Dabbing

2015Dance move / gesture / celebration memesemi-active

Also known as: Dab · The Dab

Dabbing is a dance gesture where a person drops their head into the crook of one bent arm while extending the other arm outward, resembling someone sneezing into their elbow. The move originated in Atlanta's hip-hop scene around 2014-2015, went mainstream after NFL quarterback Cam Newton's touchdown celebration in November 2015, and spent the next two years as one of the internet's most recognizable gestures before becoming a widely mocked symbol of trying too hard2.

nfl memesatlanta hip hop memesbody pose memesinauguration memesfootball memes

Overview

The dab is a quick, emphatic gesture: lean your face into the inside of one bent elbow while shooting your other arm out straight in the opposite direction. It looks a lot like someone sneezing into their arm, which became part of the joke1. The move functions as a victory pose, a flex, a punchline, or all three at once. At its peak, people dabbed in photos, videos, sports arenas, political events, and classrooms worldwide.

The term "dabbing" also refers to smoking concentrated cannabis wax, and the connection between the two meanings is debated. Rapper Bow Wow publicly claimed the dance derived from the cannabis dabbing community, a statement that drew immediate backlash from other rappers on Twitter1. Separately, there's also the "Dabbing Dude" object labeling meme from 2017, which features a shirtless man smoking a dab rig in the background of a fight3.

The dab's roots trace back further than most people realize. Similar arm-drop poses appeared in Japanese tokusatsu shows like Super Sentai and Kamen Rider during the 1970s, and anime characters like Gohan in Dragon Ball Z performed the move decades before it had a name in Western pop culture1.

As a deliberate dance move, the dab came out of Atlanta's hip-hop scene in the early-to-mid 2010s. Several artists on the Quality Control Music label claimed credit. Skippa Da Flippa was widely acknowledged as the originator, though the Migos initially said they invented it before walking that back after criticism from labelmate OG Maco1. The Migos released their single "Look at My Dab" in 2015, which helped codify the gesture as a named move1. Rappers Peewee Longway, Jose Guapo, and Rich the Kid also played roles in popularizing the dab in the Atlanta scene1.

Origin & Background

Platform
Atlanta hip-hop scene (dance move), Vine / Instagram / Twitter (viral spread)
Key People
Skippa Da Flippa, Migos, Cam Newton
Date
2015

The dab's roots trace back further than most people realize. Similar arm-drop poses appeared in Japanese tokusatsu shows like Super Sentai and Kamen Rider during the 1970s, and anime characters like Gohan in Dragon Ball Z performed the move decades before it had a name in Western pop culture1.

As a deliberate dance move, the dab came out of Atlanta's hip-hop scene in the early-to-mid 2010s. Several artists on the Quality Control Music label claimed credit. Skippa Da Flippa was widely acknowledged as the originator, though the Migos initially said they invented it before walking that back after criticism from labelmate OG Maco1. The Migos released their single "Look at My Dab" in 2015, which helped codify the gesture as a named move1. Rappers Peewee Longway, Jose Guapo, and Rich the Kid also played roles in popularizing the dab in the Atlanta scene1.

How It Spread

The dab crossed from regional hip-hop move to national obsession on November 15, 2015, when Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton hit an eight-second celebratory dab after a play against the Tennessee Titans1. When two Titans players confronted him about it, Newton kept dabbing in their faces while backing away. He later explained that his 16-year-old brother Caylin had told him to "Dab on them folks"1. The moment went viral instantly. During Super Bowl 50 in February 2016, multiple Denver Broncos players dabbed to mock Newton's signature move after defeating the Panthers 24-101.

By early 2016, dabbing had broken into politics. Hillary Clinton dabbed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in January 20161. In October 2016, Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez dabbed at the end of a Senate debate against Kamala Harris1. The most talked-about political dab came on January 3, 2017, when 17-year-old Cal Marshall dabbed behind his father Rep. Roger Marshall during a congressional swearing-in ceremony, visibly confusing House Speaker Paul Ryan1.

The gesture spread internationally through 2016 and 2017. Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton dabbed after winning the Hungarian Grand Prix in July 20161. UK Labour Deputy Leader Tom Watson dabbed in the House of Commons in February 20171. French presidential candidates Emmanuel Macron, Benoît Hamon, and François Fillon all dabbed on television in March 20171. Prince Sverre Magnus of Norway dabbed at the Royal Palace during his grandparents' 80th birthday celebration in May 20171. Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja dabbed to celebrate a half-century score in January 2017, drawing mixed reactions1. The President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, even invited a dance group to State House to teach him the move1.

Meanwhile, a separate "Dabbing Dude" meme emerged on September 18, 2017, when the @StonerNation Twitter account posted a two-panel image showing two women fighting in the foreground while a shirtless man casually smoked a dab rig in the background3. The post read "Hold up, I need to get high for this shit" and picked up over 2,200 likes within a year3. By June 2018, this image had become an object labeling template. A World War III-themed version hit 10,900 points on r/MemeEconomy, and Vice covered the format on June 6, 20183.

Platforms

YouTubeRedditTwitter

Timeline

2016-01-01

Meme keeps see steady use

2017-01-01

Dabbing reached mainstream popularity and media coverage

View on Google Trends

How to Use This Meme

The basic dab is simple: tuck your face into the bent crook of one arm (like you're sneezing into your elbow) while extending the other arm out straight in the opposite direction. People typically dab after scoring a point, making a joke land, or flexing on someone. The key is commitment and timing.

In meme format, dabbing usually shows up in one of three ways: - Photo/video dabs: Someone performs the actual gesture, often in an inappropriate or awkward setting for comedic effect - Photoshopped dabs: Characters, animals, or public figures are edited into a dab pose - Ironic dabs: Post-2017 uses that treat dabbing as intentionally cringey, acknowledging the move's expiration date while doing it anyway

The Dabbing Dude template works differently. Users take the two-panel image of the man smoking in the background of a fight and add text labels to the women (representing a conflict or problem) and the man (representing someone ignoring it to do something else)3.

Create Your Own

Cultural Impact

The dab's mainstream penetration was staggering. XXL magazine noted in August 2015 that "what started as a regional down South adlib is quickly becoming a masterful maneuver in clubs and on street corners"1. Jason Derulo taught James Corden how to dab on Carpool Karaoke in November 20151. The move appeared in legislative chambers on multiple continents, royal palaces, Formula One podiums, and cricket pitches1.

Australian Labor Party leader Bill Shorten dabbed as part of a diss track against the Liberal Party in October 2017, then acknowledged the backlash by saying his children had been "humiliated" by it1. This kind of embarrassed reception marked the dab's transition from cool to cringe. Schools started banning it1. By mid-2017, dabbing was widely understood as something adults did to embarrass their children, and something children did ironically to embarrass themselves.

Cam Newton himself announced on June 9, 2016, that he would stop dabbing, though he broke this promise in November 2016 after a touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs1.

Full History

The dab's political chapter was arguably stranger than its sports one. In January 2016, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton dabbed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, an early signal that the gesture had fully crossed into "your parents know about it" territory1. In October 2016, Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez dabbed at the end of a Senate debate against Attorney General Kamala Harris1.

The most viral political dab happened on January 3, 2017, when 17-year-old Cal Marshall dabbed behind his father, Rep. Roger Marshall (R-KS), during his swearing-in ceremony as a Congressman. The move confused House Speaker Paul Ryan, who was standing right next to them1. The moment was broadcast live and became instant meme fodder.

International politicians jumped on the trend throughout 2017. UK Deputy Labour Leader Tom Watson dabbed in the House of Commons on February 221. French presidential candidates Emmanuel Macron, Benoît Hamon, and François Fillon all dabbed on TV in March 20171. Prince Sverre Magnus of Norway dabbed at the Royal Palace in Oslo during his grandparents King Harald V and Queen Sonja's 80th birthday celebration in May 20171. Australian Labor Party leader Bill Shorten dabbed in a diss track criticizing the Liberal Party in October 2017, later admitting his children had been "humiliated" by it1.

The dab's cultural arc followed a predictable internet pattern: underground cool, mainstream adoption, and then rapid descent into ironic territory. By 2017-2018, the gesture was widely associated with younger kids and out-of-touch adults trying to seem hip. The very politicians and parents who adopted it accelerated its decline as a genuinely cool move.

The Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta even invited a dance group to the State House to learn the dab1, a detail that captures the global reach of what started as an Atlanta hip-hop move. The anime Detective Conan acknowledged the trend by remaking its 2000 opening theme in Opening 51, with the main character performing dabs when the music starts1.

Fun Facts

The anime series Detective Conan featured dab-like moves in a 2000 opening theme, then recreated the same sequence with updated dabs twenty years later in Opening 511.

Before "dab" had a name in the West, the pose was known as a "Sentai move" in Japan, from its use in 1970s tokusatsu superhero shows1.

The English dub of Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS (2017) added a joke explicitly referring to a Sentai pose as "the dab"1.

Urban Dictionary entries for dabbing cover both the cannabis consumption method and the dance move, noting the visual similarity: a person coughing into their arm and passing a bong looks a lot like dabbing2.

Cam Newton's brother Caylin, who was 16 at the time, was the one who told him to "Dab on them folks" before the celebration that made the move a national talking point1.

Derivatives & Variations

Dabbing Variations

Different takes on the Dabbing format with modified content

(2015)

Dabbing Mashups

Combinations of Dabbing with other popular memes

(2016)

Dabbing Remixes

Updated versions with current events and references

(2016)

Frequently Asked Questions

References (3)

  1. 1
    Dab (dance)encyclopedia
  2. 2
    Dabbing - Urban Dictionarydictionary
  3. 3
    Dabbing - Know Your Memeencyclopedia

Dabbing

2015Dance move / gesture / celebration memesemi-active

Also known as: Dab · The Dab

Dabbing is a dance gesture where a person drops their head into the crook of one bent arm while extending the other arm outward, resembling someone sneezing into their elbow. The move originated in Atlanta's hip-hop scene around 2014-2015, went mainstream after NFL quarterback Cam Newton's touchdown celebration in November 2015, and spent the next two years as one of the internet's most recognizable gestures before becoming a widely mocked symbol of trying too hard2.

nfl memes atlanta hip hop memes body pose memes inauguration memes football memes

Overview

The dab is a quick, emphatic gesture: lean your face into the inside of one bent elbow while shooting your other arm out straight in the opposite direction. It looks a lot like someone sneezing into their arm, which became part of the joke1. The move functions as a victory pose, a flex, a punchline, or all three at once. At its peak, people dabbed in photos, videos, sports arenas, political events, and classrooms worldwide.

The term "dabbing" also refers to smoking concentrated cannabis wax, and the connection between the two meanings is debated. Rapper Bow Wow publicly claimed the dance derived from the cannabis dabbing community, a statement that drew immediate backlash from other rappers on Twitter1. Separately, there's also the "Dabbing Dude" object labeling meme from 2017, which features a shirtless man smoking a dab rig in the background of a fight3.

The dab's roots trace back further than most people realize. Similar arm-drop poses appeared in Japanese tokusatsu shows like Super Sentai and Kamen Rider during the 1970s, and anime characters like Gohan in Dragon Ball Z performed the move decades before it had a name in Western pop culture1.

As a deliberate dance move, the dab came out of Atlanta's hip-hop scene in the early-to-mid 2010s. Several artists on the Quality Control Music label claimed credit. Skippa Da Flippa was widely acknowledged as the originator, though the Migos initially said they invented it before walking that back after criticism from labelmate OG Maco1. The Migos released their single "Look at My Dab" in 2015, which helped codify the gesture as a named move1. Rappers Peewee Longway, Jose Guapo, and Rich the Kid also played roles in popularizing the dab in the Atlanta scene1.

Origin & Background

Platform
Atlanta hip-hop scene (dance move), Vine / Instagram / Twitter (viral spread)
Key People
Skippa Da Flippa, Migos, Cam Newton
Date
2015

The dab's roots trace back further than most people realize. Similar arm-drop poses appeared in Japanese tokusatsu shows like Super Sentai and Kamen Rider during the 1970s, and anime characters like Gohan in Dragon Ball Z performed the move decades before it had a name in Western pop culture1.

As a deliberate dance move, the dab came out of Atlanta's hip-hop scene in the early-to-mid 2010s. Several artists on the Quality Control Music label claimed credit. Skippa Da Flippa was widely acknowledged as the originator, though the Migos initially said they invented it before walking that back after criticism from labelmate OG Maco1. The Migos released their single "Look at My Dab" in 2015, which helped codify the gesture as a named move1. Rappers Peewee Longway, Jose Guapo, and Rich the Kid also played roles in popularizing the dab in the Atlanta scene1.

How It Spread

The dab crossed from regional hip-hop move to national obsession on November 15, 2015, when Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton hit an eight-second celebratory dab after a play against the Tennessee Titans1. When two Titans players confronted him about it, Newton kept dabbing in their faces while backing away. He later explained that his 16-year-old brother Caylin had told him to "Dab on them folks"1. The moment went viral instantly. During Super Bowl 50 in February 2016, multiple Denver Broncos players dabbed to mock Newton's signature move after defeating the Panthers 24-101.

By early 2016, dabbing had broken into politics. Hillary Clinton dabbed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in January 20161. In October 2016, Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez dabbed at the end of a Senate debate against Kamala Harris1. The most talked-about political dab came on January 3, 2017, when 17-year-old Cal Marshall dabbed behind his father Rep. Roger Marshall during a congressional swearing-in ceremony, visibly confusing House Speaker Paul Ryan1.

The gesture spread internationally through 2016 and 2017. Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton dabbed after winning the Hungarian Grand Prix in July 20161. UK Labour Deputy Leader Tom Watson dabbed in the House of Commons in February 20171. French presidential candidates Emmanuel Macron, Benoît Hamon, and François Fillon all dabbed on television in March 20171. Prince Sverre Magnus of Norway dabbed at the Royal Palace during his grandparents' 80th birthday celebration in May 20171. Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja dabbed to celebrate a half-century score in January 2017, drawing mixed reactions1. The President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, even invited a dance group to State House to teach him the move1.

Meanwhile, a separate "Dabbing Dude" meme emerged on September 18, 2017, when the @StonerNation Twitter account posted a two-panel image showing two women fighting in the foreground while a shirtless man casually smoked a dab rig in the background3. The post read "Hold up, I need to get high for this shit" and picked up over 2,200 likes within a year3. By June 2018, this image had become an object labeling template. A World War III-themed version hit 10,900 points on r/MemeEconomy, and Vice covered the format on June 6, 20183.

Platforms

YouTubeRedditTwitter

Timeline

2016-01-01

Meme keeps see steady use

2017-01-01

Dabbing reached mainstream popularity and media coverage

View on Google Trends

How to Use This Meme

The basic dab is simple: tuck your face into the bent crook of one arm (like you're sneezing into your elbow) while extending the other arm out straight in the opposite direction. People typically dab after scoring a point, making a joke land, or flexing on someone. The key is commitment and timing.

In meme format, dabbing usually shows up in one of three ways: - Photo/video dabs: Someone performs the actual gesture, often in an inappropriate or awkward setting for comedic effect - Photoshopped dabs: Characters, animals, or public figures are edited into a dab pose - Ironic dabs: Post-2017 uses that treat dabbing as intentionally cringey, acknowledging the move's expiration date while doing it anyway

The Dabbing Dude template works differently. Users take the two-panel image of the man smoking in the background of a fight and add text labels to the women (representing a conflict or problem) and the man (representing someone ignoring it to do something else)3.

Create Your Own

Cultural Impact

The dab's mainstream penetration was staggering. XXL magazine noted in August 2015 that "what started as a regional down South adlib is quickly becoming a masterful maneuver in clubs and on street corners"1. Jason Derulo taught James Corden how to dab on Carpool Karaoke in November 20151. The move appeared in legislative chambers on multiple continents, royal palaces, Formula One podiums, and cricket pitches1.

Australian Labor Party leader Bill Shorten dabbed as part of a diss track against the Liberal Party in October 2017, then acknowledged the backlash by saying his children had been "humiliated" by it1. This kind of embarrassed reception marked the dab's transition from cool to cringe. Schools started banning it1. By mid-2017, dabbing was widely understood as something adults did to embarrass their children, and something children did ironically to embarrass themselves.

Cam Newton himself announced on June 9, 2016, that he would stop dabbing, though he broke this promise in November 2016 after a touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs1.

Full History

The dab's political chapter was arguably stranger than its sports one. In January 2016, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton dabbed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, an early signal that the gesture had fully crossed into "your parents know about it" territory1. In October 2016, Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez dabbed at the end of a Senate debate against Attorney General Kamala Harris1.

The most viral political dab happened on January 3, 2017, when 17-year-old Cal Marshall dabbed behind his father, Rep. Roger Marshall (R-KS), during his swearing-in ceremony as a Congressman. The move confused House Speaker Paul Ryan, who was standing right next to them1. The moment was broadcast live and became instant meme fodder.

International politicians jumped on the trend throughout 2017. UK Deputy Labour Leader Tom Watson dabbed in the House of Commons on February 221. French presidential candidates Emmanuel Macron, Benoît Hamon, and François Fillon all dabbed on TV in March 20171. Prince Sverre Magnus of Norway dabbed at the Royal Palace in Oslo during his grandparents King Harald V and Queen Sonja's 80th birthday celebration in May 20171. Australian Labor Party leader Bill Shorten dabbed in a diss track criticizing the Liberal Party in October 2017, later admitting his children had been "humiliated" by it1.

The dab's cultural arc followed a predictable internet pattern: underground cool, mainstream adoption, and then rapid descent into ironic territory. By 2017-2018, the gesture was widely associated with younger kids and out-of-touch adults trying to seem hip. The very politicians and parents who adopted it accelerated its decline as a genuinely cool move.

The Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta even invited a dance group to the State House to learn the dab1, a detail that captures the global reach of what started as an Atlanta hip-hop move. The anime Detective Conan acknowledged the trend by remaking its 2000 opening theme in Opening 51, with the main character performing dabs when the music starts1.

Fun Facts

The anime series Detective Conan featured dab-like moves in a 2000 opening theme, then recreated the same sequence with updated dabs twenty years later in Opening 511.

Before "dab" had a name in the West, the pose was known as a "Sentai move" in Japan, from its use in 1970s tokusatsu superhero shows1.

The English dub of Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS (2017) added a joke explicitly referring to a Sentai pose as "the dab"1.

Urban Dictionary entries for dabbing cover both the cannabis consumption method and the dance move, noting the visual similarity: a person coughing into their arm and passing a bong looks a lot like dabbing2.

Cam Newton's brother Caylin, who was 16 at the time, was the one who told him to "Dab on them folks" before the celebration that made the move a national talking point1.

Derivatives & Variations

Dabbing Variations

Different takes on the Dabbing format with modified content

(2015)

Dabbing Mashups

Combinations of Dabbing with other popular memes

(2016)

Dabbing Remixes

Updated versions with current events and references

(2016)

Frequently Asked Questions

References (3)

  1. 1
    Dab (dance)encyclopedia
  2. 2
    Dabbing - Urban Dictionarydictionary
  3. 3
    Dabbing - Know Your Memeencyclopedia