A lot happened this year.
From the solar eclipse and campus protests to a bridge collapse in Baltimore and the U.S. presidential election, there was no shortage of major news in 2024.
But amid all the serious stuff, social media provided plenty of levity with a year’s worth of laughs, deep dives and debate.
Let’s take a look back at the biggest viral memes of 2024.
January
Elmo checks in
On Jan. 29, Sesame Street’s Elmo simply checked in with X users and asked, “How is everybody doing?” The post got tens of thousands of replies — including from Paddington Bear, Ritz Crackers, Secretary General of the U.N. Antonio Guterres and Domino’s Pizza in the U.K.
February
‘Madame Web’
Marvel’s Madame Web, starring Dakota Johnson, went viral before it bombed in theaters, largely due to a line in the movie’s trailer that inspired a wave of memes: “He was in the Amazon with my mom when she was researching spiders right before she did.” The line didn’t even make the final cut of the movie, but it generated plenty of free advertising across social media …
‘Who TF Did I Marry’?
On Valentine’s Day, TikTok creator Reesa Teesa captured the internet’s attention with a series of 50 videos revealing the shocking details of her marriage to a man who, it seemed, had lied to her about pretty much everything. Tessa’s TikTok saga was covered widely by media outlets — including this one — and it’s even set to be adapted into a television series.
The Willy Wonka experience
Guests who paid £35 ($44) for a ticket to the Willy Wonka experience in Glasglow, Scotland, were shocked to arrive at an “empty warehouse” that looked nothing like the AI-generated photos of the “chocolate fantasy” they were promised. Images and horror stories from the disappointing experience drew millions of views on social media, where people couldn’t get enough of the dismal set and confusing cast of characters.
Trusted news and daily delights, right in your inbox
See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories.
March
‘Dune: Part Two’ popcorn bucket
Movie-themed popcorn buckets were a popular marketing tool in 2024, but one created for the March release of Dune: Part Two in particular inspired many jokes online and was even the subject of a Saturday Night Live sketch.
Kate Middleton quashes the conspiracy theories
At the end of 2023, Princess of Wales Kate Middleton appeared to retreat from public life, kicking off two months of internet speculation and conspiracy theories about the reason for her absence from the spotlight, including a potential divorce and a Brazilian butt lift.
In late March, Middleton put the rumors to rest with a video posted to X revealing that she had recently been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy.
April
An earthquake rocks New York City
A rare earthquake struck the Northeast on April 5, with the epicenter only 45 miles away from New York City. At a magnitude of 4.8, it was the largest earthquake the city had experienced since 2011. And though the damage was relatively minimal — no injuries were reported — the reaction to the event by many New Yorkers generated plenty of jokes and memes online.
Challengers
Everyone seemed to be buzzing about the movie Challengers when it was first released in late April. Whether it was the high-intensity tennis scenes or the steamy love triangle at the center of the story, Luca Guadagnino’s film inspired a seemingly unending series of memes.
May
The Four Seasons Orlando baby
In an eight-second TikTok video that now has over 85 million views, a 1-year-old declared that she would like to go to the Four Seasons Hotel in Orlando, Fla. The video quickly went viral, inspiring thousands of memes online, and just nine days later the baby got her wish.
EMBED:
Brat girl summer
Pop star Charli XCX dropped her newest album, Brat, on June 7, instantly setting the tone for the rest of the summer, complete with TikTok dances, the color lime green and partying (not really).
‘Hawk Tuah’ Girl
YouTubers Tim Dickerson and DeArius Marlow were shooting on-the-street interviews with some bar hoppers in Nashville when two women asked to be filmed. One of them was Hailey Welch, who soon became known as “Hawk Tuah Girl” for her onomatopoeia answer to the question, “What’s one move in bed that makes a man go crazy every time?”
The video of Welch’s interview got so much attention that she was able to launch her own podcast, Talk Tuah, in September.
July
Olympic-level memes from Paris
Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen did not win a medal at the Summer Olympics, but he did launch a meme about his obsession with the Olympic Village’s chocolate muffin, dubbing himself the “Olympic Muffin Man.”
Stephen Nedoroscik, an American gymnast, helped the U.S. men’s team secure a bronze medal for the first time in 16 years. But it was the image of him sitting on the sidelines with his eyes closed while waiting to perform that made him a viral sensation.
Olympic sports shooters Kim Yeji, from South Korea, and Yusuf Dikec, from Turkey, attracted plenty of attention for striking unique poses during their competitions.
The memefication of Kamala Harris
As soon as President Biden endorsed Kamala Harris to replace him as the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee the internet’s meme creators got to work, declaring Harris “mother” and “brat” and spinning some of her more awkward moments (such as the famous “coconut tree” speech) into inside jokes for her fans.
August
The Australian breakdancer
Dr. Rachael Gunn, also known as B-girl Raygu, represented Australia in the first-ever Olympic breakdancing competition at the Summer Games in Paris. Though she didn’t come close to winning a medal, her — uh — unique moves inspired many memes and made her a breakout star.
Everyone wants to feel ‘very demure, very mindful’
TikTok creator Jools Lebron inspired millions of internet users with a series of videos offering tips on how to present themselves as “very demure, very mindful” at work. The videos were such a sensation that Dictionary.com named demure the word of the year for 2024.
September
The internet loves Moo Deng
The obsession over Moo Deng, a baby pygmy hippo born at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand, may have started online but extended to real life, driving thousands of fans to Thailand to see her in person. Moo Deng memes also inspired a Saturday Night Live sketch and fake online beef with Haggis, another baby pygmy hippo at the Edinburgh Zoo.
October
Timothée Chalamet shows up to his own lookalike contest
Actor Timothée Chalamet caused a scene at Washington Square Park in New York City at the end of October when he showed up to his own look-alike contest. But perhaps more surprising than Chalamet’s surprise appearance was the fact that he didn’t win the competition. First place went to New Yorker Miles Mitchell, who won $50 while wearing a Willy Wonka costume.
The virality of the event has since inspired several other look-alike contests around the world, including for Paul Mescal, Harry Styles and Jeremy Allen White.
November
Holding space for the ‘Wicked’ press tour
Part One of Wicked, the highly anticipated film adaptation of the popular Broadway musical, hit theaters on Nov. 22 to much acclaim. But it was the seemingly never-ending press tour given by co-stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo that dominated this month’s meme market. Erivo and Grande gave creators plenty of material to poke fun at, but arguably the most-memed moment of the tour was the actresses’ extremely earnest reaction to one interviewer’s claim that she’d seen people online “holding space” for the lyrics to “Defying Gravity.”
Just a chill guy
In October 2023, artist Phillip Banks posted a screenshot of a digital character he drew: an anthropomorphic dog in a grey sweater, jeans and sneakers. “My new character,” Banks wrote at the time. “His whole deal is he’s a chill guy.”
Over a year later, for whatever reason, the chill guy took off as a meme — primarily on TikTok — and somehow even inspired the meme coin $CHILLGUY.
December
Pepe the King Prawn faces the worst moments
To round out the year, a photo of Pepe the King Prawn from The Muppets has taken over memes across TikTok. Meme creators typically pair the image, which shows Pepe staring blankly ahead with messy red hair, with a caption describing an embarrassing or high-stress situation.
