this post was submitted on 11 Jul 2026
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memes

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A collection of some classic Lemmy memes for your enjoyment

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[–] Multiplexer@discuss.tchncs.de 48 points 4 days ago (4 children)

While that has some truth to it, I wonder if it is based on some intrinsic properties of the respective generations, or rather just on their current age and stage in life.

E.g. GenX has been the dominant parent generation for the past 20 or so years. Naturally they are doing dad jokes.
While GenZ is young, experimental, and rebelling against the perceived conventions.

But I clearly remember a time when Millenials were as avant-garde as GenZ is now.
And my Millenial wife has been on the track to slowly convert to the slightly stupid but harmless GenX-type of humor.

So maybe within a few years your meme will be almost the same, with the only difference that the generation captions have each moved one place, GenAlpha superseding GenZ in the lower right corner...

[–] CyberEgg@discuss.tchncs.de 15 points 4 days ago (2 children)

I do agree partially to your line of thinking. When I as a young millenial was the age of today's young to middle gen Z (~late teens to early twenties) peak humor were ten hour long loops of Nyan Cat, Epic Sax Guy/Gandalf or Cantina Band with a side of Cheezburger Cat memes. Weird shit from a 30-something year old perspective.
My siblings and I are telling Dad Jokes to my niece at every opportunity and I can imagine those are your dominant form of humor when you have your own kids taking over your whole life.

However, there is another component to it, displayed by an oversimplified, slightly sarcastic analysis:

Boomer humor: I hate my wife.
Millenial humor: I hate my life.
GenZ humor: E

Of course, GenX is forgotten in this but from my experience, there is some credence to and a reason behind this.
Over time, relationships not lasting forever, divorces and marrying later in life has become more accepted socially, so elder folks might more often be stuck in unhappy relationship than younger people.
Meanwhile Boomers (and GenX) lived through Wirtschaftswunder, were less exposed to news and mostly had an overall more hopeful and positive expectations for life where Millennials grew up with the emergence of social media, more information available generally, being more exposed to crisis news and an increasing awareness about climate change and other threats to society.

This is not universal, there obviously was the Cold War and the looming nuclear destruction and this is mostly a western, often privileged white perspective, but still an influence on pop culture, memes, satire and humor.

[–] hemachandra01@lemmy.ml 3 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Meanwhile Boomers (and GenX) lived through Wirtschaftswunder,

Assuming Gen X to be from 1960 to 1980, and that the post-war boom ends with the 1973 first oil crisis, I don't really see how Xers would have lived through it.

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[–] Multiplexer@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

I guess it is a superposition of both.

Current stage in life setting the general tone/direction (edgy young, sense-searching youth, family-focused middle age, backwards-directed old).

And the time of upbringing determines the content to focus on and the specific type of execution (e.g. when reaching the "old" group some time soon, I will probably bitch about completely other things than current boomers and my memes will be more high-quality due to better skills, but I won't be doing TikToks...)

[–] Valmond@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 4 days ago (1 children)

GenX also passed school without google so that works too.

[–] Multiplexer@discuss.tchncs.de 7 points 4 days ago

Naa, we'll be bitching about AI instead when it's our turn! ;-)

[–] abbadon420@sh.itjust.works 3 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I'm a millenial and my jokes have always been stupud but harmless. This is not a very good metric

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[–] cosmos8188@leminal.space 28 points 4 days ago (3 children)
[–] Ryanmiller70@lemmy.zip 10 points 4 days ago

6️⃣7️⃣

[–] MisterD@lemmy.ca 7 points 4 days ago (1 children)
[–] IEatDaFeesh@lemmy.world 6 points 4 days ago

dob dob dob yes yes

[–] Noja@sopuli.xyz 2 points 4 days ago

The Elsagate generation

[–] FiniteBanjo@feddit.online 39 points 4 days ago (3 children)

I thought at first this was just describing how each generation is but its a bit more abstract than that: these are the kinds of memes they make.

[–] akwd169@sh.itjust.works 47 points 4 days ago (10 children)

Boomers are how their better than you

Gen X is dad jokes

Millennials is life sux

Gen z is absurdist like HONSE

[–] blargh513@sh.itjust.works 2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

GenX checking in, I have this image stored on my phone and just throw it at people for no good reason because it pleases me.

I don't know what it means. I don't think it means anything. Fits my worldview nicely.

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[–] xkbx@startrek.website 3 points 4 days ago (2 children)

what is gen alpha on

what are the cool hip kids memeing

I won’t get it but tell me like I would. Make me feel young again

[–] FerretyFever0@fedia.io 4 points 4 days ago (1 children)

67 is still around. Skibidi toilet is just about dead. Not sure if there's much else.

[–] Whats_your_reasoning@lemmy.world 3 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (2 children)

My 9 year old nephews told me months ago that 6-7 was already lame.

Which makes sense. If a kids' meme is at a point where adults know enough about it, it's probably already passé. That's just how this stuff works.

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[–] unmagical@lemmy.ml 32 points 4 days ago (1 children)

This is the strangest political compass I've seen.

[–] WhiskyTangoFoxtrot@lemmy.world 6 points 4 days ago (1 children)

It's Loss.

Although maybe the political compass was Loss all along.

[–] unmagical@lemmy.ml 2 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

I initially considered loss, but the character count for each is wrong.

[–] Zozano@aussie.zone 17 points 4 days ago
[–] AnthropomorphicCat@lemmy.world 18 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Which generation would ask "Is this loss"?

[–] cannedtuna@lemmy.world 22 points 4 days ago (2 children)
[–] vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works 7 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Also us elder Gen Z. But we have a lot of millennial overlap so...

[–] Lemminary@lemmy.world 4 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

Can't we just fuse together into gen Millenial Z? I mean, we do have some significant DBZ overlap to thank for this naming convention.

I've seen the term Zillennial thrown about as a sorta mirror to Xillenial. Really the generation measurement is always going to have this flaw for example generation Jones or whatever is going on with younger Gen Z and elder Gen Alpha. Really this flaw is going to continue until social and technological advancements slow down from the absolutely breakneck speed they've been going at for the last 150 years. I do have to wonder if we are seeing that slowdown or if we are seeing the modern equivalent of the 1930s where Europe was building up to WW2 and the US was giving the Slavs a run for their money in the depressing literature department.

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[–] Jankatarch@lemmy.world 14 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

Asdfmovie pioneered half our humour.

[–] huppakee@lemmy.world 6 points 4 days ago

Who's that Harold guy? Is he a friend of yours?

[–] balderdash9@lemmy.zip 3 points 4 days ago (5 children)

Can someone explain Gen Z? I don't understand

[–] nullspace@lemmy.world 9 points 4 days ago (1 children)

hi every1 im new!!!!!!! holds up spork my name is katy but u can call me t3h PeNgU1N oF d00m!!!!!!!! lol…as u can see im very random!!!! thats why i came here, 2 meet random ppl like me ^^… im 13 years old (im mature 4 my age tho!!) i like 2 watch invader zim w/ my girlfreind (im bi if u dont like it deal w/it) its our favorite tv show!!! bcuz its SOOOO random!!!! shes random 2 of course but i want 2 meet more random ppl =) like they say the more the merrier!!!! lol…neways i hope 2 make alot of freinds here so give me lots of commentses!!!! DOOOOOMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <--- me bein random again ^^ hehe…toodles!!!!!

love and waffles,

~t3h PeNgU1N oF d00m~

[–] aaaa@piefed.world 5 points 4 days ago (1 children)

This predates most of gen z's existence

[–] nullspace@lemmy.world 3 points 4 days ago

Yeah, but you can draw a straight line from penguin of doom to Harold.

[–] Bubs@lemmy.zip 6 points 4 days ago (1 children)
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[–] Noja@sopuli.xyz 2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

The "Gen Z" humor is like modern art. The banana taped to wall kind of art.

[–] turtlesareneat@piefed.ca 2 points 3 days ago

It's absurd anti-humor which is fine, but that's been around for a long time.

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