The Great Meme Reset
During the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns, many pre-pandemic meme formats faded while TikTok-native and Gen Z formats rose — a widely discussed turnover in what felt funny online.
Overview
The 2020 lockdowns forced billions online simultaneously, compressing years of cultural evolution into months. Gen Z — already the primary creators on TikTok — became the dominant force in internet humor. Millennial meme formats (irony, wojak, stock photo macros) gave way to surreal, absurdist, and deeply niche content. The 'cursed' and 'brainrot' aesthetics rose to prominence. Traditional meme archives lost relevance as TikTok's audio-visual format became the primary meme medium.
Cultural scores
Editorial estimates of cultural weight — Current Popularity tracks how much people are posting about this now, not historical fame.
Current Popularity = how actively people are posting about this today. Influence = lasting footprint. Cringe = online reception. Brainrot = absurdist energy. How scoring works
Timeline
1
TikTok gained 315 million downloads in Q1 2020 alone — the most for any app in a single quarter
2
Reddit's r/memes and r/dankmemes shifted dramatically toward Gen Z humor patterns
3
Millennial nostalgia memes ('early 2010s internet' content) emerged as a counterreaction
4
YouTube's algorithm shifted toward longer-form commentary and 'essayist' content
5
NFT meme speculation briefly made meme ownership a financial phenomenon (2021 follow-on)
Media
Related entries
Culturally linked — not random recommendations.
Short-Form Video Takeover
EventHow TikTok, Reels, and YouTube Shorts rewired attention spans and fundamentally changed how culture spreads.
Brainrot
SlangMental deterioration from consuming too much chaotic internet content — also the content itself. Oxford's Word of the Year 2024.
Sus
SlangShort for suspicious — popularized by Among Us in 2020 and now used everywhere.
Among Us Meme Era
MemeThe 2020 Among Us boom — crewmate impostor jokes, 'sus,' emergency meetings, and endless fan content.
Coffin Dance
MemeGhanaian pallbearers dancing with a coffin — the 2020 viral clip used as a humorous 'you're done' reaction.
TikTok's Rise
EventHow TikTok (after the Musical.ly merger) became the default engine for global memes, music, slang, and short-form fame — and remade how internet culture spreads.
References
Sources behind this entry. Prefer primary reporting and established culture archives over rumor.
- How COVID-19 Changed Meme Culture — The Atlantic
theatlantic.com
- TikTok Q1 2020 Downloads — Sensor Tower
sensortower.com