Meme Review is a YouTube series by PewDiePie (Felix Kjellberg) where he reviews trending internet memes, rates them, and provides comedic commentary[3].

Where did Meme Review come from?

PewDiePie launched the series on November 23, 2017, with the first episode reviewing the Bike Cuck and Loss memes[3].

What does Meme Review mean?

Beyond the literal show, "Meme Review" became slang for the idea that memes die once they get mainstream attention. Fans joked that any meme PewDiePie reviewed was officially deceased[1].

How do you use Meme Review?

The most common use is the *clap* *clap* format, either typed or performed, to signal mock-critical judgment of meme content. People also reference it when a meme feels overexposed[3][1].

Is Meme Review still popular?

The series ran primarily from 2017 to 2019 and is no longer in regular production. The *clap* *clap* format and the "killing memes" joke are still widely recognized.

Who has hosted Meme Review?

Notable guest hosts include Ben Shapiro (November 2018), Elon Musk and Justin Roiland (February 2019), and Dr. Phil (August 2019).

A recurring segment at the end of Meme Review episodes where PewDiePie showed one extra meme. It first appeared in the fourth episode on December 23, 2017[3].

Why does PewDiePie clap twice?

The double clap at the start of each episode became the show's signature. PewDiePie would clap and say "Meme Review" to open the show, and the gesture turned into its own meme[3][1].

Did Elon Musk really host Meme Review?

Yes. After tweeting "Host meme review?" on January 27, 2019, Musk appeared alongside Justin Roiland in an episode uploaded on February 22, 2019.

Does PewDiePie actually kill memes?

Not literally, but fans joked that any meme reviewed on the show was at the end of its lifecycle. The idea that mainstream exposure speeds up a meme's death became a running gag[3][1].

Meme Review

2017YouTube series / catchphraseclassic

Also known as: *clap* *clap* Meme Review *clap* *clap*

Meme Review is a YouTube series created by Felix "PewDiePie" Kjellberg in which he reviews and rates trending internet memes. Launched on November 23, 2017, the show became famous for its signature double hand clap, the running joke that PewDiePie "kills" every meme he reviews, and high-profile guest hosts like Elon Musk, Ben Shapiro, and Dr. Phil. The series turned meme commentary into a genre of its own and spawned in-jokes like "Bonus Meme" and the iconic *clap* *clap*.

meme commentary memes pewdiepie memes lets play memes memetics memes streamer memes

Overview

Meme Review followed a simple format: PewDiePie would pull up three or more trending memes, scroll through variations, offer comedic commentary, and assign each meme a rating out of 103. The show opened with PewDiePie clapping twice while saying "Meme Review," a bit that took on a life of its own1. Each episode typically closed with a "Bonus Meme" segment, a tradition that started in the fourth episode on December 23, 20173.

The series sat at the intersection of meme culture and YouTube entertainment. Rather than simply sharing memes, PewDiePie gave them a mock-critical treatment, as if grading student work. Fans embraced the bit and started joking that any meme featured on the show was effectively dead, since PewDiePie's spotlight marked the peak of a meme's lifecycle1.

PewDiePie uploaded the first episode of Meme Review on November 23, 2017, titled "Stolen Bike Meme [MEME REVIEW] #1". The debut episode reviewed the memes Bike Cuck and Loss3. Early installments featured longer, more detailed breakdowns of each meme's history, though PewDiePie gradually shifted toward a looser format after the seventh episode, spending more time browsing examples and riffing3.

The "Bonus Meme" gag debuted on December 23, 2017, in the fourth episode (a Net Neutrality-themed installment), which pulled in over 5.4 million views. The double clap intro became the show's most recognizable feature and quickly spread as its own standalone meme3.

Origin & Background

Platform

YouTube

Creator

PewDiePie

Date

2017

PewDiePie uploaded the first episode of Meme Review on November 23, 2017, titled "Stolen Bike Meme [MEME REVIEW] #1". The debut episode reviewed the memes Bike Cuck and Loss. Early installments featured longer, more detailed breakdowns of each meme's history, though PewDiePie gradually shifted toward a looser format after the seventh episode, spending more time browsing examples and riffing.

How It Spread

By early 2018, Meme Review was one of PewDiePie's most popular recurring segments. Around March 2018, a community joke emerged that PewDiePie was "killing memes" by reviewing them. The idea was that once a meme appeared on the show, it had already peaked and was on its way out. Fans leaned into this so hard that "getting on Meme Review" became shorthand for a meme's expiration date.

The double clap quickly spread across Reddit, Twitter, and YouTube as a reaction format. People started captioning random content with *clap* MEME REVIEW *clap*, turning the show's intro into a meme about memes.

On November 2, 2018, conservative commentator Ben Shapiro appeared as a guest host on episode #40, reviewing memes about himself in a segment titled "Okay, This Is Epic". The crossover generated massive buzz and showed that Meme Review had pull beyond PewDiePie's core audience.

On January 27, 2019, Elon Musk tweeted a photo of himself with the caption "Host meme review?", sending PewDiePie's fanbase into a frenzy. The campaign to get Musk on the show trended on Twitter, with fans bombarding the Tesla CEO with messages for weeks. On February 22, 2019, PewDiePie delivered: he uploaded an episode featuring both Musk and *Rick and Morty* co-creator Justin Roiland, trollingly titled "Will Smith hosts Meme Review". TechCrunch, Newsweek, Hypebeast, and other outlets covered the appearance.

On August 15, 2019, Dr. Phil finally appeared on the show after months of PewDiePie joking about the possibility. The TV host reacted to memes featuring himself, including the famous floating water bottle photo. PewDiePie excitedly clapped and said "Yay, it finally happened!"

The show ran actively through 2019 before PewDiePie shifted focus to Minecraft content and other series. IMDb lists the series as running from 2017 to 2019.

Platforms

RedditTwitterTikTokInstagramYouTube

Timeline

2017-01-01

Meme Review begins gaining traction

2018-01-01

Meme Review started spreading across social media platforms

2019-01-01

Meme Review reached mainstream popularity and media coverage

2020-01-01

Brands and companies started using Meme Review in marketing

2022-01-01

Meme Review entered the broader pop culture conversation

2025-01-01

Meme Review is still actively used and shared across platforms

View on Google Trends

How to Use This Meme

The Meme Review format typically works in a few ways:

The clap intro: People write or say "*clap* *clap* MEME REVIEW" as a reaction to any meme content, signaling mock-critical judgment.

"PewDiePie killed it": When a meme goes mainstream or feels overexposed, fans often joke that it belongs on Meme Review, implying it's dead or dying.

Rating format: Some users adopt the show's rating-out-of-10 format to review memes in their own posts or videos.

Guest host requests: During the show's peak, fans would campaign online for celebrities to "host Meme Review," turning the guest slot into its own meme.

Create Your Own

Cultural Impact

Meme Review was one of the first major YouTube series to treat internet memes as content worth reviewing on camera. The show's format influenced a wave of meme commentary channels and reaction-style content across YouTube and TikTok.

The celebrity guest appearances pushed Meme Review into mainstream media coverage. Elon Musk's episode was covered by Newsweek, TechCrunch, Hypebeast, and Inverse, among others. The fact that a tech billionaire and a TV psychologist both appeared on a YouTuber's meme show illustrated how internet culture and traditional celebrity had started to overlap in real time.

The "PewDiePie kills memes" joke introduced a kind of meta-awareness about meme lifecycles. The idea that mainstream exposure accelerates a meme's death wasn't new, but Meme Review turned it into a running gag that millions understood. This concept fed into broader conversations about meme economies, normie adoption, and the shelf life of internet humor.

Fun Facts

The first episode reviewed the memes Bike Cuck and Loss, two memes that were already deep in meme lore by late 2017.

PewDiePie didn't realize fans considered him a "meme killer" until around the sixth episode, after which he leaned into the joke.

The Elon Musk and Justin Roiland episode was deliberately titled "Will Smith hosts Meme Review" as a bait-and-switch troll.

IMDb has a full listing for Meme Review as a TV series (2017-2019) with episode guides and user ratings.

Derivatives & Variations

*clap* *clap*:

The double hand clap became a standalone reaction meme, used in text and video to signal "review time" or mock-judgment of anything[3].

Bonus Meme:

The segment-ending gag became its own meme format, with fans demanding "Bonus Meme" in comment sections across YouTube[3].

"Host Meme Review" campaigns:

Fans organized Twitter campaigns to get celebrities onto the show, turning the guest slot into a recurring internet event.

"PewDiePie is killing memes":

The in-joke that memes die after being reviewed spawned its own memes and discussion threads about meme lifecycles[3].

Frequently Asked Questions

References (3)

1
NPC (meme)encyclopedia
2
Meme Review - Urban Dictionarydictionary
3
Meme Review - Know Your Memeencyclopedia