AI Video Game Merging or AI Video Game Mashup Mods is an AI trend where an artificial intelligence program, usually Opus 5.5, is used to merge two video games, combining features from each. The trend emerged in late September 2026 and carried on through early October 2026, going viral on sites including X, Reddit and TikTok. It was popularized by a social media user known as Chasm. The games are merged by prompting AI to rewrite and essentially reverse-engineer the code in two games until they are compatible.

AI Rumplestiltskin "Tip Toein' In My Jordans" is a meme that combines an AI-generated video of the fantasy character Rumplestiltskin dancing for a princess, generated in the style of an '80s film, with the song "Tip Toe Wing In My Jawwdinz" by Riff Raff. The original AI-generated video was collaboratively posted by the Stroinaya, Neuroferma and Anna Glinskaya Instagram pages in late August 2026. In late September 2026 the clip was paired with the song and became a meme through October 2026 on sites including TikTok and X. The video also inspired confusion and misinformation, with some believing it came from an old Russian film and others arguing that it is AI-generated. The clip is confirmed to be AI-generated.

Baby You Buggin' is a series of memes based on a clip from a Genius Verified video of rapper Khantrast reciting the lyrics of his song "She Bugging (Whatchu Gonna Do)," rapping, "Baby you buggin', buggin', buggin', bu-bu-buggin'." The video was uploaded to the Genius YouTube channel on September 30th, 2026. It became the subject of memes on TikTok in early October 2026. As a meme, the clip is often paired with captions about a scenario where someone is "bugging," a slang term for acting crazy.

IQmaxx Wojak Edits refers to a series of memes where several Wojaks and their IQs are shown in a given setting, followed by a zoom into a specific section of the background, where a withered Wojak, often lying down and with several apples spinning around his head, is shown with an ever-rising IQ. The trend was popularized on TikTok and Instagram Reels in late September through October 2026. The meme is purportedly meant to poke fun at people who believe they have higher IQs and are therefore too good to live a certain lifestyle, depicting the highest IQ Wojaks as miserable. The high IQ Wojak is shown as withered to represent their misery, despite their claimed intelligence. Many of the memes feature multiple spinning apples, a reference to the idea of visualizing apples to see if you have aphantasia. Over time, this idea evolved into a concept claiming that the more apples you can imagine in your head at once, the higher your IQ. The apples often spin, referencing the concept of shape rotators, the idea that if you can rotate a shape in your head, you have a higher IQ.

Black Cat Clapping is an exploitable green screen meme and trend based on an AI-generated video of a black cat with human hands slowly clapping and smiling. The clip originates from a video by Instagram user merkurianin, uploaded in late September 2026. It was popularized as a meme between late September and October 2026. As a meme, the cat is used to represent someone applauding bad behavior.

Mandem Style is a "Gangnam Style" drill remix song by Luke Day, released in May 2024. The song replaces the lyrics "Gangnam Style" with "ching dat mandem style," "mandem" being a Caribbean Patois slang term for a group of men. Between September and October 2026, the song was popularized through a series of memes, including video edits of Sasuke Uchiha from Naruto shrugging his shoulders to the song. The song also inspired dance videos and accuracy reenactments.

A TikTok and Twitter trend about how it feels to cook a yummy meal as a boy is going viral, thanks to the visual novel and anime series Yosuga no Sora. Featuring Yosuga no Sora character Nao Yorihime, the meme captures the oddly relatable feeling of being a boy who can cook.

The cursed evil-Wario/Waluigi counterparts are having their TikTok moment thanks to a resurfaced song naming fan-made Mario characters.

A Minecraft horror ARG character is now starring in a tug-of-war animation with Steve and Pirate Clark that's spawning endless recreations.

A "Family Guy" scene about the frustrations of a blocked street is going viral as a meme and lip-dub trend. Here's what it's all about.

Killing Myself In Front Of You To Forever Change Your Bond And The Trajectory Of Your Lives refers to a viral quote retweet of a Bryce Hall tweet from 2019 that captioned an image of the boys from the Sway House with "you see us all at the pool wyd," to which the meme creator responded with the aforementioned phrase. Screenshots of the tweet were shared across platforms, leading to the tweet becoming a catchphrase and phrasal template.

Misery Girl or Misery Girls refers to a series of memes that make fun of girls with specific alt and goth aesthetics, including excessive piercings and heavy makeup, referring to them as "misery girls," a reference to the song "Misery" by Pupsies, which is often depicted in the memes as being their favorite song. Many of the memes use photographs of X user @himonkeyhamie as the ultimate representation of a misery girl, although images of other alt girls are also used. The memes were popularized on TikTok in mid-August 2026. Some of the most popular memes use the phrase "dad play Misery" to make fun of the specific type of alt girls and also suggest they're into ageplay. The memes feature considerable crossover with the "Dream Girl Wallahi" memes.

Fruit of the Loom Cornucopia and Fruit of the Loom Mandela Effect refer to the Mandela Effect involving a large number of people remembering the clothing company Fruit of the Loom having a cornucopia on its logo despite the logo never having the item on it. The existence of the logo at some point is additionally supported by an amount of unreliable circumstantial evidence.

The August 2026 GTA 6 Leaks or August 2026 Grand Theft Auto VI Leak refers to a viral incident involving the unauthorized release of various in-game footage and other material of the unreleased video game Grand Theft Auto 6 by the group CyberLeek in mid-August 2026. The leaked content, which depicted various gameplay from an unknown earlier build of the Rockstar game, quickly spread around the internet in the following days, sparking discourse, memes and widespread media coverage.

Barf Simmons or Barf Symptons is a series of The Simpsons memes using a creepypasta-like horror aesthetic based around a blue, elongated version of Bart Simpson referred to as Barf Simmons. The character started appearing on the Barf Symptons TikTok page in early July 2026 and became increasingly popular throughout August. Memes about Barf Simmons include edits where low-quality clips from shows like Family Guy are altered to include Barf.

Lindsay Clancy is a Massachusetts mother accused of killing her three young children, Cora, Dawson and Callan, at the family’s home in Duxbury on January 24th, 2023. Clancy has pleaded not guilty to three counts of first-degree murder. Prosecutors allege the killings were deliberate, while her defense argues that she was suffering from undiagnosed postpartum psychosis at the time. Due to the grim nature of the killings, the central role of mental health in the case and arguments presented at trial, the Lindsay Clancy case has generated significant discussion across social media platforms. Online users have debated the circumstances surrounding the killings, Clancy's mental health and the question of criminal responsibility, while those in True Crime Communities have focused on developments and testimony from the trial.

Shabang: The Musical or simply Drake: The Musical, also known as the Shabang Trend, refers to an AI-generated song parodying rapper Drake's song "Shabang," particularly the "Maneesh On the Beat Shabang" section, in the style of a Disney musical number. After appearing in late July 2026, the song went viral on TikTok in August that year after users across the platform began posting "audition tapes" for the fictional musical, among other content furthering the joke.

Three Layer Dip Stack or 3 Layer Dip Stack is a 2026 TikTok brainrot meme and song based on a line from a 2020 Pringles Super Bowl commercial featuring a robot version of the character Morty from Rick and Morty. The meme centers on the absurdly repetitive phrase, “Cheddar and barbecue wavy and sour cream and onion equals a three-layer dip stack,” delivered by robotic Morty clones in the commercial’s teaser. The clip resurfaced on TikTok in July and August 2026, where its exaggerated delivery and nonsensical food combination popularized it as a brainrot sound and catchphrase. The memes often use two different remixes, which turned the ad into a song, created by TikTokers SpaceShrimp and tobiasFT.

Robert Loggia refers to a cutaway bit from the American animated sitcom Family Guy, which references real-life actor Robert Loggia. The clip, derived from an episode that aired in 2007, began seeing ironic use in various remixes, fancams and brainrot memes or other content in late July and August 2026. The clip is also used as bait-and-switch media and copypasta due to its long and tedious nature.

Ariana Grande Petal, also known simply as the Ariana Grande Petal Meme, refers to a viral audio clip derived from a fake leak purporting to be the American pop singer's upcoming release "Petal," as well as an exploitable image of Ariana Grande's face adorned with actual petals in the middle of a white flower. The meme first appeared in late April 2026 and began to spread across various social media platforms, particularly TikTok, in August 2026. Many memes use the fake song and image of Ariana Grande as a flower, with many also recreating the memetic image IRL.

Udin Din Din Dun or O Din Din Din Din Dun Ma Din Din Din Dun, also known as Udindindindun or U Din Din Din Din Dun Ma Din Din Din Dun, is an AI-generated Indonesian Brainrot character depicted as an anthropomorphic orange with a single leaf on his head, a human face, muscular arms and legs, a red or purple Speedo and Nike high-top sneakers, often shown standing in a gym. The character is part of the larger Italian Brainrot series of memes, similar to Tung Tung Tung Sahur. The character emerged online sometime in early 2025, spreading through funk and phonk remixes, memes, fan art, AI-generated videos, AI art and other content, such as appearances in games like Brainrot Evolution. According to his lore, the bodybuilder-orange hybrid was created when a regular human consumed orange seeds, which transformed his body.

Mrs. Puff In a Padded Room is an exploitable reaction image meme format based on a scene from the 2002 SpongeBob SquarePants episode "Doing Time" where Mrs. Puff is shown sitting in the middle of a yellow padded room in a straitjacket, the walls of which turn into SpongeBob's face. A screenshot of Mrs. Puff in the padded room first became the subject of memes in June 2020 on X / Twitter. It became an increasingly popular meme throughout the 2020s. Some of the most popular memes are reaction images where the walls have been edited to show a person's face. These memes use Mrs. Puff to represent someone obsessed over the subject on the walls. Early examples of the meme crossover with the "Being Too Honest With Your Therapist" memes. The meme comes from the same episode as the "SpongeBob Boiling In a Pot" meme format.

Niu Lai is a 2026 Chinese animated film about a fearful cow who experiences an immersive dream that's meant to teach him how to be a brave, strong warrior. The film was released on August 5th, 2026, directed by Xin Yumeng and produced by Dalian Jingyuan Culture Film and Television Media. Niu Lai did not initially perform well due to its poor animation quality and lack of marketing. It was also sent to theaters without an official poster, resulting in theater employees drawing their own posters to advertise the film. The film's low quality spread on Chinese social media in the days after the film's release and gave the film a boost in popularity as a "so bad it's good" movie, leading it to make over ¥25.6 million, or roughly $3 million U.S. dollars. Clips of the film, along with full, English-subbed recordings of the film, started spreading on social media in English-speaking countries in the weeks following the film's release.

Hayden Panettiere was an American actress who became a familiar figure to Black audiences through her roles in films and television popular during the late 1990s and 2000s. Following news of her death on August 16th, 2026, at age 36, tributes and reactions from Black millennials and Gen Z began circulating across various social media platforms. Much of the reaction focused on Panettiere's long association with films featuring Black casts and themes, with some users describing her as one of the few white celebrities who had been widely embraced by parts of the Black community.

Nancy Mace Tattoo Reveal refers to a series of memes and social media discussions surrounding U.S. Representative Nancy Mace (R-SC) after she publicly revealed extensive tattoos covering both arms in August 2026. The tattoos include designs such as a bird or hawk, flowers, religious imagery and the word "Justice." The reveal prompted widespread reactions on X, with users variously criticizing, defending or mocking Mace over her appearance.

The Kinda Chic Trend is an Instagram and TikTok trend in which participants share something that they think is "chic" that does not fit a traditional or expensive definition of chic, instead celebrating things like personal growth, peace, body positivity and healthy states of mind. The trend was popularized throughout 2026 on Instagram Reels and TikTok. It began as early as April 2026 and continued to go viral over the following months as people shared things they felt were "kind of chic."

Petra Parker or Spider-Woman, sometimes known as Spinstress, is an alternate-universe, gender-swapped female version of Peter Parker, Spider-Man. She is often depicted online as being a transgender version of Peter Parker, although this is not canon to her established character. Petra is arguably best known for her Ultimate Spider-Man appearance, in which she is from Earth-TRN454, a gender-swapped version of Earth-TRN123, the main universe in the Ultimate Spider-Man franchise. In this franchise, she appears with short brown hair. Another version of Petra Parker also exists in the Spider-Verse franchise. In this franchise, she is the daughter of Queen Mysteria, a gender-swapped version of Mysterio, and is known as the superhero Spinstress. In mid-August 2026, fan art of Petra Parker, typically based on her Ultimate Spider-Man design, experienced a surge in popularity on the /r/Spiderman subreddit and X / Twitter. Much of this fan art claims that she is transitioning and only references the design of Ultimate Spider-Man Petra Parker, but none of the established canon.

Miguel's Chopped Haircut in Coco 2, also known as Miguel Taper Fade, refers to a series of memes and online reactions to the first official concept art for the animated movie Coco 2, which was revealed by Pixar at D23 in mid-August 2026. The artwork depicts the character Miguel Rivera as a teenager, several years after the events of the 2017 film. The most noticeable change to his appearance is his new short fade or low taper fade haircut, replacing the longer, messier hairstyle he had as a child. The haircut quickly became the focus of online jokes and memes, with users on social media platforms mocking Miguel's new appearance as "chopped" or "mid." Many memes compared the teenage Miguel to ordinary Mexican and Latino teenagers who commonly wear similar practical fades. The reaction also drew comparisons to earlier low taper fade memes.

Neegy, also known as Neegie or simply as the Neegy Meme, is a slang term and brainrot meme based around a viral Fortnite clip in which a kid gets angry and tells someone, "Man SYFBAU neegy!" The meme commonly uses the term alongside an image and a character depicting a gold, caricature-like man with exaggerated facial proportions, similar to Manny Heffley from Diary of a Wimpy Kid, often circled in red while the audio of the kid yelling plays. The meme appeared in mid-July 2026 and primarily spread on TikTok as the original sound from the Fortnite voice chat was edited and added to other clips or remixed into songs. The term is purportedly used as an alternative for the N-word, with many attributing it to young Mexican or Latino boys, especially those associated with the Edgar stereotype, which is commonly depicted in Neegy memes. The quote from the clip is also sometimes shortened to "SYFBAUN," which means "shut your fucking bitch as up neegy."

Chanty Beluga is an anti-comedy character played by comedian Courtney O’Donnell, known for a series of videos on TikTok and Instagram Reels where she acts out a situation where a woman named Chanty Beluga does something mundane or normal, the point being that there is no real joke in the videos. O'Donnell posted her first Chanty Beluga video on Instagram Reels on July 29th, 2026. She continued to post videos as Beluga over the following weeks and garnered a significant following, inspiring memes and reactions on social media. Some memes include videos that share fake stories about running into and having negative interactions with Chanty Beluga, and videos attempting to cancel or defend Beluga.

The Matcha Filter or Wild Heart Whisper Filter, is a TikTok filter that makes the subject of a video look psychedelic by turning them different shades of green and black, resembling matcha. The filter went viral in mid-August 2026 as the subject of a trend set to a remix of the Filipino song "Halik Sobrang Diin part two" by Gat Putch Louie Grammz and Mi’Kel, in which TikToker @shanbatumbakalll has added guitar to the track. The trend inspired controversy as some TikTokers reportedly began using it to post their genitals or flash their breasts without being caught by the app's automatic moderation. This inspired fake-out videos where it appears as if the TikToker is going to flash their breasts, but does not.

The Cursed Pam Beesly and Stanley Hudson Screenshot is a cursed reaction image meme based on a glitched screenshot from an episode of The Office where Pam Beesly's face has been combined with Stanley Hudson's face. The image was first posted online as early as August 2025 on a Facebook meme page for The Office. It saw a surge in virality in mid-August 2026 as a reaction image and image macro format, in which it is paired with captions about making a frustrating mistake to represent a horrified reaction.

Forcebob is a parody of forcefem and forcemasc kink content based on the concept of someone being forced to act like and embody the lifestyle of SpongeBob SquarePants. Forcebob content was popularized on sites including "TikTok": and X / Twitter in mid-August 2026. The memes typically feature captions where one person resists another as they encourage them to act like SpongeBob.

There Is 1 Impostor Among Us refers to a series of memes based on the starting screen which precedes an online round in the 2018 video game Among Us. Following the explosive popularity of the game among streamers, the screen gained popularity online as source material for edits and a snowclone meme.

Died / Born / Welcome Back refers to a meme template that infers the reincarnation of famous people based on what year they died and the year of another celebrity's birth. The most notable iteration depicts former U.S. President Richard Nixon coming back as rapper Ice Spice. The exploitable trended on Instagram and Twitter / X, among other social media sites, in 2023, as meme creators recaptioned it by adding different years and different people or characters.

A Circle?? In the Triangle Factory?? and I Guess We Doin Circles Now refer to a webcomic about two different people working at a red triangle factory reacting to a blue circle coming down the conveyor belt. The first character picks up the circle and says, "a circle?? in the triangle factory?? how queer!!" The second character just looks at the blue circle and says, "I guess we doin circles now." The original cartoon was posted to Twitter / X by user @MeatMarket__ in August 2024, who captioned it, "which one are you?" In quotes and replies, other X users shared voiceovers and used elements of the comic like an exploitable meme. Other stick figure characters and shapes like green squares entered the meme, expanding the shape factory's lore. Others spread the catchphrase "I guess we doin' circles now" in other posts and used the frame as a reaction image to portray detachment to change.

John Pork is calling, do you answer?

minecon is at it again 🥀

Upgrades, People, Upgrades refers to a memorable quote said by Robots character Phineas T. Ratchet. Online, an image macro based on the scene has been used in memes, often in reference to lifehacks and improvements akin to Improvise. Adapt. Overcome meme format.

The Gooner Timeline is a meme that lays out a timeline of women who have gone viral largely because people online find them attractive, the implication being that the women went viral because of gooners. The original iteration of the meme was posted by X / Twitter user @OverfitQuantit1 on July 30th, 2025. It went viral over the following months and has been routinely updated when another woman who fits into the format goes viral. The first entries in the gooner timeline include Dashsa of Red Scare, Gio Scotti, a woman from the Model vs. Cashier meme, SantoriMary, and Saori Araki.

Matt Damon Yelling or Odysseus Screaming is a reaction image and image macro meme depicting actor Matt Damon screaming in anguish as the Ancient Greek hero Odysseus in Christopher Nolan's 2026 epic fantasy film The Odyssey. The format appeared online shortly after the release of the movie in mid-July 2026. Typically, the meme of Odysseus crying out in pain or misery, which comes from the scene in which he's attempting to resist the call of the sirens, is used alongside text captions that describe something horrible, negative or extremely frustrating that's happening to someone, with Damon's expression used to capture the emotion. Instead of a still image from the scene, it's also sometimes used as a reaction GIF or video.

Is That Ok, Tony? That I Sit? is an exploitable meme format based on a scene from The Sopranos where Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero gets killed by Tony, Pauly and Silvio for becoming an FBI informant. Before he's shot, he says he needs to sit and asks, "Is that ok, Tony? That I sit?" The scene comes from The Sopranos season two, episode 13, titled "Funhouse." It was popularized as the subject of memes starting in late May 2026. As a meme, Bonpensiero is edited into new settings or replaced with someone else to alter the context of the scene.

A video of a girl with a killer stare dancing at a foam party has captured the hearts and minds of X users everywhere. Here's what you need to know.

The "Besides the Obvious" Prank is a prank where the prankster asks a victim, "Besides the obvious, what's one thing you would change about yourself?" suggesting that there is one obvious flaw that the person has, forcing them to wonder what that flaw is. The trend was popularized on Instagram Reels and TikTok between late April and July 2026.

Slime, often used in phrases such as "got slimed out" or similar, is an internet slang term derived from African American Vernacular English, or AAVE. The term, which initially spread amongst black communities in the late 2010s, saw a significant increase in use across various social media platforms such as TikTok around 2021 as it became increasingly appropriated. Once menacing, the terms "slime" and "slimed" are now sometimes associated with young kids on online voice chats.

Messi Nod is a series of memes based on a video of footballer Lionel Messi nodding and saying what looks like, "Okay," or, "Good," to another player during a match between Argentina and England in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinals. The match was played on July 15th, 2026, and Argentina won. The nod became the subject of memes as early as July 16th. As a meme, the video of Messi nodding is used in image macros and as a reaction image, usually to convey a disrespectful nod and represent someone who is looking to get revenge.

The Tarps Off Trend is a live sports trend in which a group of fans at a stadium remove their shirts and wave them above their heads in a circular motion, similar to "rally towels," to hype up their teams and get rowdy. The trend is typically performed by men going shirtless and twirling their shirts over their heads, but is also sometimes performed by women and other attendees without going shirtless by using another piece of clothing. "Tarp" is a slang term for "shirt," and the expression "tarps off" or "tarp off" is also used outside of the trend to refer to going shirtless. The phenomenon originally garnered virality in October 2025 when an Oklahoma State football fan removed his shirt and waved it above his head after making a bet during a game. Videos of the fan celebrating in contrast to an otherwise subdued crowd went viral online, establishing the shirtless display as it later spread to other college football games and sporting events in the following months. The trend saw a significant resurgence during the summer of 2026 at MLB and baseball games after members of the Stephen F. Austin State University baseball team attended a St. Louis Cardinals game at Busch Stadium, where they removed their shirts in an attempt to energize the crowd during a comeback. Following the Cardinals' walk-off victory, videos of the celebration went viral, leading the team to officially designate a shirt-optional fan section in the upper-right-field bleachers. The trend then continued to spread to other MLB teams and sports.

Lil Baby Coming Out Of Nowhere is a meme trend based on the perception that rapper Lil Baby tends to pop up "out of nowhere" in music videos. The most prominent example is the music video for "Finesse Out The Gang Way" by Lil Durk, in which he comes out of a vault and unzips a full-zip hoodie to reveal himself. The meme first appeared on TikTok in late June 2026. It was further popularized in late July through a series of comedy skits set to "Finesse Out The Gang Way" where people emerge from hiding spots as the song plays.

did you hear the devastating news that Homer let the Barts out? 🥀💔

Iyo, often capitalized as iyo, is a viral TikTok sound and nonsensical slang term originating from a Fortnite voice chat clip featuring various young-sounding players engaging in an increasingly heated exchange of trash talk. The audio includes the line, "If you don't stop talking, I'mma get a little KK to drop a little JJ," followed by one of the players saying, "Iyo," a distinctive pronunciation of "ayo" (slang typically used for grabbing someone's attention or reacting to something crazy). The audio spread across the platform in June and July 2026 through its use on other gameplay videos mocking the children, and eventually became loosely associated with the Neegy meme, with many of the posts also using the golden caricature-like character.