A simple reaction meme format derived from a scene in the animated television series Gravity Falls, in which the character Deputy Durland mockingly shouts, "City boy! City boy!" at the protagonist Dipper during a confrontation, is once again going viral across the web.

Initially gaining widespread traction on TikTok back in 2022 as a humorous reaction meme, the so-called "City Boy" meme has returned with an unexpected resurgence that rivals its original virality years ago.

Over the last several days of January 2026, the format using the AAVE slang term "city boy" has experienced a renewed wave of popularity after a series of TikToks have reintroduced it to a new audience.

So, how did the slang "city boy" inspire the meme? What's the story behind the original clip used in it, and why is the meme seeing a sudden comeback now? Let's explain.

Where Did The Slang Term 'City Boy' Come From, and What Does It Mean?

Way back in May 2019, American rapper Megan Thee Stallion released album art for her record Fever, notably naming herself a "hot girl."

In the following days and weeks, numerous Twitter / X users then began posting memes and photos about summer 2019 supposedly being a "Hot Girl Summer," a time when women would go on to celebrate female solidarity and looking good.

About a month later, men on social media then started to post about a male-centric version of the event, dubbing it "City Boy Summer," but rather than focusing on things like empowerment and solidarity, the event mainly inspired a lot of memes about being dismissive toward women, such as pushing women aside or even mistreating them in the pursuit of having a good time.

This the City Boys summer anthem https://t.co/FfBs5w9PRD

— MR 305 BIG SEXY  (@KARIMBlTCH) July 7, 2019

The standalone slang term "city boy," which dropped the "summer" part of the original, then became solidified in its wake, essentially coming to define a man who doesn't let women get in the way of a good time or their success.

It was added to Urban Dictionary in mid-July 2019, defined as "A male who is living his very best life and chasing the bag at all times without letting Hot Girls or any female get in the way."

What Is The 'City Boy, City Boy' Meme, and Where Does The Clip Originally Come From?

The source of the meme can be traced back to June 30th, 2012, when season one, episode three of Gravity Falls, titled "Headhunters," first aired on the Disney Channel.

During the episode, the character Deputy Durland sarcastically dismisses Dipper’s ability to solve a crime by repeatedly shouting, "City boy! City boy!" to mock Dipper’s status as someone from the city and frame him as out of place in the rural setting.

Nearly a decade later, the clip resurfaced online as a reaction meme when, in June 2022, TikTok users began repurposing the scene to comment on situations involving men behaving dismissively or antagonistically toward women, drawing a parallel to the slang term "city boy."

One of the earliest viral examples appeared on June 20th of that year when TikToker thaboyzbible posted a video incorporating the Gravity Falls clip alongside other reaction memes. The post depicted a man refusing to give a woman his Snapchat and quickly gained traction, amassing more than 7.1 million views within five days before being deleted sometime after.

How Was 'City Boy' Initially Used In Memes?

During its initial breakout on TikTok, the City Boy meme blending the Gravity Falls reaction clip with the slang term "city boy" continued to gain momentum across the platform in mid-2022.

As the format spread, creators applied it to a wide range of scenarios involving dating drama, relationship discourse and other scenarios that people perceived as a woman being shown up by a man.

One prominent example appeared on June 20th, 2022, when TikToker shaggingtonfc.official posted a clip from the reality television series Love Island paired with the Gravity Falls reaction. The meme quickly went viral, earning more than 3 million views within just five days.

Several days later, the TikTok account cityboyyyyycityboyyy (clearly based around the trend) shared another variation of the meme, this time responding to a tweet describing a man who defended cheating on his girlfriend by claiming he did not know it was her birthday. That post accumulated over 533,500 likes and thousands of comments since.

@cityboyyyyycityboyyy #future #boys #cityboy ♬ Lost – Crim3s

By the end of the month, the meme’s inundation online had itself become a topic of discussion itself. In late June 2022, TikToker ryanwmpugh uploaded a video remarking on how frequently the City Boy meme was appearing on his For You Page (FYP), a meta post that received over 10,400 likes and highlighted the format’s saturation during its early peak.

@ryanwmpugh CITY BOYYYYY CITY BOYYYY #sensational #cityboy #fyp ♬ Lost – Crim3s

Why Is The 'City Boy' Meme Seeing A Resurgence In 2026?

In early January 2026, the City Boy meme experienced a renewed surge on TikTok as users began reviving the format in large numbers and applying it in much the same way as during its initial breakout in 2022. The resurgence notably used the meme with the same core structure as the original trend.

One example appeared on January 7th, 2026, when the TikTok page reelrushclips_ shared a video of a couple talking in a car that abruptly cut to the Gravity Falls scene. The post racked up nearly 14,000 likes and 240 comments within five days as the meme began flooding the platform yet again.

@reelrushclips_ CITY BOYSSSS STAND UP #cityboy #meme #funny #fyp #foryou ♬ original sound – reel.rush

The following day, TikToker ryanwmpugh uploaded a follow-up to his 2022 video, remarking on the meme’s reappearance four years later. That post quickly gained traction, earning over 292,500 likes and close to 1,000 comments in a mere four days.

@ryanwmpugh Don’t ask me how but it’s back… CITY BOYYY CITY BOYYY #sensational #cityboy #trending ♬ Lost – Crim3s

Additional examples continued to appear throughout the week. On January 10th, TikToker ethanlouisethan posted a version of the meme using a moment from a street interview in which a man declined to hook up with two women after being told that "anyone" would say yes to them.

The post also saw many commenters replying with edited images of Deputy Durland from the City Boy meme in exaggerated edits.

@ethanlouisethan CITY BOY CITY BOY #cityboy #meme #funny #foryoupage #explorepage✨ ♬ original sound – Sneakers O’Toole

The trend continued the following day when TikToker dr.smeckles shared a clip in which a man tells a woman to stop taking photos on his bike after she refused him a selfie with her, accumulating more than 408,700 likes and 2,000 comments in a single day.

@dr.smeckles POV: you humble people for a living💰💸🤑 // #cityboys #meme #cityboy #haskell #drsmeckles | ib: @haskell ♬ original sound – Dr Smeckles

What Are Some More Examples Of The 'City Boy! City Boy!' Meme?

@sigmawellbeing salute 🫡🫡 we up 🆙 @tha_boys1 #cityboys #toxic #relationships #sensational ♬ Lost – Crim3s

@uynuou CITY BOIIIIIIII 😈😈🗿🍷 #cityboys #cityboy #funny #fyp ♬ Lost – Crim3s

@xyzcock CITY BOIS CITY BOIS #cityboys #funny #meme #memes #tend ♬ Lost – Crim3s

@jayco0137 we bringing city boys to 2026 #cityboys #fyp #cityboy #trending ♬ original sound – Jayco

'City Boy! City Boy!' Meme Template

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For the full history of the City Boy meme, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.