Dun Dun

2010catchphraseclassic

"Dun Dun" is the typed version of the two-note gavel sting from NBC's Law & Order, used online as shorthand for a mock-dramatic reply. The phrase broke out on 4chan's /b/ board in May 2010 after moderators changed the site's post-confirmation screen to read "DUN DUN Post Successful," and users started ending posts with it.

catchphrase memes4chan memestv show memessound effect memesreaction memes

Overview

"Dun Dun" is the all-caps text stand-in for the two-note gavel sting heard between scenes on NBC's Law & Order3. People type it after a mildly dramatic statement to give the moment a mock-courtroom beat, usually as "DUN DUN" or stretched to "DUN DUN DUN" for extra weight4.

Law & Order ran for 20 seasons on NBC before its finale in May 20102. The typed version works as a reaction shorthand along the same lines as "record scratch" or "gasp," hitting hardest after a small revelation or an awkward admission4.

How It Spread

The "DUN DUN Post Successful" splash stayed live on 4chan for two more days before moderators pulled it on May 26, 2010, after users kept ribbing them for leaving the May 24 date untouched at the bottom of the graphic3.

Urban Dictionary entries from that summer logged "DUN DUN" as a reaction to awkward or overdramatic exchanges, with one submitter defining it as a shortening of "so done with this"4. Law & Order itself ended its original run with the May 24 episode after NBC cancelled the show2, and the typed sting kept going as chat shorthand once new episodes stopped airing.

How to Use This Meme

People typically add "DUN DUN" or "DUN DUN DUN" at the end of a message where the tone is mock-serious, often right after a small twist, a petty grievance, or a mildly incriminating detail4. The all-caps form mirrors how loud the Law & Order sting hits on the show, which ran the cue between nearly every scene change across its 20-season run2.

Frequently Asked Questions

Dun Dun

2010catchphraseclassic

"Dun Dun" is the typed version of the two-note gavel sting from NBC's Law & Order, used online as shorthand for a mock-dramatic reply. The phrase broke out on 4chan's /b/ board in May 2010 after moderators changed the site's post-confirmation screen to read "DUN DUN Post Successful," and users started ending posts with it.

catchphrase memes 4chan memes tv show memes sound effect memes reaction memes

Overview

"Dun Dun" is the all-caps text stand-in for the two-note gavel sting heard between scenes on NBC's Law & Order3. People type it after a mildly dramatic statement to give the moment a mock-courtroom beat, usually as "DUN DUN" or stretched to "DUN DUN DUN" for extra weight4.

Law & Order ran for 20 seasons on NBC before its finale in May 20102. The typed version works as a reaction shorthand along the same lines as "record scratch" or "gasp," hitting hardest after a small revelation or an awkward admission4.

How It Spread

The "DUN DUN Post Successful" splash stayed live on 4chan for two more days before moderators pulled it on May 26, 2010, after users kept ribbing them for leaving the May 24 date untouched at the bottom of the graphic3.

Urban Dictionary entries from that summer logged "DUN DUN" as a reaction to awkward or overdramatic exchanges, with one submitter defining it as a shortening of "so done with this"4. Law & Order itself ended its original run with the May 24 episode after NBC cancelled the show2, and the typed sting kept going as chat shorthand once new episodes stopped airing.

How to Use This Meme

People typically add "DUN DUN" or "DUN DUN DUN" at the end of a message where the tone is mock-serious, often right after a small twist, a petty grievance, or a mildly incriminating detail4. The all-caps form mirrors how loud the Law & Order sting hits on the show, which ran the cue between nearly every scene change across its 20-season run2.

Frequently Asked Questions