2021 was supposed to be the year we started recovering from the train-wreck of a year that was 2020. Instead, it turned out to be a much longer version of the past year. This long and somewhat difficult year had its share of hilarious memes that became a few constant sources of joy for most of us. The Internet has always delivered when it comes to becoming a great escape. Today, we’re taking a look at some of the best Internet memes we loved to laugh at and share in 2021. In case you’ve got your personal favourites, drop them in the comments below.
Happy side, sad side bus meme
An inspirational illustration from 2013 turned into a hilarious meme later this year. The meme involves two people sitting inside a bus, with one person facing the mountainside and the other one facing the Sun, rolling hills, and other things. The idea is simple yet hilarious when you look at some of the memes out there.
Anakin and Padmé
One of the popular Internet memes this year was one based on a Star Wars prequel movie. This one referenced Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) and Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman) in Attack of the Clones in a scene where they’re discussing politics in the Star Wars universe. The popular scene revolved around Anakin arguing about dictatorship while Padmé says that democracy is better. The facial expressions of the two actors in the scene helped this scene become a classic meme in 2021.
I’ve enjoyed the memes, but the original dialogue between Anakin and Padme is raw, emotional, illuminating, one of the best scenes in all of Star Wars pic.twitter.com/7TbT8Suf4F
— Alex Blechman (@AlexBlechman) June 8, 2021
Oprah interviews Harry and Meghan
Oprah has given us some truly memorable moments on TV. This year, however, it was her interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry that drew millions of viewers on TV and sparked a whole series of memes. Oprah’s reactions inspired some of the hilarious memes we’ve seen in 2021.
March 2020 / March 2021
Everything literally changed in March 2020, yet nothing much changed in March 2021. The comparison inspired a series of memes that were loved and shared all across the Internet. The memes reflected how it felt like life had hit the pause button in March 2020, and we just couldn’t get out of it. The memes involved everything from burned out work-from-home themes to lockdown rants.
It was Agatha all along
WandaVision inspired at least one big meme during 2021. Kathryn Hahn’s stage-wink resulted in a series of hilarious memes this year. The meme was based on the whole intention-versus-truth theme, with the captions setting up the premise. We won’t talk much about it just in case you haven’t seen the Marvel series yet, and let you enjoy some of the popular versions of the meme instead.
When Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp went down
In October this year, some of the major apps and services on the Internet went down. Meta’s Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp were some of the biggest names on the list. While it felt like the end of the world for a brief time, it was also a very exciting time for meme creators. Twitter was filled with memes, which included Twitter itself, and Reddit was lit too. Once everything went back up, it was miserable all over again as we went back to doomscrolling.
Kim Kardashian at Met Gala
The Meta Gala is probably the most meme-able event of the year. This year, while everyone had their chance, it was Kim Kardashian who stole the show. Her outfit at Met Gala sparked off a series of hilarious can’t-unsee memes on the Internet. Kim wore an all-black dress from head to toe, with a mask that covered her face entirely. The outfit literally hid her, yet she got all the attention.
Ship stuck in Suez Canal
When it felt like life was stuck in 2021, a real-life situation helped the Internet build another classic meme. A giant ship called Ever Given (operated by Evergreen) managed to jam one of the world’s most popular shipping lanes, the Suez Canal. It was serious yet funny, as it reflected something we were all going through at that point in time.
Squid Game
Squid Game was undoubtedly one of the most popular shows in 2021. While it broke Netflix records, it also helped inspire a large number of memes throughout 2021. Some of those memes could spoil the show for you, so we recommend you don’t randomly Google for them. We’ve shared a generic one below that should give you an idea without giving away too much.
