# Feels
"Feels" is internet shorthand for "feelings," used to mark posts that hit with unusual emotional weight, typically inside the phrase "right in the feels." The word crossed from Krautchan's "I know that feel bro" scene into wider English use in 2012, becoming a standard caption for tearjerker GIFs and reaction images.
## Overview
"Feels" is internet shorthand for "feelings," used when something lands with unusual emotional weight, whether that is sadness, awe, or nostalgia[6]. The word usually shows up inside the phrase "right in the feels," pinned to reaction images, GIFs, and short clips that punch someone in the gut[2].
The format is loose: an image or clip of something emotionally charged, captioned with "feels" or "right in the feels"[3]. Fictional character deaths, childhood cartoon callbacks, reunion scenes, and unexpectedly sweet moments are the standard fuel, and the tag works equally well for genuine reactions and self-aware jokes about being too moved.
## How It Spread
On March 30, 2012, Urban Dictionary user Alice707 submitted a definition explaining "feels" as short for "feelings"[3]. A few months later, on June 25, the Cheezburger site Roflrazzi ran an image macro built around an animated Avengers GIF with the caption "Right in the feels," which helped lock the phrasing into English meme vocabulary[2].
Facebook picked it up next. On October 11, 2012, a page called "That post hit me right in the feels" launched and pulled over 2,800 likes in its first eight months[7]. Two months later, on December 27, Redditor Super_Pie posted a Spirited Away GIF with "feels" captioned over crashing waves to r/gifs, collecting more than 4,700 upvotes and 150 comments in its first five months[4].
By May 6, 2013, YouTuber enjoylifeingeneral uploaded "The Feels," a mock-dramatic monologue delivered to an air conditioning unit over swelling music[5]. The FunnyJunk "feels" channel and the Tumblr "#feels" tag became long-running dumping grounds for tearjerker posts[6].
## How to Use
People typically pair "feels" or "right in the feels" with a GIF, screenshot, or short clip meant to trigger a strong emotional reaction[2]. A common convention is captioning reunion scenes, childhood cartoons, character deaths, or tragic moments with the phrase to signal that the poster got hit harder than expected.
## Frequently Asked Questions
### What is Feels?
"Feels" is internet shorthand for "feelings," used to describe an intense emotional reaction such as sadness, awe, or nostalgia[3].
### Where did Feels come from?
It grew out of the "I know that feel bro" expression on the German image board Krautchan around May 2010, with a self-identified creator surfacing in a February 2012 Reddit AMA[1].
### What does Feels mean?
It is a shortened plural of "feelings," most often framed in the phrase "right in the feels" to signal that a post hit hard emotionally[3].
### How do you use Feels?
Caption a GIF, screenshot, or clip of an emotionally loaded moment with "feels" or "right in the feels," as popularized by the June 2012 Roflrazzi Avengers macro[2].
### Is Feels still popular?
By 2013 it was heavily active across Reddit, Facebook, YouTube, FunnyJunk, and the Tumblr "#feels" tag, and it settled in as a standard piece of English internet slang[5].
## References
1. [https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/pdcx3/i_am_wojack_guy_who_felt_the_first_feel/]()
2. [https://roflrazzi.cheezburger.com/]()
3. [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=feels]()
4. [https://www.reddit.com/r/gifs/comments/15n5ee/first_time_being_dumped/]()
5. [https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=enjoylifeingeneral+the+feels]()
6. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/feels]()
7. [https://www.facebook.com/thatposthitmerightinthefeels]()
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Source: https://meme.com/memes/feels
Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library