Before 2017’s dank memes, the web was alive with humor—raw, raunchy, and utterly legendary

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 04:41:52 +0000

Before 2017’s Dank Memes: The Web Was Alive with Raw, Raunchy, Legendary Humor When the term “dank memes” hit the internet around 2017, it became a cultural phenomenon—epitomizing a wild, unapologetic wave of humor that felt fresh, illicent, and utterly legendary. But before that watershed moment, the web was already pulsing with sharp, edgy, and deeply creative comedy. Long before Lenin Nakashima’s scrawled rants and “I Can Has Cheezburger?” relics made their mark, online humor had evolved into something raw, raunchy, and utterly refreshing. ### The Dawn of Internet Humor: From Nerd Culture to Meme Revolution In the early 2000s, internet humor was anchored in bulletin boards, forums, and niche communities. Sites like 4chan, Reddit, and Something Awful’s boards gave birth to a style of memes that was irreverent, often shock value-laden, and fueled by subculture inside jokes. This wasn’t just humor—it was digital archaeology.