Some people on TikTok are calling for a revolution, known as "The Great Meme Reset of 2026." Why? It's because of a growing belief that recent memes have been brainrot, unfunny and forced. Going backward to Nyan Cat and Big Chungus is the only solution, in their minds, to make memes funny again.

This year's bad meme reputation isn't a new belief. The sentiment has been growing since the so-called "Meme Drought" that hit in March. Some believe that TikTok, and other social media sites, have not rebounded since then. Many are blaming TikTok's "Niche Community" for the problem.

All of this resentment towards 2025's meme landscape might be confusing for those out of the loop. Luckily, Know Your Meme has been tracking all of the ebbs and flows.

While we can't say for certain that this year's memes have been "unfunny," we can explain why some think that a "Great Meme Reset" is in order on January 1st, 2026.

So, let's explain what's going on and where this "2026 reset" idea came from.

What Is 'The Great Meme Reset Of 2026?'

"The Great Meme Reset of 2026" proposes that all internet memes should revert to the year 2016 on January 1st, 2026. As a reminder, 2016 included memes like "You Know I Had to Do It to Em," "Harambe the Gorilla" and "Here Come Dat Boi," among many others.

However, the recent viral posts promoting "The Great Meme Reset" have been highlighting trends from basically every year before 2025. Notably, memes like "Ugandan Knuckles," "Big Chungus" and "21" have been recurring examples.

Even old internet and "dank" memes from longer ago are getting mentioned in the Great Reset, like "Rage Comics," MLG Montage Parodies" and "Nyan Cat," among others.

It seems like, as long as it's not 2025, it's allowed in 2026. This can include 2022 "early brainrot" memes like "Quandale Dingle," if you want to be loose with it.

@m1ke_3001 the great meme reset spread the word #thegreatmemereset #edit #memes #spreadtheword #tuff ♬ som original – TERRIFIER | SETUP

Why Do People Want A 'Great Meme Reset' In 2026?

Some internet users have a grudge against 2025 memes, which largely stems from the "March 2025 Meme Drought" that scarred the chronically online.

Basically, a lot of people believe that there were no good memes that month, largely due to a recurring phenomenon on TikTok of users intentionally speeding up meme lifespans by creating one and then calling it "corny" or "dead" the next day.

These TikTokers later became known as the "Niche Community." The whole basis of the community is to be more "niche" than other "NicheTokers," meaning that they had to find new memes at a rapid pace.

As more people observed the community, and witnessed late 2025 memes they created like "Niche Fruits," "Dudeman" and "My Mother Ate Fries" quickly rise and fall, the more people thought that their "pace" was impossibly fast because it didn't produce anything funny.

NicheTokers might argue that the speed and flightiness is what's funny. In a way, it's a meta commentary on the creation and spread of memes that subverts the organic nature of the algorithm. The category of "forced memes" plays into this irony.

Now, some on TikTok want a full meme reset this coming year because of this recent history of nicheness and meme depressions.

@buildersclubk #flexworx #nichetok #gothic #fyp #thosepeople ♬ fck da fundz prod samv2 – lawstcoz

Where Did 'The Great Meme Reset Of 2026' Come From?

A TikToker named @joebro909 is currently the first known internet user to explore the idea of a "Great Meme Reset." His idea was voiced in a video from March, amid the "Meme Drought," in which he suggested that all memes be wiped from the public's memory to save TikTok from the meme depression.

However, @joebro909 didn't explicitly list January 1st, 2026, as a start date for his grand plan. That would come later, in September 2025, when a TikToker named @golden._vr fully laid out the since widely accepted game plan.

"The last resort for memes," the video's caption read. "The Great Meme Reset. December 31st, 2025, 11:59. Memes are rising from the grave."

@joebro909 The get out revival is essential for us to exit the great tiktok drought of March #fyppppp #viral #meme #skit #memedrought ♬ original sound – Joey

@golden.vr BE THERE OR BE NEWGEN #meme #mlgrevival #fyp #tiktok #fypシ ♬ THE GREAT MEME RESET BY GOLDEN.VR – GoldenStuffs

What Are Some More Posts About 'The Great Meme Reset Of 2026?'

@anti.spawnism24 2026 january 1st the great meme reset#explore #fyp #viral ♬ original sound – .000.1011

@bloxadise tung tung tung sahuuurrr #fyp #fypシ #brainrot #2026 #2016 ♬ last sahur – polyplayer_real

@ieat_mangoes The great meme reset 🥹#thegreatmemereset #blowthisup #dontletthisflop #fyp #trending ♬ original sound – mango

@gary4snailzz #niche #memereset #meme #fyp #xyzabc ♬ Chocolate Rain – Tay Zonday

@railborn Great Meme Reset 😭🙏 #roblox #robloxrant #rblx #relatable #rorants ♬ original sound – Railborn

@floppy.world69 no more 67 and only nyan cat🥺✌️ | #greatmemereset #100kviews #viral #fyp #foryoupage ♬ THE LAST SAHUR – DJ KZ VEKA

@dogcorde7 #memereset ♬ Passing Through (Can't the Future Just Wait) – Kaden MacKay

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For the full history of The Great Meme Reset of 2026, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's entry for even more information.