No matter how messy life gets, the internet will always find a way to laugh at it. Whether you were sneakily laughing during a boring Zoom meeting or doomscrolling through your feed, these viral memes defined the year. Here’s our roundup of the memes that dominated our screens and our group chats this year.
Very Demure, Very Mindful
What It’s About: Exaggerating the idea of being “modest” to absurd, hilarious levels.
Transperson Jools Lebron shared a 40-second TikTok video of her office makeup look that she described as "very demure, very mindful." Users shared her clip on other social platforms and the phrase took off.
2-3 hari cari baru jumpa video original very demure very mindful. Menyesal cari pic.twitter.com/hl3nI6PSmj
— 🔺meingl🔻 (@meinmokhtar) August 24, 2024
Cue side-by-side images of ridiculously flamboyant outfits or chaotic scenarios with the caption, “Me at family functions: very demure.” Bonus points to Indian wedding memes: “She’s very demure,” paired with a bride decked out in enough gold to rival a jewellery store’s inventory.
Yusuf Dikeç's Swag Pose
What It’s About: Turkish shooter Yusuf Dikeç's relaxed, hand-in-pocket stance at the Paris Olympics that went viral for its effortless cool.
Yusuf Dikeç didn’t just win a silver medal at the Paris Olympics, he also claimed the title of “most laid-back athlete ever.” He played standing casually with left hand in his pocket, the right holding his pistol, while exuding the vibe of someone waiting for their Uber after a big night out. Social media turned him into the ultimate symbol of “cool under pressure.” Internet users repurposed the pose for hilarious scenarios: “When you’re explaining to your parents why Arts is a legit career choice.” Even Elon Musk joined in the fun. Dikeç’s iconic stance was proof that winning second place can still mean striking gold in meme culture.
Orange Peel Theory
What It’s About: The internet's romanticized idea that peeling an orange for your partner proves true love, and then hilariously debunking it.
The Orange Peel Theory began as a wholesome TikTok about partners peeling oranges for each other as a sign of affection. But leave it to the internet to turn it into pure chaos. Memes showed people angrily chucking unpeeled oranges at one another with captions like, “Peel it yourself, I’m not your therapist!” The Indian memesters declared: “If they can’t peel a Mosambi for you, are they even worth the dowry negotiations?”
Bado Badi
What It’s About: The meme originated from a song by British-Pakistani artist Chahat Fateh Ali Khan, which is a rendition of the original song Akh Lari Bado-Badi by Pakistani playback singer Noor Jehan.
The internet loved the song so bad, it's good. The song went viral on Instagram with people using it in hilarious scenarios about joint families and nosy relatives.
Chin Tapak Dam Dam
What It’s About: It’s not every day that a villain from a kids’ animated show becomes a motivational icon, but here we are. Chhota Bheem’s antagonist Takia and his melodious catchphrase “Chin Tapak Dam Dam” has officially graduated from cartoon lore to meme royalty.
Whether it’s about acing a Wordle on the first try or finally finding the remote after a two-hour search, this meme is the go-to template for celebrating life’s smallest wins. Imagine Takia’s mischievous chant layered over captions like “When you realize the exam question you skipped wasn’t worth any marks.” Add to that a clip of him gleefully causing chaos, and boom: you’ve got the perfect meme for everything from “found WiFi at the airport” moments to “avoided doing the dishes by ‘forgetting.’” In 2024, “Chin Tapak Dam Dam” became our anthem for petty triumphs.
Ew Brother, What's That?
What It’s About: Sometimes, a single line can unite the world in collective cringe, and this year, that honor went to “Ew, brother, ew! What’s that?” The phrase was taken from Mohamed Hoblos’s earnest 2019 lecture.
The phrase found new life as a meme template when someone on X (formerly Twitter) decided it perfectly captured the essence of seeing your sibling eat pineapple on pizza. The internet didn’t stop there, using it to dunk on everything from weird fashion trends (“Ew, brother, Crocs with socks”) to work emails sent at 11 PM. Bonus points for versatility: this meme works whether you’re full-on horrified or just slightly annoyed.
NPC Energy
What It’s About: A hilarious commentary on people behaving like non-playable characters (NPCs) in real life.
NPC memes captured everything from people blankly staring at supermarket shelves to someone repeating, “Welcome, how can I help you?” Indian weddings got dragged into it, with clips of relatives repeatedly asking, “Beta, when is your turn?” Talk about glitching in the Matrix!
ChatGPT Sassy Replies
What It’s About: AI-generated responses that are too or savage for their own good.
This meme trend took screenshots of AI tools responding with brutal honesty. Someone asked ChatGPT how to impress their crush, and the AI replied, “By not sending them Good Morning texts with sunflowers every day.” Honestly, ChatGPT is the friend we all need and the roast-master we don’t deserve.
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