In a decade full of hate and uncertainty, the world turned to the internet to voice their opinions, fears, and most importantly, their humor. Though memes have been around for centuries, their mass proliferation can be attributed to the internet, and its ability to spread ideas faster than anything else on Earth. As memes have changed and evolved, whether that be for better or worse, they have become a staple of worldwide culture. This is my list of the best memes of 2020.

8. Sonic

Sonic the Hedgehog only had a few memes before the terrifying trailer for his upcoming movie was released, but once the trailer hit, the internet lost its mind over the horrific CGI mess that was Sonic. Although the intense backlash against the character’s design forced producers to completely redo Sonic, many memes spawned as a result of the mishap.

7. Baby Yoda

     A meme that came to the internet in November of 2019 courtesy of limited Disney+ series The Mandolorian, Baby Yoda is the cute meme we all needed in our lives. Although not actually Baby Yoda (referred to as “The Child” in the series, which also takes place after Yoda’s death in the Star Wars universe), nobody seems to care, just as long as we get as much of Baby Yoda as we can.

6. Thanos

     Brought to power through the Marvel Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame movies, many memes of Thanos and his many catch phrases and lines that translate into modern culture have taken over the internet. The many screen caps of Thanos have been the spawn of many a meme.

5. This Is Fine 

     One of the better memes, and widely used throughout the decade in times of unrest and fear, the dog surrounded by fire has become a perfect example of the times. Though many terrible things are happening in the world, many of us have to stand by and make the most of what we can. We must act as if nothing is happening to save ourselves from the guilt of knowing and doing nothing (but that’s a pretty morbid interpretation of the meme).

4. Woman Yelling at Cat

     One of the most versatile memes, it has the ability to be used as a reaction to being made to do something, a way of expressing distaste with a certain thing, and many other possibilities. However, the two photos that comprise the meme are not related, the one of the woman being from a screenshot of a 2012 The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills of Taylor Armstrong, and the cat being a photo a Twitter user took of her expressive cat reacting to salad.

3. Keanu Reeves

     Dubbed “The Internet’s Boyfriend,” by the internet, Keanu Reeves has graced the world and everyone in it with his presence. Though there were memes about him and his kindness before, they truly started when he was a guest at Microsoft’s Xbox E3 conference, presenting for upcoming game Cyberpunk 2077. When a fan in the audience yelled that he was breathtaking, Reeves spun on his heel, whipped out and finger and replied, “No, you’re breathtaking!” and the meme was born.

2. Kermit 

     One of the internet’s most famous frogs, and definitely the cutest and sweetest, Kermit the Frog has been capturing people’s hearts for years, and memes are just one of his methods. Countless Kermit memes have been created, spanning from movie screen caps to shots of him in a Lipton advertisement. One thing’s for sure, we’re all here for the memes.

1. Spongebob

      Easily the meme of the decade, the kids cartoon character ruled the 2010s. With so many moments throughout the show that can be related to our lives and our humor, it’s no surprise that Spongebob makes for such a good meme. It would be a huge task to try and find all the different meme layouts that Spongebob has created, and we have to thank him for his contribution to internet humor and sanity.