How memes have evolved over the years and what a “TikTok meme” looks like today.

Memes, ah memes. A quintessential part of internet culture since the early days of the web. What once started as a static image posted on a personal profile or public forum, has evolved into living, breathing forms of communication. Memes can be a preferred way to answer an email. Or a much needed comedic-relief slide in a serious corporate presentation. But one thing never changes about memes: they always change.

Making the perfect meme is a true science.

Good humor requires top-tier intellect. It’s no coincidence that the funniest comedians are the smartest ones – they must keep up to date with world politics, current affairs, economics and more, to make a joke that’s actually funny. The same rule applies to meme culture. The meme has to be perfectly nuanced, hyper-specific, relatable, witty, and intelligent. And most importantly, shareable. We always joke with clients that there should be a degree in meme-making. Because it’s darn-hard work. 

Gen Z memes typically follow a structure

The first step to learning the science of meme making is understanding the basic formats of meme headings. The majority of memes follow what we call at Pink Chili “Mad Libs sentences”. A few common frameworks are:

• Me when …

• POV:

• You and me when we …

• Not me thinking …

• Not me being delusional thinking that I can ____ while I _____

• Me right now:

• When _____ tells me _____
  

Video Memes Have Entered The Chat Memes are no longer simply static banners. Video memes on TikTok and Instagram are just as (if not more) popular. In most cases, video memes are identical in format to static memes with the obvious difference: a video plays on screen instead of an image. Many video memes recycle popular videos that originate from viral videos, or simply use commercial-free stock videos from platforms like CapCut. 

TikTok Memes Are Not What You Think

You may be thinking to yourself “this is easy!” and that you now understand the “new era of memes”. But there’s a catch. It’s allllll different on TikTok. A true TikTok meme is not actually a “standard meme” at all. Here at Pink Chili, we view the comment sections of videos as the true embodiment of “Gen Z memes”. Yes, it's true - the comment section on TikTok has increasingly become its own type of meme. The wittiest comments get the most likes and head to the top of the page, and thus a new wave of humor is born. We intuitively read the comments before the video even loads to start laughing or to feel a part of something. It's like that feeling of cuddling on the couch with all of your best friends and you click "play" on your weekly reality tv night. As the show starts, and you all watch together, you start whispering funny comments to each other. That magic right there .... is what lives within the comment section on TikTok 🪄 In essence, the comments are meme competitions. Who can think of the funniest observation to the video we just watched? Who can relate this video back to everyday life? Who can bring politics into the video? Who can bring current events into play … or even better … other viral videos/TikTok inside jokes?

And get this … sometimes comments can get more likes than the video itself. Now dissecting that can be its own blog.

Good luck out there, meme queens

And if you need any help, you know where to find us xoxo