Nearly a third of people look at at least one meme each day, and 2021 was no exception. This may have been a tough year, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t plenty of memes to enjoy.
But what are some of the most popular memes on the internet, and what makes them so memorable? Read on to learn about the most popular memes 2021.
1. Bernie Sanders Mittens
You wouldn’t think an old man sitting on a folding chair would make for an excellent meme. But, when Senator Bernie Sanders attended Joe Biden’s inauguration in January, he made headlines for his grouchy, cold-looking vibes.
2. The Happy Bus Meme
The happy bus meme depicts two people sitting on opposite sides of the school bus. One looks happy, and one looks miserable. People add different labels to make contrasts between two different things. The image was originally created by Genildo Ronchi, a native of Brazil.
If you want to make your own happy bus meme, try out a meme maker to get started. There are so many funny ways to use this meme you can try out!
3. Bones or No Bones
Have you heard the phrase “bones day”, but didn’t know what it meant? A pug named Noodles, who is 13-years-old, made it big on TikTok with his owner this year. A “no-bones day”, one where he simply cannot make it out of bed, is a bad day.
A “bones day”, where he has it together to live his life, is a good day. This became a major meme in the fall of this year, making it one of the top memes to share in 2021.
4. Beatles Memes
The recent Beatles documentary (The Beatles: Get Back) created a whole new wave of popular Beatles memes. An image of Ringo Starr holding a coffee cup while the rest of the band argues, for example, got plenty of traction on Twitter.
There are also lots of memes adding song lyrics to photos of the Beatles from the documentary. Some people even add Yoko Ono references to their Beatles memes.
5. “Red Flags”
We’ve all heard of red flags as a concept (something a person says or does that should put you on your guard), but the red flag emoji made it big this year. People started tweeting things they’d heard or seen from people, accompanied by emojis galore.
The red flags aren’t limited to text either. There have been red flags photoshopped into the background of images of Sandra Bullock from the movie Bird Box.
The classic Oprah “Hands Up” photo with red flags scattered around it brings the meme to the next level. There are even illustrations that incorporate red flags that take the art to the next level.
Most Popular Memes 2021: A Look Back
While these were the most popular memes 2021, there were still plenty of others you might have missed. Make sure to go back through your social media feeds and see what you might have missed out on.
Are you looking to read more about pop culture and the like? Scroll through our other articles for more of what’s happening in the sphere right now.