. Alexey Gerasimov uploads the first Skibidi Toilet clip.
Episodes. New instalments build a serialised story told in short clips.
Same day, different worlds. Fans notice two films with opposite tones opening on the same date.
The first posters. Edited posters combine the two films’ imagery.
Weekly new emotes. The game keeps adding emotes, though the cultural peak has passed.
A staple. Remains a standard way to illustrate an argument going nowhere.
Most viewed. The channel becomes the most-viewed in the United States that month.
The double feature. Audiences plan to see both on the same day, in costume.
Opening weekend. The two films open together to large audiences.
A moment passes. The pairing fades, though the phrase remains.
A phenomenon. The series is widely described as the year’s biggest online phenomenon.
My new character. The artwork is posted and then shared on Instagram Reels.
What kind of memes
Categories across the memes active in 2023.