Top 5 Most Iconic Internet Memes of All Time
One meme spawned a cryptocurrency worth $80 billion. Another single video has been clicked 1.5 billion times. The 5 memes on this list literally shaped the modern internet — and even moved global markets.
We rank the 5 most iconic internet memes in history, judged on lasting cultural and commercial impact:
#5 — Grumpy Cat (2012) — Earned $100M+ in licensing. Tardar Sauce died 2019.
#4 — Rickroll (2007) — Rick Astley's video has 1.5B+ YouTube clicks. Still going 18 years later.
#3 — Pepe the Frog (created 2005) — Listed as hate symbol 2016. Reclaimed by Hong Kong protesters 2019.
#2 — Distracted Boyfriend (2017) — The most-reused stock photograph in internet history.
#1 — Doge (2013) — Spawned Dogecoin. Peak market cap $80B in 2021. Kabosu died May 2024.
Five images that genuinely reshaped global culture, politics, and even finance. Which one is your favourite? Subscribe.
#Memes #InternetCulture #Doge #Rickroll #PepeTheFrog
Credits
All YouTube clips: CC BY 3.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Clips trimmed/edited for length.
YouTube clips
5. Grumpy Cat
"Grumpy Cat Memes Top 50 Funny Cats Video Best Cat Video Compilation" — Funny Cat Video
• Grumpy Cat Memes Top 50 Funny Cats Video ...
Used: 0m00s–0m30s
4. Rickroll
"(BACK TO SCHOOL SPECIAL) Rick Roll With 42 Random Effects" — TESVM681 Multimedia Studios
• (BACK TO SCHOOL SPECIAL) Rick Roll With 42...
Used: 0m00s–0m30s
3. Pepe the Frog
"Die Geschichte von Pepe dem Frosch" — Yura Yami
• Die Geschichte von Pepe dem Frosch
Used: 0m40s–1m10s
"Pepe The Frog Pancake Art - by Crazy Cook" — Crazy Cook
• Pepe The Frog Pancake Art - by Crazy Cook
Used: 1m20s–1m50s
2. Distracted Boyfriend
"Distracted Boyfriend Meme, brought to life" — artFX productions
• Distracted Boyfriend Meme, brought to life
Used: 0m00s–0m05s
"Distracted Boyfriend Meme: The Entire History & Evolution" — Memes Unpacked
• Distracted Boyfriend Meme: The Entire Hist...
Used: 1m30s–2m00s
1. Doge
"Doge reacts to phone meme compilation" — IGotMemes
• Doge reacts to phone meme compilation
Used: 0m00s–0m30s
"迷因界最偉大的傳奇柴犬⚡⚡⚡！“Doge柴犬”是什麽迷因？【迷因百科】#Doge #神煩狗 #迷因柴犬 #Cheems #柴犬 #表情包 #meme #迷因" — 搞完君2.0
• 迷因界最偉大的傳奇柴犬⚡⚡⚡！“Doge柴犬”是什麽迷因？【迷因百科】#Doge #...
Used: 0m00s–0m30s
"Doge (meme) | Wikipedia audio article" — Wikipedia Fan
• Doge (meme) | Wikipedia audio article
Used: 0m00s–0m30s