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The internet has become such a large and lively place that it’s pretty easy to come across huge swaths of it that don’t really make sense for a casual observer. Complex references, jokes within jokes and insider information all make it sometimes pretty hard to follow what is actually happening.

The “Explain the joke” internet group exists to help weary netizens that have stumbled across a meme that doesn’t make any sense to them. So get comfortable as you read through, take notes if you need to, upvote your favorites and be sure to share your thoughts and stories in the comments section below.

#1

I Honestly Don’t Understand This

SuspiciousJD: Dell – you are in corpo MacBook – startup, they lose founding you are fired Lenovo – you are working for a company with solid foundations, established years ago, stable job.

Kale_Brecht Report

steveh_9 avatar

#3

Uhhhh..?

Lam_Loons: I think this is saying someone who invents something like an engine that runs on water or a cure for cancer or anything that would challenge the current balance of power will be killed.
Leo found out the guy next to him invented a water fuelled engine, and he’s figuring out he’s probably on a doomed flight.

Leen_2001 Report

There is a particular head-scratching moment when someone who spends all but the occasional few hours of waking life not connected to the internet reads through a rapidly evolving meme that seems to have its own clandestine slang. Unexposed to the constant barrage of TikTok trends, Twitter threads, and Discord jokes, a joke based on yesterday’s trending clip or last week’s niche subreddit reference can be like hearing an inside joke spoken in a language that isn’t understood. You know it must be funny, but you’re missing a few thousand crucial data points to get the full picture.

Part of the challenge is sheer velocity. Online communities crank out new memes at a pace that would make even the most industrious content machine break a sweat. By the time you’ve looked up and asked, “Wait, what is “cheugy” again?” or “Who the devil is the ‘girl crying at salad’ lady?”, the next gigantic joke has already zoomed past.

#4

I’m A Boy… And I Don’t Get It

WeerwolfWilly: It’s just cool that it broke so perfectly in half. That is all there is to it.

tylerian Report

#6

What Am I Missing

Forest_Froggie: Sub is short for submissive. Topping is the act of being on top or “giving” during intercourse.

staebz Report

Without infinite scrolling, you can’t keep up with the endless remixing, the sub-memes that spawn sub-sub-memes, and the light-speed in-jokes that disappear the moment they’re highlighted. There’s also the multi-layered context that some memes carry. An image macro can simply be based on a mention of a cult TV show, a Twitter row, or a past gaming highlight.

#7

What?

FireDog8569: I believe the joke is that he’s getting close to a military bunker he should not be getting close to.

ArmedTank Report

#8

Why Send A Electron

phhoenixxp: there was a video that showed someone speed running a Mario game (i think it was 64 idk) and he suddenly teleports above a huge obstacle course, saving him a shit ton of time. its still unexplained what the cause of it was but most people speculate it was a single solar particle that changed a 0 to a 1 in his elevation data inside the game’s code.

Wise_Bicycle_1620 Report

#9

Anyone Can Explain It ? 🤔

Aftermathemetician: For years, Leonardo DiCaprio was notorious for dumping all his girlfriends by the time they were 25.
The joke is he let go because Rose was too old for him anyway.

whokarez0_0 Report

If you weren’t online when the back-story was current, the meme looks like a cryptic cross-word puzzle without the puzzle. You find yourself wondering why a guy staring at a map through squinty eyes is now the height of human communication, or why someone screaming “I’m in danger!” has become shorthand for any mild inconvenience. Humor online can also hold surprising emotional intensity.

#10

I Don’t Get It

Broad_Respond_2205: There’s an ongoing meme about throwing car batteries into the ocean (to charge the electric eels, of course) because AutoZone said you shouldn’t.
In this meme, he is training not to impress a woman, but rather to do the heavy task of throwing car batteries into the ocean for his grandma.

360_bratXcX Report

#11

Whats Wrong With This Type Of Girls?

IceBurnt_: Bascically goth girls are apparently the most difficult kind of girlfriends to maintain… That’s what the internet tells me idk I’m a hive mind member
Edit: from the countless replies i take it that goth gfs are just unpredicted girls rather than mentally unstable satanic cultists or whatever I have heard.

KamilekBombed Report

#12

Math Doesn’t Check Out?

cell490: It’s a joke about a game called ‘RuneScape’
You level up skills from 1 through 99
The amount of experience points needed to achieve level 92 is half of the amount it takes to reach level 99
So 92 is half of 99.

BrandyAid Report

An old-school joke might land if you’ve heard it before, but an internet meme often taps into collective experiences, midnight existential dread, pandemic frustrations, the absurdity of algorithmic timelines. Those feelings simmer in comment sections and meta-threads, creating a shared vibe that amplifies the laugh. Without that communal build-up, the meme’s punch can feel flat or bewildering. It’s not just the elderly who are left behind, however; digital natives themselves become disconnected from memes if they’re on only one platform.

#13

What Does This Mean?

BlackKingHFC: A light brighter than the flame will cause the air distortions caused by the burning fuel to cast a shadow. It doesn’t need to be a nuclear explosion. A spotlight or a powerful flash light can produce the same result. That is how the photo was taken. These aren’t deep secrets they can easily be tested.

Milharoco Report

#14

I Mostly Get It But What Kinda Maths Test Takes 3 Days For Only Two Questions?

Scalage89: Uni exams are very good at asking short questions that take an awful lot of work to answer.
“Prove this or that theorem.” Oh well, 5 pages later you’re finally halfway.

Roadkillgoblin_2 Report

#15

I Don’t Get It 😔

jitterscaffeine: I believe the reply is suggesting the spikes are meant to stop homeless people. But I’m pretty sure spikes like that, and other similar installments, are also put in to stop people from skateboarding or loitering and such as well.
Looking at the thumbnail, they very well could be meant to stop parkour and such. I’m not sure homeless people would sleep on top of a wall like that. But, either way, I’m fairly certain the spikes wouldn’t discriminate in that respect.

Illustrious_Pea_3546 Report

A TikTok meme can never have a translation to Facebook or some private messaging service, and so their users on those platforms are left gazing at meaningless asides in group chats. The internet isn’t a monolithic entity but instead an interwoven tapestry of subcultures, and each corner weaves its own in-jokes. Being offline, either by choice or by circumstances, means you’re missing large chunks of that cultural cloth.

#16

First Time I’ve Been Genuinely Clueless

KOWguy: “Frog and Scorpion came to a brook, wide was the water. Scorpion asked Frog for a ride on his back. Frog said, ‘Scorpion, will you not sting me?’ Scorpion said, ‘If I did, it would mean the death of us both.’ Frog agreed, and Scorpion climbed onto his back. Frog swam, but halfway over, Scorpion struck with his deadly sting. Frog gasped, ‘Fool, you have doomed us both. Why?’ ‘I am a scorpion,’ said Scorpion. ‘It is my nature.'”

StarPrime323 Report

#17

Why Does A Dog Saying I Love You So Sad?

Ambaryerno: It’s a Don Bluth movie. If you were a kid growing up in the 80s and 90s, you were going to be emotionally wrecked by the time you left that theater.
Making it even worse, Judith Barsi, the actress who voiced Anne Marie, was murdered by her father shortly before the film was completed. The scene in the meme was the last scene Burt Reynolds (who voiced Charlie the dog) recorded. So not only was it Charlie saying goodbye to Anne Marie, but it was Reynolds saying goodbye to Barsi. It was an enormously difficult scene for Reynolds to record, and it took numerous takes before he could finally get through it.
And now you’re crying, too.

RobertDundee Report

Well, this isn’t something to be fixed but something to be enjoyed. Being the person who needs a quick explanation or who says, “Why is everyone talking about that one picture of a cat?” can generate genuine laughter and understanding when a person does take the time to fill in the blanks. It’s a reminder that behind every meme is a network of stories, and catching up can feel like joining a global storytelling circle, if only you’re willing to ask, listen, and maybe even dive into the abyss of online rabbit holes every now and then.

#19

What Am I Missing Here

chatfrank: Plymouth Rock is the historical disembarkation site of the Mayflower Pilgrims who founded Plymouth Colony in December 1620.
All you see is a rock with a number.

Garfwog Report

#20

I’ve Never Understood This

DustingMop: He’s lying. The joke is that they’re actually brothers and he is lying to make a joke.

turquoiseyogurt Report

d4rkpone avatar

#21

I Don’t Get It?

jesse6225: So it’s basically calling the second girl trashy because after you curl your hair, you’re supposed to brush it out for a more natural look.
Hardly anyone would notice or care, but it matters to the girl getting cheated on.

BrandyAid Report

d4rkpone avatar

#22

I’m Lost 😔

kilopqq: As the other have said it is referencing the tower of Babel. I can add that the second dude is saying in Greek “What the hell did you say?”

MachineIntelligence0 Report

#24

Can Someone Translate Please?

Profess0r_Xavi3r: Merida’s left toe knuckle curl here, translation: Being a lesbian is so hard. I tell a girl she’s gorgeous and she replies with “you too queen👸”. Like I’m not saying that to be your friend I’m saying it to sleep with you.

Dark_Brian0508 Report

d4rkpone avatar

#26

I Don’t Get It

Longo_Two_guns: I think the joke is that after a long day at work (presumably manual labor), most would have a huge appetite and be disappointed at their wife for making an unappetizing meal.
I disagree with the joke, as I would absolutely destroy that plate and be happy.

shinwat Report

#27

Any Idea?

[deleted]: Pain and itch use the same exact nerve circuit, so if you have an itch and you cause that area pain, the itch stops because the circuit can’t produce both sensations at once. Source: I had to claw my way through Sensory Physiology in college – one of the hardest Neuroscience courses for my degree. Fascinating, but hard AF.

jewkakasaurus Report

#30

Lens Was No Help With This One. I’m Stumped

tripspawnshop: There was a copper merchant named Ea-Nasir who lived around 1750 BC. Archeologists have discovered several clay tablets complaining about this guy by name (saying that he sold them substandard copper, was very slow on deliveries, etc). This is interesting because these are the oldest recorded customer complaints. Ea-Nasir has become kind of a meme on some parts of the internet, so this sticker is a joke about him.

Mediocre_Metal_7174 Report

#31

I Don’t Get It

TheEthanHB: In November 2009, a man named John Edward Jones became tragically trapped and died inside Utah’s Nutty Putty Cave after becoming stuck in a narrow passage. Jones was exploring the cave with his family as part of a pre-Thanksgiving outing.
Jones got stuck in a tight, narrow fissure, so small that he could barely breathe. He was trapped upside down.
Over 28 hours, over 100 rescue personnel worked to free him, but were unsuccessful.
Jones died of cardiac arrest due to the strain of his compressed position and inability to breathe.
Nutty Putty Cave was permanently closed, with Jones’ body sealed inside the cave. A plaque was erected in his memory.

ppeachpurr Report

#34

I Don’t Get It

InAndOut51: Judging by the snake it’s probably supposed to be Adam, Eve, Cain and Abel? The joke being that there’s no women around, or incest possibly.

Spartapwn Report

#35

I Don’t Get It

nomiis19: It’s from Midsommar. In the movie, the old people sacrifice themselves for the community.

detectivedrac Report

#37

I Am Not From Europe

ShrikeBishop: The cheat code for your interactions in France :
Start every first interaction of the day with person with “Bonjour” (or “Bonsoir” if in the evening). Then you can switch to English if you’re struggling, it doesn’t matter. Starting with a little salutation is extremely important, otherwise you are immediately and subconsciously flagged as a rude person.

Tom_Gibson Report

#38

A Little Help?

Tietonz: I thought the joke was that in hs you would smell it and be jazzed, as an adult you smell it and suddenly you turn into the gestapo trying to figure out where it’s coming from.

EatPrayFugg Report

#39

Explain Please?

Ecstatic_Hope6902: So the reason pizza party slices were so small was because the teachers bought the pizza with their own money and that’s an effort made for the students by them.

Iridium-235 Report

#40

What’s The Realization

SiLeNtE000: Generation X is sometimes referred to as the forgotten generation, and thus whoever made the list forgot to put them on.

Junior_Blackberry779 Report

#42

Hm?

Kerosene143: Germans are not renowned for being very funny. The joke that the German gave was “Two hunters meet, both are dead.” In German, this is more like “Two hunters hit, both are dead.” Wherein hit could mean Meet or Shot. Originally you suspect its that they meet, then they subvert your expectation by saying both are dead.

swamyiam Report

#43

I Don’t Get This How Is It The Grandma’s Fault

EvilStan101: It implies the boomer did nothing to alleviate or reduce their carbon footprint while also voting for politicians who are anti-environment resulting in the climate change we are experiencing.

Ok-Performance480 Report

#44

Look, I Know The Answer Is Gross, But I Need To Know What Kind Of Gross

PimpItachi: Autism. A trait very common with neurodivergent people is exceptional memory. Another thing that’s very common are hyperfixations, an intense focus on a specific hobby, franchise etc. Sonic is very popular among neurodivergent people for some reason. Also Chris Chan.

jje414 Report

#45

What Does This Mean

muckenhoupt: The social media account managers for two brands are having a fake spat for publicity. Then a third unrelated brand joins in and ruins the artifice.

averageAkazaFanboy Report

#46

I Am So Clueless

Substantial-Rub-2272: So pretty much he looks like Zeke Yaeger from Attack on Titan. Basically zeke is a Titan wielder called the Beast Titan, in the show he uses his spinal fluid and injects it into wine and serves it to like a ton of people I think it was like military corps and maybe some of the scouts but the Beast Titan can shout and it causes anyone who drank/was injected with the spinal fluid transforms into just regular titans.
The joke is ultimately that Zeke is serving free drinks with his spinal fluid.

spudihoodi Report

#47

I Dont Get It

Fabulous_Wave_3693: First image is Villa Savoye built in 1931 in Poissy, France. A modern style building using that all the rage material reinforced concrete. Second image is Palais Garnier, an opera house built in 1875 in Paris France at the behest of Emperor Napoleon III the style is literally called “Napoleon III” style as it “included elements from the Baroque, the classicism of Palladio, and Renaissance architecture blended together” (I’m just taking this from Wikipedia so make of this what you will).
OOP likes the older style better and feels that newer buildings are appreciated for their “advanced” construction but are unable to capture the beauty of early styles.
As an aside. While Villa Savoye is a very classic example of modern architectural design I feel that comparing it to Palais Garnier seems a bit misguided. One is a just a house at the end of the day, a house in the countryside no less. The other is a major operatic theatre in the middle of a large city. Why not juxtapose Palais Garnier with the Sydney Opera House? It’s also in that modernist style OOP seems to hate so much. Is it because the Sydney Opera house is a beloved and iconic landmark and it would undercut the idea that building design neatly regressed?

Minute-Clue6266 Report

#49

Understand The Reference Of The Comment, Don’t Understand The Context

NennisDedry: Kamdyn is saying the person holding the photo is visible on the phone screen and is also comparing their stature to a tank.
As to what tank she most resembles is up for our individual interpretation. I myself like the World War Two M4 Sherman tank.

ConnectionPersonal42 Report

#50

I’m Not From The Us, Can Someone Explain This To Me Pls

93rd_misfit: Car salesman pretending to speak with his manager to get a better deal for the customer.. common salesman practice.

AdminWing811 Report

#51

I Definitely Don’t Get It

KTPChannel: His name is (East) Indian.
I grew up with a ton of Indians. Whenever we had to answer “what do you want to be when you grow up” in school, all these kids had a) detailed answers, and b) straight, emotionless faces when answering.
I don’t think a single one of them got to choose their own adventure.

Brojangles1234 Report

#52

I Don’t Get It

Nervous-Road6611: I may be a physicist, but even I know how to spell “brake”. But, as to the joke, when you turn the car, the car is angularly accelerating. When you hit the gas, the car is linearly accelerating. When you hit the brake, the car is linearly decelerating (i.e., negative acceleration). They are all forms of acceleration.

Alone-Target-313 Report

#54

The Game?

Double-Star-Tedrick: *sigh*
I’ve lost it, yet again.
This was a pretty strong, multi-year streak for me, tho. My next one will be even better, as it continues fading into meme culture obscurity.

Lil_Hypotenuse Report

#56

I Dont Get It

Mary_Ellen_Katz: Y2K bug, or, “the year 2000.”
Computers with clocks were coded in such a way as to not consider the change in millennium date from 1999 to 2000. There were huge concerns that computers that controlled vital systems like power plants would go offline and lead to catastrophic failure. Like nuclear power plants going critical, or the economy collapsing- or both!
The solution for the average person was being told to turn their computers off before the new year to avoid any unforeseen consequences. Those vital systems got patched, and the year 2000 came and passed without incident.
Edit: at lease read the comments before saying something 10 other people have said.

Miserable-Ad3599 Report

#57

Is It Due To The Meds?

Ok-Mastodon2420: Often right before people die their body releases a burst of energy, there’s debate as to why but it is most likely that it decides that holding reserves is pointless.

JLF2411 Report

#58

I Come To You Humbled And Ashamed,

bigtablebacc: I think they’re referring to the “broccoli top” haircut which is popular with gen z men.

samuraigoroh Report

#59

First Post Here, Never Been Married. Help Me Out?

November-Wind: Divorce. Both are removing their former significant-other from the social media profiles they present to others.

Sith_LordRevan Report

#60

I Cant See

[deleted]: Bikini Bottom got flooded by medical waste most likely due to the human garbage disposal into the oceans and they made it into a fair called “glove world” but they are exposed to biological hazard.
Or they have 4 fingers and the gloves have 5.

zakigar Report

#61

I Don’t Get It

jitterscaffeine: Forgetting to eat is sometimes a thing people with ADHD do. This meme is saying the person forgot to eat for long enough that their blood sugar is very low and they’re shaking.

DiosaDulzura Report

#62

I Don’t Understand What This Means?

[deleted]: A number of action movies feature scenes of manly men bleeding out onto pristine, snow-covered landscapes. It’s a very dramatic shot that contrasts the peacefulness of the scene with the violent injury/death, and red blood against white snow is a rather stark contrast.
I interpreted this as a reference to that minor cliche.

RickolisH Report

#63

??

Prunsel_Clone:
Class is at 8am
“Sorry, prof. I can’t come in, my grandma/grandpa died today…”
is lying because they just don’t want to get up
the OOP is making a joke by pretending to believe those excuses.

Ephcy Report

#64

I Don’t Get It

Orbitoldrop: The idea of being where you are is where you are supposed to be. Don’t overthink but embrace your current surroundings.

doritofinnick Report

#65

Got Sent This In Discord, Plz Help Me Understand

Shinygonzo: The lead singer of MCR witnessed 9/11 firsthand and says it changed his perspective on life eventually leading to him starting the band. The author who wrote twilight idk her name claims MCR was her favorite band and inspired her to write twilight. 50 shades of grey was originally a twilight fan fiction that ended up being turned into a movie starring Dakota Johnson, jumpstarting her fame. Dakota Johnson later appeared on the Ellen show in which Ellen tried to put Dakota on the spot for not inviting her to her birthday party. Dakota replied that she did in fact invite her and was rudely ignored despite being pressured into inviting her in the first place. This started a chain reaction of other celebrities and people in the industry telling their stories of how Ellen is a rude person. (I hate that I know all this and not like basic algebra)

_wizfajita_ Report

#67

I’m Lost

hejsiebrbdhs: This person used to work in a kitchen, where you ABSOLUTELY need to inform people when you’re near them. Otherwise you get stabbed or cause an accident.
The joke is they’re still using that mindset even in a relaxed office break room.
Edit: may also be because they watched the bear and are acting it out, as some comments have nicely, and not so nicely pointed out lol.

dont_mess_with_tx Report


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