The Best Memes of 2023

How was your 2023? If you have a hard time recollecting everything that happened in the past 12 months, well, there's a lot going on in the world. It's hard to keep up. Low-rise jeans are everywhere. UFOs are increasingly, you know, real. (Maybe.) Jersey Shore is back on TV! (What decade is it again?) And did you ever follow through on any of those New Year's resolutions? It's OK if you didn't. At least it's not all bad news, despite, you know, rising inflation, global warming, and an orca uprising. As always, we have memes to help us make sense of it all—or the nonsense of it all. Let's take a brief walk down memory lane and reminisce about all the best memes that have been made out of all the silly, crazy, and downright stupid things that've happened this year.

Tiger Woods

Yes, you heard us correctly. It's a Tiger Woods meme—and no, it's not from the early years of the Internet. Apparently, the golf legend infinitely meme-able. At the 2023 PNC Championship, where he played with his son and daughter, Woods greeted a caddy with a handshake and the phrase—wait for it—"big dog." In that moment a meme was born.

Spotify Wrapped

The end of the year means one thing—and it's not Christmas. It's Spotify Wrapped season. Whether or not your results were embarrassing or esoteric, everybody loves to talk about, share, and look at each other's Spotify Wrapped data. And for those of you who use Apple Music... just move along.

Daniel Craig

Who would've guessed that 007 would make the rounds on the Internet as a meme? Not Esquire—and we were literally there when the meme was born. Daniel Craig showed off his fabulous watch collection to Esquire, and one particular moment in the video resonated with the Internet. It didn't take long before everyone used Craig's outfit to suit hundreds of different wild scenarios.

Taylor Swift's Seemingly Ranch

Anything and everything Taylor Swift did this year was news. The Eras tour was a smash hit, 1989 (Taylor's Version) made many a Spotify Wrapped list, and of course, her relationship with Travis Kelce indoctrinated a new legion of football fans. But the obsession didn't stop there—everything Swift touches turns viral. People even made memes of what Swift ate while attending a Chiefs game.

Donald Trump Mug Shot

It's not every day that a former president's mugshot spreads all over social media! We'll just drop these here:

Kevin James

Do you remember feel-good sitcom King of Queens with Kevin James and Leah Remini? For the unfamiliar, Kevin James's character from the show, Doug Heffernan, was a ubiquitous image on the Internet late this year. Although the meme seemed to emerge out of nowhere, James helped us express feelings we just couldn't put into words.

Twitter Rebrands as X

Seemingly on a random weeknight, Elon Musk decided that Twitter—famously known for its little blue bird icon—was going to be known as X, and that little birdie was going bye-bye. Of course, the Internet was more than ready to share its jokes about the change. If there's one thing you can always count on, is that even when your favorite social media bird goes extinct, the Internet's wisecracks will be there to ease the pain.

Grimace Shake

Something big, purple, and huggable popped up this summer—and no, it wasn't Barney. It was another long-forgotten character from every '90s kid's memory: Grimace! (Of McDonald's fame.) For Grimace's birthday this June, everyone was treated to purple, blueberry-flavored milkshake. But the memes that this special shake inspired? They were truly as unhinged as the times we live in. Even poor Grimace didn't know how to react.

Barbenheimer

The excitement for the July 21 release date of both Barbie and Oppenheimer was historic, with both movies making box office records and raking in more than $235 million during their opening weekend. The two wholly distinct films became intertwined with each other—and for many moviegoers, was a must-watch double feature (including Esquire's editors). Oh, and the memes about the whole experience were just as important.

This Barbie is...

The Barbie movie gave us so much in terms of outfits, hit songs, and most importantly, memes. When the character posters for every Barbie and Ken dropped, everyone quickly created some of their own. The results were priceless.

Kendall Roy is Succession's Baby Girl

If you haven't seen Succession yet, watch it right now, then come back. Jeremy Strong's incredible portrayal of the stunted and emotionally fragile Kendall Roy—assumed heir to the Roystar Wayco company that his father founded—somehow resonated with young women all over the world. His broodiness, manic narcissism, and desperate longing for approval was all people could talk about while Succession aired its final season.

M3GAN

As soon as this horror-comedy hit the big screen, M3GAN became an icon to many audience members. Hell, she even inspired a bunch of viral memes before the film even released. With M3GAN's cutting insults and special dance moves, she sauntered into fans' hearts, and the memes that were made in her honor had us in stitches for weeks.

Egg Prices

Inflation has affected the price of far too many household products in the past year. Eggs were no exception. It didn't help that a bird flu decimated healthy egg productions across the country, either. If you're a fan of having a bacon egg and cheese for breakfast, you probably noticed too. At least, we can have a good laugh (and then a cry, probably) about it.

Big Red Boots

The art collective MSCHF released a brand-new product that the kiddos were all obsessed with: a pair of giant red rubber boots. After influencers wore them out during New York Fashion Week, the boots immediately went viral—and promptly spawned a batch of hilarious memes.

Angela Bassett Did The Thing

At the BAFTAs (British Academy of Film and Television Arts' Film Awards), Ariana DeBose performed an original song about the many nominees, which included Hong Chau, Viola Davis, and a mention of Angela Bassett that left the Internet a little (read: very) confused.

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