Online Meme Genres
A Reliable Indicator Of The Cultural Zeitgeist
by Joseph McLeod
Online Memes
An “online meme” describes humorous digital content which is shared across various digital platforms
An online meme’s genre is indicative of the cultural mood and climate of a society at any given point in time
By analyzing changes in memes as a whole, much more can be understood of the surrounding culture at the time
Online Meme Genres
“Experimental Era” (1996 -> 2004)
Creative, innovative, energetic, & random
“Classic Era” (2004 -> 2008)
Silly, lighthearted & goofy; established foundation of modern memes
“Rage/YTP Era” (2008 -> 2012)
Comparatively angrier, more absurd, & more sarcastic
“Dank/MLG Era” (2012 -> 2016)
Increasingly more ridiculous & vibrant; heavily influenced by Vine & videogames
“Surreal Era” (2016 -> 2020)
Bizarre, nonsensical, & ludicrous; little to no relevance to or basis in reality
“Post-Irony Era” (2020 -> 2024)
Exhausted, bleak, & defeated, with elements of veiled sincerity
“Post-Humor Era” (2024 -> ?)
Simple, relatable, & despondent
“Classic Era” (2004 -> 2008)
Silly, lighthearted & goofy; established foundation of modern memes
“Experimental Era” (1996 -> 2004)
Creative, innovative, energetic, & random
“Rage/YTP Era” (2008 -> 2012)
Comparatively angrier, more absurd, & more sarcastic
“Dank/MLG Era” (2012 -> 2016)
Increasingly more ridiculous & vibrant; heavily influenced by Vine & videogames
“Surreal Era” (2016 -> 2020)
Bizarre, nonsensical, & ludicrous; little to no relevance to or basis in reality
“Post-Irony Era” (2020 -> 2024)
Exhausted, bleak, & defeated, with elements of veiled sincerity
“Post-Humor Era” (2024 -> ?)
Simple, relatable, & despondent
While the first popular online memes are not the first memes to ever exist, they are the first of their kind to inspire others to replicate and modify them.�
The years 1996-2004 were characterized by digital discovery, online exploration, and technological curiosity. The digital world was wild, untamed, and still somewhat unknown.
This new age of a digital world was reflected in the memes of the time. They had no context, precedent, template, or structure, always being sourced from different types of media. Excitement, mystery, and curiosity defined the era.
“Classic Era” (2004 -> 2008)
Silly, lighthearted & goofy; established foundation of modern memes
“Experimental Era” (1996 -> 2004)
Creative, innovative, energetic, & random
“Rage/YTP Era” (2008 -> 2012)
Comparatively angrier, more absurd, & more sarcastic
“Dank/MLG Era” (2012 -> 2016)
Increasingly more ridiculous & vibrant; heavily influenced by Vine & videogames
“Surreal Era” (2016 -> 2020)
Bizarre, nonsensical, & ludicrous; little to no relevance to or basis in reality
“Post-Irony Era” (2020 -> 2024)
Exhausted, bleak, & defeated, with elements of veiled sincerity
“Post-Humor Era” (2024 -> ?)
Simple, relatable, & despondent
It was during this era that Tumblr, YouTube, Reddit, Facebook, Twitter, and other entertainment sites began emerging. The internet was now part of daily life. ��While there was war abroad, Hurricane Katrina, and an eventual financial crash in 2008, this period of time was largely a peaceful one domestically. ��Memes from this time reflected the tranquil, carefree nature of this time period. They were silly, worriless, lighthearted, and resembled modern memes. This is because as the internet became stabilized and routine, the memes similarly began to follow a pattern and develop templates.
“Classic Era” (2004 -> 2008)
Silly, lighthearted & goofy; established foundation of modern memes
“Experimental Era” (1996 -> 2004)
Creative, innovative, energetic, & random
“Rage/YTP Era” (2008 -> 2012)
Comparatively angrier, more absurd, & more sarcastic
“Dank/MLG Era” (2012 -> 2016)
Increasingly more ridiculous & vibrant; heavily influenced by Vine & videogames
“Surreal Era” (2016 -> 2020)
Bizarre, nonsensical, & ludicrous; little to no relevance to or basis in reality
“Post-Irony Era” (2020 -> 2024)
Exhausted, bleak, & defeated, with elements of veiled sincerity
“Post-Humor Era” (2024 -> ?)
Simple, relatable, & despondent
The name “Rage/YTP (YouTube Poop) Era” exists because of the noticeable shift in genre from the previous era to this one. Elements of absurdist themes within memes became more pronounced, though more so towards the end of this era. Memes appeared slightly more dry, sarcastic, frustrated, and annoyed than before. ��This change could be a result of the time period which saw an economic collapse, the Occupy Wall Street movement, crashes in the stock market, housing market, stock market, and more. ��The climbing levels of stress and chaos during this time was represented by angry, sarcastic, annoyed, and absurd memes, the last of which were particularly indicative of society’s sense of being “driven insane” by the pandemonium.
“Classic Era” (2004 -> 2008)
Silly, lighthearted & goofy; established foundation of modern memes
“Experimental Era” (1996 -> 2004)
Creative, innovative, energetic, & random
“Rage/YTP Era” (2008 -> 2012)
Comparatively angrier, more absurd, & more sarcastic
“Dank/MLG Era” (2012 -> 2016)
Increasingly more ridiculous & vibrant; heavily influenced by Vine & videogames
“Surreal Era” (2016 -> 2020)
Bizarre, nonsensical, & ludicrous; little to no relevance to or basis in reality
“Post-Irony Era” (2020 -> 2024)
Exhausted, bleak, & defeated, with elements of veiled sincerity
“Post-Humor Era” (2024 -> ?)
Simple, relatable, & despondent
The “Dank/MLG (Major League Gaming) Era” existed at the cusp of the most tumultuous period of time we’ve covered so far. While the country would soon be completely divided by the 2016 presidential election, a happy and peaceful period thrived until then. This period saw a rise in popular MMO videogames, the popularity Vine, and even an increase of memes themselves.��During this era, memes were silly, bright, vibrant, and ridiculous. It was followed, however, by a time of increasing political tension, causing these same memes—such as Cheems the dog or Pepe the frog—to be replicated with dark or morbid twists.��The shift in genres here reflects the abrupt ending to what many consider to be “peak internet”, where silly and lively memes took sad or dark twists.
“Classic Era” (2004 -> 2008)
Silly, lighthearted & goofy; established foundation of modern memes
“Experimental Era” (1996 -> 2004)
Creative, innovative, energetic, & random
“Rage/YTP Era” (2008 -> 2012)
Comparatively angrier, more absurd, & more sarcastic
“Dank/MLG Era” (2012 -> 2016)
Increasingly more ridiculous & vibrant; heavily influenced by Vine & videogames
“Surreal Era” (2016 -> 2020)
Bizarre, nonsensical, & ludicrous; little to no relevance to or basis in reality
“Post-Irony Era” (2020 -> 2024)
Exhausted, bleak, & defeated, with elements of veiled sincerity
“Post-Humor Era” (2024 -> ?)
Simple, relatable, & despondent
This period contains the most dramatic shift in genre we will observe. The name “surreal” describes the era aptly because nothing felt real nor familiar.��The aforementioned political tension from the 2016 election gave rise to a strange and bizarre genre of memes. Many make absolutely no sense and cannot be deciphered from any outside context or inside knowledge. They resemble the result of a psychosis-induced fit or a mental break from an asylum patient.��Because of the chaos and tension during this time, humor became an important place to take refuge within. Not wanting to be reminded of anything pertaining to the tumultuous outside world, memes became equally as chaotic, but harmless in nature and often drew inspiration from other older or brand new memes.
“Classic Era” (2004 -> 2008)
Silly, lighthearted & goofy; established foundation of modern memes
“Experimental Era” (1996 -> 2004)
Creative, innovative, energetic, & random
“Rage/YTP Era” (2008 -> 2012)
Comparatively angrier, more absurd, & more sarcastic
“Dank/MLG Era” (2012 -> 2016)
Increasingly more ridiculous & vibrant; heavily influenced by Vine & videogames
“Surreal Era” (2016 -> 2020)
Bizarre, nonsensical, & ludicrous; little to no relevance to or basis in reality
“Post-Irony Era” (2020 -> 2024)
Exhausted, bleak, & defeated, with elements of veiled sincerity
“Post-Humor Era” (2024 -> ?)
Simple, relatable, & despondent
This era of memes encapsulates the zeitgeist of the time: burnt-out. The 2020-2024 years encompass by far the worst period of time we’ve seen in decades by every metric. Society is tired of the hate, division, greed, manipulation, and radicalism. ��The memes of this time period are a reaction to this exhaustion, appearing equally tired, annoyed, and humorously hopeless—all with a nugget of sincerity beneath the supposed irony. For this reason, it was named the “Post-Irony Era”, where memes donned a somewhat facetiously unironic straightforwardness that couldn’t quite be articulated, only empathetically experienced.
“Classic Era” (2004 -> 2008)
Silly, lighthearted & goofy; established foundation of modern memes
“Experimental Era” (1996 -> 2004)
Creative, innovative, energetic, & random
“Rage/YTP Era” (2008 -> 2012)
Comparatively angrier, more absurd, & more sarcastic
“Dank/MLG Era” (2012 -> 2016)
Increasingly more ridiculous & vibrant; heavily influenced by Vine & videogames
“Surreal Era” (2016 -> 2020)
Bizarre, nonsensical, & ludicrous; little to no relevance to or basis in reality
“Post-Irony Era” (2020 -> 2024)
Exhausted, bleak, & defeated, with elements of veiled sincerity
“Post-Humor Era” (2024 -> ?)
Simple, relatable, & despondent
In the wake of the chaos, this new “Post-Humor Era” has only begun. �So far, memes seem to be oddly simple, direct and upsetting. In many instances there is no humor at all, only mildly-hyperbolic expressions of pain and/or exhaustion. ��This could be an indication of the times to come, wherein the people in power begin to feel the repercussions of a neglected society that has been constantly taken advantage of—repercussions of which are not sugarcoated, insignificant, or grounded in shallow emotions. ��This could be an indication of a major event soon to pass, or it could foretell the mental surrendering of the American people. Whatever the case, something has changed. For the first time we’ve seen yet, the truth no longer conceals itself behind the veil of humor. The veil has lifted.
> Experimental Era�> Classic Era�> Dank/MLG Era
Contentment
Four Distinct Genres Made Apparent…
1) Contentment, 2) Irritation, 3) Distress, 4) Defeat
> Rage/YTP Era�> Dank/MLG Era
Irritation
Distress
> Post-Irony Era�> Post-Humor
Defeat
> Surreal Era�> Post-Irony Era
Thank you!
*Clapping Ensues*