Every year, the internet finds new ways to destroy our attention spans, and 2025 did not disappoint. Here’s a rundown of some of the biggest brainrot moments and terms that shaped the younger generation’s vocabulary this year.

Six-Seven

The “six-seven” meme originated from the song “Doot Doot (67),” which rapper Skrilla released in December 2024. Saying “six-seven” followed by the signature hand motions of going up and down with your palms up gained massive popularity within the younger generations. Eventually, this gave us the 67 kid.

The 67-year-old took the internet by storm when someone filming a basketball hype video panned over to him, to which he said, “Six-sevennnn” and did the signature hand motions. He fulfilled the “Mason” stereotype (sprinkle print-wearing, brainrot-loving, “ice cream hair” having). The meme rapidly gained popularity, even prompting South Park to create a segment on the joke. There is no true meaning behind “67,” but just know, if you’re ever counting things off and say the numbers 6-7, don’t be surprised when you see teenagers exchange smirks across the room.

Labubus and Dubai Chocolate

Consumerist brainrot hit new levels this year with Labubus and Dubai chocolate. Small collectible fuzzy toys with big grins and big eyes: Labubus. They’re sold in blind boxes, contributing largely to their popularity. Although the fuzzy little toys can be listed for up to $200, their popularity reached its peak in August. Some companies made fakes, also known as “Lafufus.”

Dubai chocolate is simply chocolate filled with knafeh and pistachios. The chocolate had viral success online, with people spending up to $50 for two candy bars. The lack of access made people want it even more, and they even began to attempt making it themselves.

Dubai chocolate and Labubus have even been combined into one big product by some businesses: a Labubu-looking bar filled with all of the fillings of a Dubai chocolate bar.

Performative Males

Performative men are essentially the revived version of the 2020 E-Boys and Soft Boys. Performative men are males who seem just a little too fabricated: reading feminist literature in public with their wired earbuds in, drinking matcha, listening to Clairo and Laufey with their vinyls in their tote bags, and wearing collared sweaters to enhance their aesthetic. In other words, these men are performing for the female gaze.

Jack Paschal, AHS senior, is a self-proclaimed performative male. “I’ve been deconstructing my masculinity through Clairo’s early bedroom-pop oeuvre. It’s raw, it’s authentic, unlike the male gaze that co-opts it,” said Paschal. “Isn’t all performance a cry for something real? Besides, my tote bag says ‘The Future is Female,’ and I bought it at a pop-up, so clearly I’m part of the solution.” Paschal captures how performance turns authenticity into his own aesthetic, where even defying gender norms becomes a trend.

Blue Collar SpongeBob

Blue Collar SpongeBob is a collection of AI-generated photos of SpongeBob as an old, sad, and tired man with a beard, wearing a hard hat and construction worker outfits, often posted online with accompanying text that relates to the tone the photo conveys. He’s often seen smoking a cigarette with an emotionless expression. The users post each of these photos along with the “Blue Collar Anthem” playing over it, with the lyrics: “My collar’s blue but my neck is red,” referring to blue collar workers typically being rednecks, fulfilling the blue collar stereotype. Young people can often be heard quoting this in the school hallways, especially when they feel like they’re being overworked in class.

Chicken Jockey

In the infamous Minecraft movie, Steve, played by Jack Black, screams, “Chicken Jockey!” The movie generated tons of hype, and as soon as it hit theaters, things went wild. When the scene of a Chicken Jockey (baby zombie riding a chicken) appeared in theaters, teens cheered, applauded, threw popcorn, and posted it on social media. People committed to causing chaos, like when a Utah teen brought a live chicken into a movie theater. This meme had theaters warning the audience beforehand that they could not scream “Chicken Jockey” when the scene came on screen, or they would risk being escorted out by police officers.

A Teen’s Guide to Slang

PMO – “Piss(es, ing, etc.) me off.” Used when something is annoying.

Example: “Don’t pmo.”

Ts – Short for “this” or “this sh**.” Depends on the context and person; inferring is essential.

Example: “Ts got me cackling.”

Aura – The vibe/coolness/energy someone gives off. W aura=good, L aura=bad.

Example: “Performative males think they have W aura, but most of the time, they don’t.”

Chopped – Ugly or low quality. Can describe literally anything.

Example: “Bro, I’m so chopped in that picture, do NOT post it.”

Huzz/ -uzz words: “Huzz” is a person of interest. The suffix, “-uzz”, can apply to anything.

Example: Chuzz=chopped huzz, fruzz=freshmen huzz, bruzz=bro huzz.

Unc (pronounced unk) Status – A way of calling someone else old. Said when people have reached an age or have begun to do habits that someone of an older age would do.Example: “Once you’re 50, you’ve reached unc status.”

Looksmaxxing – Maximizing one’s ability for peak physical appearance.

Example: Many people practice looksmaxing by improving their fitness and skincare routine.

Final Thoughts

2025 was the year that made the internet feel like a very prolonged inside joke. Between performative men quoting Clairo, South Park writing episodes about six-seven, and people spending racks on what turned out to be Lafufus, it’s safe to say our brains are cooked. None of it makes sense, but it somehow still brings entire generations together in unity. Now we can only ask ourselves, what will 2026 entail? Will AI be the new way of creating brainrot? I guess there’s only one way to find out…