---
title: "Harlem Shake"
canonical: "https://openvibe.meme/m/harlem-shake"
updated: null
---

# Harlem Shake

HTML: [Harlem Shake](https://openvibe.meme/m/harlem-shake)

Internet meme · Classic

# Harlem Shake

An internet meme in which a short video features a first calm setup followed by a sudden drop and a group dance with costumes and props, using an electronica version of the song Harlem Shake.

- First seen: 2013-01-01
- Last seen: 2026-10-31
- Uses cited: 4
- Revision: 2

## Where it started

The Harlem Shake is an Internet meme in the form of a video in which a group of people dance to a short excerpt from the song "Harlem Shake". The meme became viral in early February 2013, with thousands of "Harlem Shake" videos being made and uploaded to YouTube every day at the height of its popularity. The meme usually features participants performing flailing or convulsive movements usually dressed in outlandish costumes while wielding unexpected props. The meme form was established in a video uploaded on January 30, 2013, by YouTube personality George Miller on his DizastaMusic channel. The video featured the character "Pink Guy" from The Filthy Frank Show entitled "Filthy Compilation #6 – Smell My Fingers", which featured a section where several costumed people danced to the song "Harlem Shake" by Baauer. The video opens with the first use of the Harlem Shake meme, and started a viral trend of people uploading their own "Harlem Shake" videos to YouTube. Despite its name, the meme does not actually involve participants performing the original Harlem Shake dance, a street and hip hop dance that originated in 1980s Harlem, New York City.

## The use timeline

1. 2013-01-01

    

   A video based on Harlem shake dance, originally created by YouTube personality Filthy Frank, and using an electronica version of the song by Baauer. In such videos, one person is dancing or acting strange among a room full of others going about routine business. After the drop in the song and a video cut, everyone starts dancing or acting strangely. The attempts to recreate the dance led to a viral spread on YouTube.
2. 2013-01-01

    

   Wikidata Q4606965: Harlem Shake — Internet meme. First recorded: 2013-00-00T00:00:00Z.

## Examples

Public domain. Christopher Clabaugh.

 How was this page documented?

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