Trollface
The smirking face of internet trolling — the default symbol for 'you've been tricked' across early internet culture.
A crudely drawn smirking face used to indicate someone has successfully trolled, pranked, or deceived another person. The caption 'Problem?' signals malicious satisfaction at the target's reaction.
History
Created by Carlos Ramirez (username 'Whynne') on September 19, 2008 as part of a comic depicting 4chan trolling culture. The image spread across imageboards and became the universal symbol of online trolling.
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
Sep 2008
Carlos Ramirez (Whynne) posts original Trollface comic on deviantArt
2009–2011
Trollface becomes the dominant trolling symbol across 4chan and Reddit
2012
Usage peaks; the format begins to age
2020s
Ironic Trollface revival among Gen Z as a retro-internet reference
Examples
- “Problem? [trollface]”
- “You fell for it [trollface]”
- “U mad? [trollface]”
Media
Related entries
Culturally linked — not random recommendations.
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O RLY? Owl
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Pepe the Frog
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Rage Comics
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All Your Base Are Belong to Us
MemeThe Zero Wing Engrish catchphrase that became one of the internet's first mainstream memes — 'All your base are belong to us.'
References
Sources behind this entry. Prefer primary reporting and established culture archives over rumor.
- Trollface — Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org