Most popular memes of 2023

The 25 memes people looked up most in 2023, ranked by reads of their English Wikipedia article from January to December 2023. The top three: Barbenheimer, Doge (meme), Vaporwave.

Source: Wikimedia pageview counts, all-access, monthly. Only memes with their own Wikipedia article are counted. For what is spreading this week, see trending memes. Also: Most popular memes of 2025 · Most popular memes of 2024 · Most popular memes of 2023.

1. 

   Barbenheimer
   2,018,074 Wikipedia reads in 2023 · Internet meme about the competition between the 2023 films Barbie and Oppenheimer
2. 

   Doge (meme)
   809,110 Wikipedia reads in 2023 · Internet meme
3. 

   Vaporwave
   372,339 Wikipedia reads in 2023 · online musical genre and visual aesthetic
4. 

   Goblin mode
   368,721 Wikipedia reads in 2023 · Internet meme
5. 

   Godwin's law
   363,586 Wikipedia reads in 2023 · Godwin's Law is known to be the oldest meme on the Internet, made by Mike Godwin. The memes meaning is to say: The longer an online conversation continues, The more of a chance there is to mention Hitler.
6. 

   Charlie Charlie challenge
   271,258 Wikipedia reads in 2023 · game and Internet meme
7. 

   Storm Area 51
   251,164 Wikipedia reads in 2023 · Facebook event to breach the military base Area 51 in Nevada, United States
8. 

   Nuclear Gandhi
   209,240 Wikipedia reads in 2023 · urban legend software bug in the video game Civilization
9. 

   Ice Bucket Challenge
   175,587 Wikipedia reads in 2023 · Internet meme
10. 

    Rule 63
    171,790 Wikipedia reads in 2023 · Internet meme involving gender reversal of an existing male/female character
11. 

    Bielefeld conspiracy
    161,904 Wikipedia reads in 2023 · popular satire about the city of Bielefeld
12. 

    Grimdark
    139,811 Wikipedia reads in 2023 · trope or meme regarding overly dark fiction
13. 

    Listenbourg
    129,952 Wikipedia reads in 2023 · fictional country in Europe and Internet meme
14. 

    Truck-kun
    120,948 Wikipedia reads in 2023 · Internet meme
15. 

    The cake is a lie
    113,768 Wikipedia reads in 2023 · Internet meme from the video game Portal
16. 

    All men are created equal
    108,443 Wikipedia reads in 2023 · phrase from U.S. Declaration of Independence
17. 

    Chuck Norris facts
    108,419 Wikipedia reads in 2023 · satirical factoids about American martial artist and actor Chuck Norris
18. 

    Big Floppa
    103,208 Wikipedia reads in 2023 · an Internet meme with a caracal called Gregory
19. 

    Reality shifting
    97,395 Wikipedia reads in 2023 · belief in self-induced consciousness transfer to alternate realities
20. 

    Keyboard Cat
    95,076 Wikipedia reads in 2023 · viral video and Internet meme
21. 

    Planking (fad)
    88,070 Wikipedia reads in 2023 · 2011 fad
22. 

    Overly Attached Girlfriend
    78,612 Wikipedia reads in 2023 · fictional character
23. 

    Lion of Gripsholm Castle
    78,537 Wikipedia reads in 2023 · Badly-stuffed lion in Sweden
24. 

    Homunculus loxodontus
    77,712 Wikipedia reads in 2023 · 2016 sculpture by Margriet van Breevoort and an Internet meme
25. 

    It's Over 9000!
    76,937 Wikipedia reads in 2023 · Internet meme