Harlem Shake
The 30-second video format that broke YouTube in early 2013 — one person dances alone, then chaos erupts.
A ~30-second video format: one person dances alone while others ignore them; after Baauer's bass drop, the whole group erupts into chaotic dancing (often masked or costumed). In February 2013 it generated millions of uploads within roughly two weeks.
History
Built on Baauer's 2012–2013 trap track 'Harlem Shake' (Diplo's Mad Decent label). YouTuber Filthy Frank (George Miller) and friends filmed an early viral version uploaded via DizastaMusic in early February 2013. Wikipedia documents the subsequent flood of office, gym, university, and military remixes — YouTube reported hundreds of millions of combined views before the fad burned out mid-year. Note: the meme is unrelated to the traditional Harlem Shake dance that originated in Harlem decades earlier.
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. Scores last reviewed 2026-07-25. How scoring works
Timeline
2012
Baauer's 'Harlem Shake' track circulates in electronic music circles
Feb 2013
Filthy Frank / DizastaMusic upload sparks the meme format
Feb 2013
Thousands of copycat videos flood YouTube within days
Feb 2013
YouTube reports hundreds of millions of combined views
Mid-2013
Format fades as quickly as it appeared
Examples
- “Every office did a Harlem Shake video in 2013.”
- “The Norwegian army Harlem Shake still lives rent-free in my head.”
- “Did you know the Harlem Shake meme is named after Baauer's song — not the classic Harlem dance?”
Media
The original Harlem Shake video by George Miller (Filthy Frank) on the DizastaMusic channel — the upload that triggered the global viral format.
Related entries
Culturally linked — not random recommendations.
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References
Sources behind this entry. Prefer primary reporting and established culture archives over rumor.
- Harlem Shake — Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org