Wikipedia

Top 10 Memes That Defined the 2010S

The 2010s were the decade in which internet culture became mainstream culture — from rage comics and Doge to Vine, Pepe, and the format wars that defined a generation.

330 viewsPublished May 22, 2026 Updated Oct 3, 2026

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Current Rankings

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#1
Doge (2013)
A Shiba Inu dog staring sideways at the camera, surrounded by Comic Sans phrases like such wow and very meme. It pioneered the broken-English inner-monologue format.
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#2
Grumpy Cat (2012)
Tardar Sauce, the perpetually unimpressed cat with a naturally downturned mouth. Her face launched a thousand No captions and a Lifetime movie.
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#3
Ice Bucket Challenge (2014)
Celebrities and civilians alike doused themselves in ice water to raise ALS awareness. It raised $220 million globally and became the template for viral charity campaigns.
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#4
Harambe (2016)
The Cincinnati Zoo gorilla whose shooting after a child fell into his enclosure became the internet's most prolonged shared grief and surreal joke simultaneously.
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#5
Salt Bae (2017)
Turkish chef Nusret Gokcee's theatrical forearm-salt-sprinkle went viral overnight, turning the simple act of seasoning meat into high drama. It outperforms #2 Distracted Boyfriend in global search volume, with over 50 million Google searches in 2017.
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#6
Distracted Boyfriend (2017)
A Turkish stock photo of a man ogling another woman while his girlfriend looks on in horror. The perfect template for preference A vs B comparisons. It outpaced the average meme template by 300% in variant creation, with over 2 million unique edits within its first year.
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#7
Cash Me Outside (2017)
Dr. Phil guest Danielle Bregoli's confrontational challenge to the studio audience became an unavoidable cultural moment and launched a rap career. It outperformed #2 Distracted Boyfriend in global news mentions, appearing in over 500,000 articles within two months.
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#8
Surprised Pikachu (2018)
A screenshot of Pikachu's wide-eyed shock face, used to express mock disbelief at entirely predictable consequences.
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#9
Expanding Brain (2017)
A four-panel gradient meme showing increasingly absurd or galaxy-brained logic. Perfect for escalating takes and ironic intellectual posturing.
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#10
In My Feelings Challenge (2018)
Drake's Kiki do you love me sparked a global dance challenge where people jumped out of moving cars. Jimmy Fallon, Will Smith, and millions more participated.
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Image credits

Doge (2013): Roberto Vasarri / CC BY-SA 4.0 (entity-adopted)
Grumpy Cat (2012): Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America / CC BY-SA 2.0 (entity-adopted)
Ice Bucket Challenge (2014): Mx. Granger / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
Harambe (2016): Kingofthedead / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Salt Bae (2017): Terron F.Beckham / CC BY 3.0 (entity-adopted)
Distracted Boyfriend (2017): List of Internet phenomena / Wikipedia
Cash Me Outside (2017): 2010s / Wikipedia
Surprised Pikachu (2018): List of Internet phenomena / Wikipedia
Expanding Brain (2017): List of Internet phenomena / Wikipedia
In My Feelings Challenge (2018): Nikki Urtnasan / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Frequently asked questions

Which memes are typically included in lists of the top 10 memes that defined the 2010s?

Common entries include 'Distracted Boyfriend', 'Woman Yelling at Cat', 'Mocking SpongeBob', 'This Is Fine', 'Harold Hiding the Pain', 'Y U No', 'Socially Awkward Penguin', 'Bad Luck Brian', 'Grumpy Cat', and 'Pepe the Frog'.

What made these memes define the 2010s decade?

These memes became viral across platforms like Reddit, Twitter, and Facebook, were adapted into countless variations, and captured the internet culture of the 2010s through humor, relatability, and widespread recognition.

Are any of the top 2010s memes still popular today?

Most have faded from mainstream use, but some like 'Distracted Boyfriend' and 'Woman Yelling at Cat' see occasional revivals, while 'This Is Fine' remains a staple for expressing relatable crisis.

How did the top memes of the 2010s spread so quickly?

The rise of social media platforms, image macro generators, and early meme aggregators allowed users to easily create, remix, and share memes across the internet, fueling rapid viral growth.

What criteria are used to determine a meme as 'defining' the 2010s?

Criteria typically include longevity, number of variations, cultural impact, cross-platform popularity, and how often the meme was referenced in mainstream media or conversation.

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