---
title: "meme · GenZ Decoded"
description: "A piece of culture that spreads through imitation, especially an online joke, image, phrase, or video that people remix and share."
url: "https://genzdecoded.com/blog/meme/"
lang: "en"
published: "2026-07-26"
modified: "2026-07-29"
image: "https://genzdecoded.com/og/blog-meme.jpg"
---

![meme, a GenZ Decoded word deep dive](https://genzdecoded.com/og/blog-meme.jpg)

# meme

noun/meem/also: internet meme, memes, meme format

A piece of culture that spreads through imitation, especially an online joke, image, phrase, or video that people remix and share.

By [Cal Hewitt](https://genzdecoded.com/about/), Gen X · Published Jul 26, 2026 · Updated Jul 29, 2026

Origin

evolutionary-biology writing, later…

Around

1976

Popular on

Global internet culture across social…

Meaning

## What it means

Online, a meme is not just any funny post. It is a recognizable idea or format that people repeat, alter, and circulate. The word began as Richard Dawkins's term for cultural transmission, then took on a more specific internet meaning.

See the quick definition in the [meme dictionary entry](https://genzdecoded.com/dictionary/meme/).

Usage

## How to use it

- “That screenshot became a meme overnight.”

    A format spreads widely and gets reused.

- “People keep remaking the meme with their own captions.”

    Describing how a meme format changes through imitation.

Origin

## Where it came from

British evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins coined meme in his 1976 book The Selfish Gene, shortening mimeme, meaning something imitated. His original idea concerned cultural transmission generally, not image macros or social posts. Internet culture later narrowed the everyday meaning to remixable online material.

Who coined it

Commonly credited to Richard Dawkins (1976), well-documented.

- [https://richarddawkins.net/2014/02/whats-in-a-meme/](https://richarddawkins.net/2014/02/whats-in-a-meme/)
- [https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780195120905.001.0001/acref-9780195120905-e-187](https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780195120905.001.0001/acref-9780195120905-e-187)
- [https://www.wired.com/story/richard-dawkins-memes](https://www.wired.com/story/richard-dawkins-memes)

Geography

## Where it's popular

Global internet culture across social networks, forums, group chats, and short-form video platforms.

The word began in academic writing but now has a widespread digital-culture meaning.

Timeline

## How it caught on

1.  1976Richard Dawkins coins meme in The Selfish Gene for a unit of cultural transmission or imitation.
2.  1990sOnline communities increasingly circulate copied jokes, images, and catchphrases.
3.  2013Dawkins distinguishes deliberately remixed internet memes from his original evolutionary concept in a Wired interview.

Heads up

## Common mix-ups

A meme is not limited to a single image, and not every viral post becomes a meme. A meme is typically recognizable and repeatable enough for others to imitate or remix.

Quiz

## Test yourself

### Do you know the meme?

1.  Who coined meme?

    - Tim Berners-Lee
    - An anonymous forum user
    - Richard Dawkins **(correct answer)**
    - A social-media company

2.  What helps make an online post a meme?

    - People can recognize and remix it **(correct answer)**
    - It has to be a photo
    - It must be serious
    - It must be anonymous

3.  What was the original meme concept about?

    - Video-game strategy
    - Only jokes on the web
    - Advertising slogans only
    - Cultural transmission by imitation **(correct answer)**

// the shop [Shop LOST IN TRANSLATION shirts and hoodies for families who speak two kinds of slang](https://genzdecoded.com/shop/)

Related

## Related slang

viralimage macroreaction imageformatremix

Keep reading

## More word guides

- [moots](https://genzdecoded.com/blog/moots/)
- [locals](https://genzdecoded.com/blog/locals/)
- [NSFW](https://genzdecoded.com/blog/nsfw/)
- [LMS](https://genzdecoded.com/blog/lms/)
- [OMG](https://genzdecoded.com/blog/omg/)
- [iykyk](https://genzdecoded.com/blog/iykyk/)

FAQ

## Questions people ask

### Who coined the word meme?

Richard Dawkins coined it in his 1976 book The Selfish Gene.

### What did meme originally mean?

It meant a unit of cultural transmission or imitation, modeled in name on gene.

### What is an internet meme?

It is a cultural idea or format that spreads online through copying, remixing, and sharing.

Did you know

Meme was designed to sound like gene, because Dawkins was describing how cultural ideas can spread by imitation.

Sources

- [https://richarddawkins.net/2014/02/whats-in-a-meme/](https://richarddawkins.net/2014/02/whats-in-a-meme/)
- [https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780195120905.001.0001/acref-9780195120905-e-187](https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780195120905.001.0001/acref-9780195120905-e-187)
- [https://www.wired.com/story/richard-dawkins-memes](https://www.wired.com/story/richard-dawkins-memes)

[See what's trending](https://genzdecoded.com/trending/)[Browse the dictionary](https://genzdecoded.com/glossary/)