The history of the most popular memes (2004-2019)

This video has dead memes in it.

EXPLANATION OF DATA COLLECTION:

CORRECTIONS:
The meme labeled "Sad Frog" (~2015) is better known as "Feels Bad Man"
The meme labeled "droog / apyr" is actually "друг" or "Apyr"
The accented As in "Stefán Karl Stefánsson / Robbie Rotten" (rest in peace) mistakenly did not appear.
Due to low viewership on Know Your Meme, the "Ice Bucket Challenge" (2014) did not appear, though it most likely should have.
Similarly due to low viewership on Know Your Meme, "Ylvis - What Does the Fox Say?" (2013) also did not appear, though it also most likely should have.
Should I make an updated version of this video in the future, I'll try to correct these mistakes.

DATA SOURCES:

Meme viewcounts came from Know Your Meme:

Trend data came from Google Trends:

MUSIC:

MUSIC IS "Last Summer" by Ikson

"Homestar Runner Intro" (2001)
by Mike and Matt Chapman

"Series of Tubes Music Video" (2006)
by superfunky59

"Chocolate Rain" (2007)
by Tay Zonday

"Nyan Cat the Movie" (2011)
by blakerobinson

"Ain't Nobody Got Time for That (Autotune Remix)" (2012)
by Sweet Brown and The Parody Factory

"We Are Number One Remix but an instrumental" (2016)
by Lazytown and the Living Tombstone

"YouTube Rewind 2018 but it's actually good"
by PewDiePie, Partyinbackyard, FlyingKitty, Grandayy, and Dolan Dark

[otter]

We all know the reason that Lenny stayed so high for so long is because people had to keep searching him up to copy-paste him everywhere.

[tumbke]

I love how shrek and spongebob keeps popping up in different forms

[tophatsnek]

Can we just appreciate how memes completely changed almost instantly from like 2016-2017

[dogetaxes]

Doge was easily the most dominant meme. It’s even made a resurgence

[williamwright]

I can't tell which is scarier:


The fact that there's an archive for meme popularity, or the fact that I remember so many of them...

[marioacosta-warren]

This makes Memes look like Ancient China, a million factions rise, falling and fighting for control, the one on top having an extremely short reign before being assassinated or dethroned.

[TheElvisnator]

2004: All your base are belong to us
2008: Rickroll
2011: Troll Face
2015: Doge
2017: We are Number One
2020: *_GET STICKBUGGED LOL_*

[doburu]

Man, modern memes has shorter lifespans compare to the fossils ones.

[zacharymohammadi]

2009 memes: if I download a movie in Jamaica am I a pirate of the Caribbean
2019 memes: *🅱️ E A N S*

[jonniebeans]

Doge is a powerhouse meme, damn. Also I just noticed the drake comparison meme wasn't on here, even though people have being using it for like the last 3 years.

[nhmyggb]

I've been using the internet since 2005. This was a wild ride of nostalgia.

[FUCKTSERIES]

Memes used to live for a long period of time, now they die within a month or so

[enchilordo]

It’s cool how you can see the parts where everyone is talking about a certain meme for like three weeks and then everyone forgets about it

[TheQueenofNeckbeards]

Ahh, 2010-2012, age of the rage faces.

[BigTank]

I like how 30% of the memes 2004 - 2008 were just porn

[ItsJJOLO]

I like the fact how some of the old memes come back up again due to nostalgia.

[MrWhite-jcri]

*Why isn't this part of our history lesson?*

[kuya]

*2 Girls 1 Cup is on the top of the list*


*chocolate rain starts playing*

[PhoenixCNSTL]

i think the DOGE meme has the longest life because it managed to stay in the leaderboard for 2013-2018 and popped up for a brief moment at 2019

[wesnarwhal]

Some guy in the future is gonna be watching this to pass there memeology test.