What is Kill Yourself?

Kill Yourself, often shortened to KYS, is an internet dismissal phrase used to mock someone for saying something stupid or embarrassing, usually paired with the Correction Guy image macro.

Where did Kill Yourself come from?

The phrase itself predates internet history, but its documented meme form traces to a July 10, 2005 Urban Dictionary entry by user roccaphella19 that defined it as something said to a very stupid person.

What does Kill Yourself mean?

It works as a hyperbolic dismissal rather than a literal instruction, telling the target that whatever they said or shared is too stupid to warrant a serious response.

How do you use Kill Yourself?

People typically reply to a cringe screenshot or a bad take by posting the Correction Guy image macro, or by dropping 'kys' in text chat as shorthand.

Is Kill Yourself still popular?

US search interest for 'kys' rose sharply through late 2015, with 'kys meaning' as the top query at that point, and it stuck as one of the standard online dismissal insults.

Kill Yourself

2005image macroclassic

Published September 4, 2026

Kill Yourself, often shortened to KYS, is an internet dismissal phrase used to mock someone for saying or doing something considered stupid or embarrassing. The image macro version appeared in a WeKnowMemes post in July 2012, while the abbreviation KYS had already been circulating on Urban Dictionary since 2003. The phrase grew into a common flippant put-down in online arguments and eventually spawned its own subreddit in 2014.

dismissal memes catchphrase memes slang memes urban dictionary memes dark humor memes

Overview

The image macro pairs a stern Correction Guy face with the caption 'KILL YOURSELF' set in bold Impact font. Posters use it to shut down cringeworthy takes, bad opinions, or basic misunderstandings, treating the line as hyperbolic dismissal rather than a literal message1.

The KYS abbreviation grew into the more common form for text chat, a punchier stand-in for 'shut up' with sharper bite2. People fire it at friends after bad jokes, drop it in game chat after a lost round, or slap it under viral screenshots of embarrassingly bad opinions. The joke rides on the obvious gap between the literal reading and the flippant, throwaway tone in which it usually gets used.

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Origin & Background

Platform

Urban Dictionary (early text form) / WeKnowMemes (image macro)

Date

2005

The phrase itself long predates internet culture, but its life as a documented insult template starts with an Urban Dictionary entry from July 10, 2005, submitted by user roccaphella19, who defined it as 'Something that is said to someone because they are very stupid'1. The initialism KYS traces further back on the same site, with the earliest entry filed by user 'the real doufas' on March 31, 20032.

The image macro version shows up in a July 16, 2012 WeKnowMemes roundup titled 'Best Swag Memes,' where it capped a picture of a boy trying to propose his 'swag' to a girl3.

How It Spread

The image macro was registered on Memegenerator.net on July 31, 2012, and by April 2015 had over 78,000 user-made versions, ranking 82nd on the site3. Copies also spread to 9Gag, Funnyjunk, and 4chan through the same period, typically tagged onto screenshots of confused or clueless posts.

The KYS abbreviation followed a parallel path across dictionary sites. It picked up its top-voted Urban Dictionary entry from user Jack Carver on June 26, 20062, and reached InternetSlang.com in February 20106. On September 28, 2011, a poster on the GotKnowHow forum asked 'what is KYS short for?' and got the answer 'kill yourself' from several other users4.

Redditor Espcape102 launched the /r/kys subreddit on November 9, 2014, describing it as 'the pro-suicide side of Reddit'5.

How to Use This Meme

The template typically pairs the Correction Guy image macro with 'KILL YOURSELF' set in bold Impact caption. Common convention is to reply to a screenshot of a bad take or a confused post with either the macro or a plain 'kys' in text1. The abbreviated form often shows up sarcastically among friends rather than as a genuine insult.