The Harlem Shake Wave (2013)

In February 2013, a group of teenagers in Queensland, Australia uploaded a 30-second video in which one masked person danced alone to an electronic track called “Harlem Shake” by Baauer. At the bass drop, the scene cut to a roomful of people in costumes all spasming wildly. Within days, thousands of Harlem Shake videos flooded YouTube. Offices, classrooms, sports teams, and the Norwegian Army all filmed their own versions.

The meme propelled Baauer’s “Harlem Shake” to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 — the first song ever to reach the top based on a meme. The Harlem Shake wave burned bright and fast. By April, it was dead. But it proved that a simple format plus a catchy beat plus thirty seconds of chaos could conquer the world overnight.