The Memes of 2026
The archive’s most recent year
Short Video and Brainrot, 2021–2026
This is the year in progress. The index here is estimated as of October 2026, and the numbers show how the memes of the last two years are holding up, not what has just happened.
On that estimate the loudest memes of 2025 are still circulating, and the curve for each shows how quickly their attention has settled.
Top memes of 2026
No meme in the archive peaked this year. These were the strongest still circulating.
1Six Seven
74/100+5%Hot2024Peaked in 2025
2Italian Brainrot
68/100−2%Hot2025Peaked in 2025
3Doge
63/100+14%Hot2010Peaked in 2013
2026, month by month
The leading memes of the year on one scale, 0 to 100. The yellow dot marks each one’s highest month.
Six Seven
Six Seven: Jan 80, Feb 76, Mar 75, Apr 76, May 75, Jun 72, Jul 70, Aug 71, Sep 73, Oct 74 Italian Brainrot
Italian Brainrot: Jan 72, Feb 72, Mar 74, Apr 72, May 74, Jun 70, Jul 69, Aug 69, Sep 68, Oct 68 Doge
Doge: Jan 61, Feb 60, Mar 57, Apr 58, May 59, Jun 60, Jul 55, Aug 58, Sep 60, Oct 63 Wojak
Wojak: Jan 54, Feb 53, Mar 55, Apr 56, May 55, Jun 57, Jul 52, Aug 54, Sep 55, Oct 57 Stonks
Stonks: Jan 53, Feb 51, Mar 54, Apr 53, May 56, Jun 56, Jul 51, Aug 53, Sep 55, Oct 57 Gigachad
Gigachad: Jan 52, Feb 52, Mar 52, Apr 53, May 54, Jun 54, Jul 50, Aug 52, Sep 53, Oct 55
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.
Wearing thin. Adults begin using the phrase to mock it, a classic sign of a meme’s peak.
Evergreen. Still the default way to draw an uncomfortable feeling.
Still quoted. Players still reply to “Creeper?” with the expected line.
Still fine. Continues to appear whenever things are not.
Still on the board. Resurfaces whenever markets do something unexpected.
A stock character. Remains a standard image for exaggerated confidence.
Permanent vocabulary. “Sus”, “impostor” and “emergency meeting” are part of everyday slang.
Lingering vocabulary. “Skibidi” survives as a nonsense word used by young people and adults mocking them.
Still chanted. On the October 2026 estimate, still one of the most active slang memes in the archive.
Still circulating. On the October 2026 estimate, still one of the most active meme universes in the archive.
What kind of memes
Categories across the memes active in 2026.