Draft:The Great Meme Reset: Difference between revisions

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2026 revival of old memes

The Great Meme Reset is an internet meme and social media movement on TikTok that calls for the abandonment of current memes and the return of ones from the 2010s on January 1st, 2026.^[1] Reasons for this are cited as the prevalence of brainrot, AI slop, and forced memes in 2025.^[2]

The initial idea for this event began in response to the perceived lack of memes in March of 2025, dubbed “The Great Meme Drought”^[1][2] or “The Great Meme Depression.”^[3] TikToker joebro909 joked about a potential meme reset during a comedy skit to satirize the speed of modern-day meme life cycles. Other users agreed with this idea, and in September, users proposed that the event take place at the end of 2025.^[2][4]

The meme gained more traction since due to the rise of memes such as Italian Brainrot and 67, as their inexplicable nature, use of AI, and popularity with Gen Alpha made users want to return to “simpler times.”^[1][3]

Editorial SheKnows.com expressed positivity for the movement, stating, “Bye bye brainrot and AI slop and annoying nonsense words that drive us insane. Teens are planning on ditching these annoying trends, and we couldn’t be more excited.”^[5]

Business magazine Fast Company expressed criticism that memes from the 2010s “just don’t hit the same in the cold light of 2025” and that The Great Meme Reset will soon “meet the same fate as memes before it.”^[4]