The dank memes before 2017 were the original internet gold—unmatched, iconic, and hauntingly pure

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

The Dank Memes Before 2017: The Original Internet Gold – Unmatched, Iconic, and Hauntingly Pure Long before “震撼” and “simp” defined online vernacular, there was a realm where absurdity, irony, and irreverence reigned supreme: the Dank Memes of the pre-2017 era. These early internet memes weren’t just jokes—they were the raw, unfiltered spirit of online culture, raw, unpolished, and utterly iconic. This is the story of how dank memes emerged as the original internet gold, shaping the internet’s identity and leaving a legacy that echoes to this day. ### What Are Dank Memes, and Why Do They Matter? The term “ dank” originally appeared in 2012 as slang for something overwhelmingly intense, emotionally charged, or just bizarre enough to inspire endless variations and remixes. But the meme culture before 2017—specifically before the age of viral TikTok trends and algorithm-driven feeds—was where dank truly flourished. These were memes born not in boardrooms but in grassroots corners of 4chan, Reddit, and early imageboard communities.