Most Popular Memes on Social Media Right Now

There’s no better way to show off your brand’s personality than with trending memes! They’re relatable, hilarious, and super shareable.

Plus, nothing builds a stronger connection with your audience than a good laugh, right?

Here, you can find what memes are trending on social media and stay ahead of the trends to keep your content game on point!

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Not every meme is suitable for every brand. It's essential to choose trendy memes that align with your brand’s voice and values to maintain authenticity and connection with your audience.

Work Bestie Lore

A meme genre celebrating the unspoken (and sometimes cheeky) emotional lifeline represented by your office best friend—your “work bestie.” These memes portray the voicemail-cracking, email-translating, meme-sharing buddy who helps you survive the 9-to-5 grind.

Because it taps into workplace camaraderie—the person who gets your inside jokes, your eye rolls at the boss’s requests, and your mid-afternoon existential crisis, the content not only is humoristic, but also relatable and authentic.

@daisypring Trauma bond ? @Mardi Stone ♬ original sound - powerfulcoolboy

The Life of a Showgirl

Taylor Swift’s August 2025 announcement of her album The Life of a Showgirl (set for release on October 3, 2025) ignited meme mania—even before the music dropped.

The trend itself consists of people taking the dramatic album title and pairing it with over-the-top visuals — think glitter, feathers, stage lights, or even everyday moments exaggerated to look theatrical. In short, it’s about turning the ordinary into something fabulous, captioned with “The Life of a Showgirl.”

Prince George at Wimbledon

One of the most viral memes right now features Prince George at Wimbledon, looking visibly unimpressed and slightly dissapointed after the final. His expression quickly became meme gold, with tennis fans joking (lightheartedly and harmlessly): “Charlotte, we need to bring the empire back.”

Bob's Burgers dance

A viral meme is going around on TikTok featuring Bob and his dance. It's perfect to use when you want to show a relatable moment or talk about your brand. "That feeling after you find out we have discounts."

It's a fun, lighthearted way to highlight good news and connect with your audience through humor.

Gordon Ramsay Slang Memes

One of the newest memes, this trend turns Gordon Ramsay’s food insults into slang. It started on TikTok, where clips like “Show Me Your Work” (SMYW) got used as funny abbreviations.

It's now part of the latest trending memes everyone’s quoting.

Squid Game memes

Based on the new season, people create trendy memes using clips and moments from the show. Since it's a significant release right now, it’s also behind some of the most viral memes.

Find a moment that fits your message and use it while it’s hot.

It's gonna be May

One of the most iconic memes this month, and every May, really, comes from *NSYNC’s hit song “It’s Gonna Be Me.”

Thanks to the way the lyrics sound more like “It’s gonna be May,” this meme resurfaces every year as a playful reminder that May has arrived.

It works amazingly for B2B brands or even a personal brand to use this meme in their content calendar.

It's the first of the month

As you can see in the comments on this post, this meme isn’t just a trend—it’s practically a tradition! One of the most popular memes out there, especially on TikTok. It’s not tied to May or any specific month, but it pops up every time a new month begins.

The meme features dancing cows grooving to the “Wake up, it’s the first of the month” lyric from Playboi Carti’s song. As a brand, you could easily hop on this trend by incorporating it into your Instagram Stories or TikTok videos the next time a new month kicks off.

Smiling Sunflower memes

One trendy meme making waves on TikTok and Instagram right now is the smiling sunflower. It’s used to capture that "holding it together" kind of expression in all kinds of situations: awkward, funny, or just relatable moments.

On TikTok, you can pair it with this sound, but the real key is your overlay text. Make sure it taps into a feeling or experience your audience will instantly connect with. That’s what makes the meme hit home and get shared!

Lady Gaga at Coachella memes

Lady Gaga is back! And her performance at Coachella gave us the most viral memes in April!

This one reveals two personalities, so you can be as creative as possible. Think opposites, unexpected moods, or anything that shows a funny contrast, your audience will relate to!

Zoe Saldana meme

The Zoe Saldana Oscar moment is one of the most famous memes right now. It shows her emotional vulnerability and excitement as she calls out for her mother while accepting her award.

Online, it’s used to express a need for comfort, support, or validation, whether from an actual mom, a “work mom,” or just someone who always knows what to do.

Brands can use this meme to highlight moments of seeking guidance, reassurance, or help (can be used in a funny way, too). The CapCut template makes it easy to customize for different contexts while keeping the meme’s relatable energy.

The goblin meme

The goblin viral meme features a mischievous-looking goblin laughing, often paired with a relatable or ironic caption. The phrase itself doesn’t have a strict meaning but enhances the goblin’s chaotic energy, making the popular meme perfect for moments of playful guilt or low-stakes mischief.

Brands can use this meme to highlight moments when people knowingly break the rules, act sneakily, or indulge in something they shouldn't.

Superbowl meme

Like every year after the Super Bowl, the social media world is flooded with memes. This year, the most popular one was Kendrick Lamar looking straight at the camera, along with the moments above.

The secret to these viral memes? Watch the full show and pick whatever moment you find funniest and since it’s a major pop culture event, people will recognize it and love it.

Grammys meme

Besides the incredible show at the Grammys, the memes were just as iconic. This month’s best memes came straight from the Grammys, and the internet loved every second of it.

We have this legendary Beyoncé meme, one that’s sure to stick around for a long time, along with plenty of other viral moments.

Irena Aizen Bunny Art

One of the most popular memes right now features paintings by artist Irena Aizen, specifically her bunny-themed artwork.

The viral meme format involves a two-image carousel. The first image sets up the joke with: “How I look at the robber when I tell them to take anything and they take my [insert item].” The second image delivers the punchline with “Noo mi [thing].”

As a brand, this trending meme is a great way to highlight something essential to your identity—whether it’s a best-selling product, a key feature, or even a beloved inside joke from your community. It’s a fun and relatable way to engage your audience while tapping into internet culture!

How I look when...

This trendy meme is being used by TikTok users to express emotions, often paired with this trending sound. There’s no strict rule on how to use it—I’ve seen plenty of personal stories shared with this format.

FYI: I haven’t come across any brands using this viral meme yet, but to stay on the safe side, you can still join the trend by using the sound and recreating the format with your own photos. Try snapping pictures of your colleagues with “How I look when…” captions for a fun and relatable spin.

Best practices for memes

#1. Track your memes performance to ensure relevance

Including trending memes in your social media strategy is smart, but it's essential to check if they’re really helping you reach your marketing goals.

Fortunately, analyzing their effectiveness is quick and easy with a social media competitor analysis tool like Socialinsider:

Start by creating an account and adding your profiles and competitors to the Socialinsider dashboard. Enjoy a 14-day free trial to explore the features and gather insights!
Go to the Posts section, select a time frame, and filter by AI Content Pillar, in this case, Memes, GIFs, and Viral Moments.

Filter by the AI Content Pillar in Socialinsider dashboard — *Filter by the AI Content Pillar in Socialinsider Dashboard*

Then, dive into each meme’s post analytics to view engagement, impressions, and many other metrics.

*Analytics per post in the Socialinsider Dashboard*

You’ll find your overall meme performance metrics in the Content Pillar section, providing a clear view of how memes are resonating with your audience and your overall marketing strategy.

Overall engagement rate by content pillars — *Overall engagement rate by Content Pillars in the Socialinsider dashboard*

Analyze your memes performance and get competitive benchmarks!

#2 Be careful of content copyright when choosing a meme

Nearly all images, video clips, and other media content found in memes are under copyright protection.

However, some “allowed” exceptions allow these materials to be used when transformed into commentary or other forms of creative expression.

So, before using a meme in your marketing, ensure it’s legally permissible for commercial purposes. This can save you from potential copyright issues down the road.

#3 Ensure that the tone and style of your memes align with your brand’s voice

For a meme to go viral on your branded pages, it needs to be funny and relatable, but it must also align with your brand.

A hilarious meme that feels out of place can confuse your audience and dilute your brand identity. So, ensure the memes reflect your core values and resonate with your audience.

By keeping your memes aligned with your brand voice, you build trust and authenticity while creating a consistent online presence that encourages sharing and engagement.

#4 Create a meme calendar

While some of the most popular memes pop up randomly and take social media by storm, many well-known memes follow recognizable patterns. That's why it's a good idea to create a memes calendar that aligns with upcoming events, holidays, or campaigns.

This way, you can ensure your content is timely and relevant, making it more likely to resonate with your audience and to be on time without rush.

Conclusion

Memes now are a powerful tool in marketing, offering brands a way to connect with audiences in a relatable, engaging way.

They’re also highly shareable, which means a well-crafted meme can spread quickly, giving brands a boost in visibility without a big budget. It can also help brands show their personality and values, making them feel more approachable and human.

It’s very important to note that, to succeed with memes, brands should understand their audience behavior, like preferences, pain points, and needs.

The timing is very important, ensuring the meme is still relevant. When done right, memes don’t just entertain; they build meaningful connections between the brand and followers and create a sense of community.

Make sure you stay updated on the latest memes on social media and curate viral sensations!

FAQs on popular memes right now

What are memes?

Memes are pieces of entertaining content, taking the form of images, sounds, videos, or text that spread quickly online. They’re typically funny or relatable, making them a popular way to engage audiences.

How to find popular memes?

There are several ways to stay updated on popular memes on social media:

Social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter often have trending sections where you can explore viral memes using hashtags like #memes or #viralmemes.
You can follow dedicated meme accounts, which is another great way to stay in the loop, like 9gag or memes on Instagram.
You can also bookmark blogs that regularly share round-ups of the latest and most viral memes, like this one or Know Your Meme.

These resources will help you get up to date memes and never be out of trend.

“Distracted Boyfriend” – The most popular meme is with this guy looking at another woman while his girlfriend looks on disapprovingly. It’s used to represent shifting focus.

“Leonardo DiCaprio Laughing” – This viral meme is from the movie Django Unchained, where DiCaprio's character laughs, often used for sarcastic humor.

“Woman Yelling at a Cat”- This is one of the most viral memes that features a woman yelling in one frame and a cat sitting at a table in the next, looking like they are having a conversation. It’s used to represent funny misunderstandings.

“Surprised Pikachu” – This meme uses a Pikachu from Pokémon to express mock surprise in response to an obvious or expected outcome.

Drake “Hotline bling” meme- This meme is iconic, showing Drake rejecting one option with a displeased face, then enthusiastically approving another.