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The best memes of 2023

So many good memes this year.

Tim Marcin

on December 4, 2023

split images of jeremy strong and king charles with memes about each

The memes have been good in 2023. Credit: Mashable composite

2023 has been...weird. Join Mashable as we look back at everything that's delighted, amazed, or just confused us in 2023.

Memes, the lifeblood of the internet. The easiest way to make a joke online in the moment and the sort of joke that makes you think, "Oh, I forgot about that," once the moment has passed.

Somehow, the year is already (almost) over, so it's time to collect all the best memes of 2023. You might've forgotten about these already. It's been a good year, thus far, for memes about everything from kings to spy balloons to Barbie. So, please enjoy the best memes of 2023.

1. The Crying Northwestern Kid is all grown up

I'm a sucker for any story where you see a viral child all grown up. The passage of time, what a concept! Cameras at this year's March Madness basketball tournament zeroed in on John Phillips, the kid who went viral crying at the very same tournament in 2017. He's now college-aged, and we got some great memes from the internet reacting to him all grown up.

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2. Kendall Roy is so babygirl

Brilliant people combined the internet's new love of calling things "babygirl" with the heir apparent to the Waystar Royco empire, fictional Succession nepo baby Kendall Roy. Basically, the internet weirdly thirsted over Kendall, treating him like a boyband member that you just want to feed and tuck into bed at the end of a long day — maybe even give him a kiss on the head and tell him he did a good job.

Mashable's Elena Cavendar covered the trend and meme in depth, but it's hilarious and truly a wonderful example of the weird fun the internet can still provide.

SEE ALSO: Kendall Roy is the internet's babygirl

3. A ludicrously capacious meme

It's only natural Succession's final season would deliver many great memes. The unforgettable roast of Cousin Greg's date via Tom Wambsgans gifted us the phrase "ludicrously capacious bag," which then took on a life of its own on the internet.

4. Everyone is Barbie (unless you're just Ken)

The anticipation for Greta Gerwig's Barbie led to character posters becoming a huge meme online. Everyone can be a certain kind of Barbie...or just Ken. Sadly, there's only one Allan.

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5. People are serving c*nt

You read that right. The internet reclaimed the c-word by making it a meme. Serving c*nt is a good thing, by the way.

6. King Charles' coronation

Put an old man in silly, ostentatious outfits and, without a doubt, you're going to get some good memes. The coronation was obvious internet fodder, and it didn't disappoint.

7. Angela Bassett did the thing

Ariana DeBose sang an original song at the 2023 BAFTA awards, which included the lyrics, "Angela Bassett did the thing." The way it was sung, however, was full of campy verve and it took the internet by storm immediately.

8. The Chinese spy balloon

Remember the Chinese spy balloon and the weird spate of UFO sightings that followed? That happened this year. Who knew!

9. Barbenheimer, all year long

Barbie was the biggest thing all year. And then it beautifully converged with Oppenheimer for combined memes. It was glorious, and surprisingly wholesome.

10. Livvy rizzed up Baby Gronk

If you don't understand the Livvy rizzed up Baby Gronk, the new Drip King Meme, then, frankly, I do not have the time to explain it to you. But you can read about it on Mashable. Just trust that the memes were good.

11. Italian memes for Musk vs. Zuck

Remember the Elon Musk vs. Mark Zuckerberg fight that wasn't? Well, Musk claimed he wanted to have the fight inside Rome's Colosseum, which inspired some hilarious Italian memes.

12. A 'girl, we fucking see them' summer

As Mashable's Elena Cavender explained, blue-eyed men took over our screens this summer. And there were lots of great memes saying, "girl, we fucking see them" about that fact.

13. Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce took over the internet

Last but not least.... Duh. Swift and Kelce are all anyone can talk about. Some of the best memes have been about Swifties changing football forever with their newfound passion. Oh, and "seemingly ranch" was born as Swifties speculated a dipping sauce on their fave's plate.

It's fitting we ended 2023 obsessing over Swift because, well, let's be honest...the internet will be doing the same in 2024.

Topics Memes

Tim Marcin

Associate Editor, Culture

Tim Marcin is an Associate Editor on the culture team at Mashable, where he mostly digs into the weird parts of the internet. You'll also see some coverage of memes, tech, sports, trends, and the occasional hot take. You can find him on Bluesky (sometimes), Instagram (infrequently), or eating Buffalo wings (as often as possible).