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What Is The 'Rat Dance' Meme? Milton's Dancing Rat TikTok Trend Explained
There's a cute little 3D-rendered animation of a low-poly rat dancing to various songs, known as the "Rat Dance Meme," going viral on TikTok lately that's left many netizens curious about its origin and virality.
@betotherat Rat dance… #ratobeto #musica #letras #dança #rato #rat #ratdance #edit ♬ som original – Rato Beto
Although countless rat memes are being shared on the internet daily, this one specifically caught TikTok's attention, becoming part of a massive dance trend fueled by the young and hyperactive streamer IShowSpeed, among other influencers and creators.
So, what's the story behind this seemingly random animal and where did it come from? Here's everything you need to know about "Milton's Dancing Rat Trend."
What Is The 'Rat Dance Meme' And How Did It Originate?
The adorable rat you've likely seen busting a move on TikTok is known as Milton's Dancing Rat Trend or IShowSpeed's Dancing Rat Trend.
The meme was created by TikToker @ratomilton in early January 2025 as a sort of Happy New Year's post, featuring a 3D animation of a rat with black rain boots dancing to the song "Chess Type Beat" by Joyful, which constantly moves backgrounds as the rat is dancing.
About two months after first being shared, the original animation meme has since racked up over 82 million views on TikTok, with over 630,000 videos making use of @ratomilton's sound.
@ratomilton Happy 2025!! . #ratomilton #musicas #letras #dança ♬ som original – Milton – ratomilton
When Did The 'Rat Dance Meme' Become A Viral TikTok Dance Trend?
It didn't take long for people to replicate the Rat Dance Meme, as YouTuber and streamer IShowSpeed recreated the dance moves in a video posted a couple of weeks later in mid-January 2025, which quickly went viral, amassing a staggering 175 million views in just a month and undoubtedly introducing it to many other users.
@ishowspeed #ishowspeed ♬ som original – Milton – ratomilton
Speed's video was one of the main catalysts for thousands of TikTokers to replicate the 3D-animated rat dance moves, as well as using the original video in memetic parodies.
How Are People Using The 'Rat Dance Meme'?
People are using the Rat Dance Meme in various creative ways on TikTok. The majority of content, however, focuses on just replicating the catchy dance move the rat does, as @chilllit_seoul, a South Korean dance group, showed in a video posted in late January 2025.
@chilllit_seoul
The meme was also turned into a TikTok filter for people to perform his dancing routine in a more faithful way. TikTok user @thereallightskinmonte was one of many who tried the filter, sharing a video of his interpretation of the dancing rat trend in late January 2025.
@thereallightskinmonte We Had To Hit This😂🔥
If you're not confident with your dance skills, the TikTok page @igreenscreenthings shared a template version of the dancing rat meme that you can easily add to any scenario your mind allows, with the exploitable version of the format also becoming popularized this month as creators edit it into a wide array of backgrounds.
@igreenscreenthings Rat Dancing | Green Screen. Original video @ratomilton #ratdancing #ratdance #dancingrat #ishowspeed #trend #dance #dancing #meme #fyp ♬ original sound – I Green Screen Things
For the full history of the Rat Dance meme, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's entry for even more information.
