No Memes, Only Tears: TikTok’s “Great Meme Drought” Takes Over

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In March of 2025, TikTok experienced an unusual dry spell – a period where memes were hard to come by. Contrary to popular belief, it wasn’t a technical glitch; the memes had simply vanished.

In all honesty, what happened to them all? As users continued to browse their feeds filled with nothing but serious content, an odd occurrence took place: the lack of memes turned into a punchline itself.

So, how did a lack of memes end up creating one of the most talked-about trends on TikTok?

The Spark That Started It All

The situation escalated when TikTok user @goofangel shared a video on March 10, 2025, expressing what everyone was feeling – it had been quite some time since any new memes were created, and we were already deep into the month.

@goofangel original sound – goofangel

That little comment sparked a chain reaction. What followed was a wave of ironic posts, each playing on the idea of the “meme drought.” Suddenly, the absence of memes became the meme itself. Go figure, right?

@dbltdz Lil Phoebe x Melodica – sanilovesmusic

The Drought Becomes a Trend

With an increasing number of TikTok users participating, things started to become… imaginative. A few took the irony to unprecedented levels, coupling their “drought” videos with monochrome images from the Great Depression era, as a way of expressing, “This is no joke.

@de.novo12 original sound – maystxn

The more people leaned into the drought, the more it took on a life of its own, and suddenly, the meme famine was the funniest thing on the platform.

@baddreamz2003 Can You Hear The Music – Ludwig Goeransson

Old Memes, New Life

And hey, when the new memes weren’t coming, what did TikTokers do?

The classic memes are back in action! Memes such as “I Call Patricks Subaru” have triumphantly returned, demonstrating that the old reliable ones will always stand the test of time and never disappoint when needed.

@cookieslayer_227 son original – NODDI – NODDI

Meanwhile, the Hopecore trend began to rise. Instead of deep, motivational vibes, it embraced the humor in over-the-top positivity.

Social media users on TikTok shared an abundance of quotations that were intentionally upbeat yet ironic, often accompanied by visually captivating scenes and occasionally cheerful, unexpected background music.

The tone was more about humorously exaggerating hope and good vibes rather than offering anything genuinely meaningful.uns

@dailyscarystories32 original sound – Hopelesscore

And Just Like That… It’s Over

Actually, there wasn’t much of a meme drought in March. It started off slow, but we all suspected it wouldn’t be long-lasting.

Come March’s beginning, TikTok had become a hotbed of memes featuring both Zelensky and Trump. Outrageous likenesses, outlandish situations – the usual TikTok blend of absurdity.

What seemed like a lull turned out to be just a quick breather before the meme floodgates opened.

@emre._.official original sound – Emre

And just like that, TikTok was back in full force – new trends, fresh memes, and that wild energy we all live for. The “drought” was nothing more than a blip in the timeline. Classic TikTok.

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2025-03-18 00:20