# Dabbing 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 hard[2]. ## Origin 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 culture[1]. 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 Maco[1]. The Migos released their single "Look at My Dab" in 2015, which helped codify the gesture as a named move[1]. Rappers Peewee Longway, Jose Guapo, and Rich the Kid also played roles in popularizing the dab in the Atlanta scene[1]. - **Platform:** Atlanta hip-hop scene (dance move), Vine / Instagram / Twitter (viral spread) - **Creator:** Skippa Da Flippa (credited originator), Migos (popularized via "Look at My Dab"), Cam Newton (mainstream breakthrough) - **Date:** 2015 ## 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 joke[1]. 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 Twitter[1]. 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 fight[3]. ## 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 Titans[1]. 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 24-10[1]. By early 2016, dabbing had broken into politics. Hillary Clinton dabbed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in January 2016[1]. In October 2016, Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez dabbed at the end of a Senate debate against Kamala Harris[1]. 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 Ryan[1]. The gesture spread internationally through 2016 and 2017. Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton dabbed after winning the Hungarian Grand Prix in July 2016[1]. UK Labour Deputy Leader Tom Watson dabbed in the House of Commons in February 2017[1]. French presidential candidates Emmanuel Macron, Benoît Hamon, and François Fillon all dabbed on television in March 2017[1]. Prince Sverre Magnus of Norway dabbed at the Royal Palace during his grandparents' 80th birthday celebration in May 2017[1]. Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja dabbed to celebrate a half-century score in January 2017, drawing mixed reactions[1]. The President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, even invited a dance group to State House to teach him the move[1]. 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 background[3]. The post read "Hold up, I need to get high for this shit" and picked up over 2,200 likes within a year[3]. 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, 2018[3]. ## How to Use 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]. ## 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 2015[1]. The move appeared in legislative chambers on multiple continents, royal palaces, Formula One podiums, and cricket pitches[1]. 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 it[1]. This kind of embarrassed reception marked the dab's transition from cool to cringe. Schools started banning it[1]. 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 Chiefs[1]. ## 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 51[1]. - 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 shows[1]. - 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 dabbing[2]. - 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 point[1]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is dabbing? Dabbing is a dance gesture where you drop your face into the crook of a bent arm while extending the other arm outward. It originated in Atlanta's hip-hop scene and went mainstream in 2015[1]. ### Where did dabbing come from? The dab emerged from Atlanta's hip-hop community around 2014-2015. Skippa Da Flippa is credited as the originator, with the Migos helping popularize it through their single "Look at My Dab"[1]. ### What does dabbing mean? As a gesture, dabbing signals triumph, celebration, or playful flexing. The term also refers to smoking concentrated cannabis wax, and the visual overlap between the two (coughing into your arm) may not be a coincidence[1][2]. ### How do you use dabbing? Tuck your face into the inside of one bent elbow and extend the opposite arm straight out. People dab after scoring, making a point, or just for laughs. Since roughly 2017, most dabs are performed ironically[1]. ### Is dabbing still popular? Dabbing's peak ran from late 2015 through 2017. The gesture is still widely recognized but is mostly used ironically or for nostalgic humor. It's no longer a genuine celebration move for most people. ### Who made dabbing famous? Cam Newton's eight-second touchdown celebration against the Tennessee Titans on November 15, 2015, is the single biggest moment in dabbing's crossover from hip-hop to mainstream culture[1]. ### Why did dabbing become cringe? The same trajectory that makes any trend cringe: politicians started doing it. Hillary Clinton dabbed on Ellen in January 2016, and by 2017, world leaders from France to Kenya were dabbing on camera[1]. ### Did Migos invent dabbing? The Migos initially claimed they invented the dab but later credited Skippa Da Flippa as the true creator, following criticism from Quality Control labelmate OG Maco[1]. ### What is the connection between dabbing and cannabis? Rapper Bow Wow claimed the dance came from the cannabis dabbing community, where the act of coughing into your arm after inhaling concentrated wax resembles the dance gesture. Other rappers disputed this claim[1][2]. ### When was dabbing banned in schools? Multiple schools banned dabbing during its peak popularity in 2016-2017, treating it as a disruptive gesture. The Saudi Arabian government also banned the move[1]. ### What is the Dabbing Dude meme? A separate meme from the dance: a two-panel image showing a shirtless man smoking a dab rig in the background while two women fight. It originated from a September 2017 tweet by @StonerNation and became an object labeling template[3]. ## References 1. [Dab (dance)]() 2. [Dabbing - Urban Dictionary]() 3. [Dabbing - Know Your Meme]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/dabbing Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library