Pokimane is the online alias of Canadian-Moroccan Twitch streamer Imane Anys, who built her following on League of Legends and Fortnite and won 'Twitch Streamer of the Year' at the 2018 Shorty Awards.

Where did Pokimane come from?

Anys started streaming as Pokimane in 2013 and uploaded her first YouTube video, a League of Legends gameplay clip, on May 12, 2014.

What does Pokimane mean?

Pokimane is the stage name of Imane Anys; in meme use, the name refers to viral clips from her streams like the 'anivia' audio debate and her 2022 OnlyFans earnings quote.

How do you use Pokimane?

Pokimane memes typically reference one of her viral stream moments, from the 'anivia' clip that split r/livestreamfail viewers to jokes about her 'simp' donors and her OnlyFans earnings estimate.

Is Pokimane still popular?

Pokimane still shows up in streamer-drama compilations and simp jokes tied to her most-clipped moments, with the 2022 OnlyFans comments drawing wide coverage at the time.

Pokimane

2013internet personalitysemi-active

Published September 22, 2026

Pokimane is the online alias of Canadian-Moroccan Twitch streamer Imane Anys, whose rise to millions of followers turned her into a recurring meme figure. Between 2018 and 2022 she was pulled into a run of viral moments including the Keemstar copyright feud, a disputed on-stream audio clip and her offhand OnlyFans earnings estimate.

twitch streamer memes streamer memes thirst memes celebrity scandal memes livestream memes

Overview

Rather than one image format, Pokimane memes cluster around a run of viral stream moments. The 'anivia' incident in March 2019 turned into an r/livestreamfail argument over whether she had said the League of Legends champion's name or a racial slur, a debate she addressed publicly on Twitter2.

A separate 'simp' meme cycle grew out of a 2020 YouTube video about a fan who said he had been evicted while donating to her. Her offhand 2022 estimate that she could earn $1 million to $10 million a month on OnlyFans then drew news coverage and reaction clips, with fellow streamer Mizkif telling her on the podcast the figure was low1.

Gallery

Origin & Background

Platform

Twitch / YouTube

Date

2013

Anys, a Canadian-Moroccan creator born May 14, 1996, began streaming as Pokimane in 2013 and built an audience on League of Legends and Fortnite. Within five years she passed 2.65 million Twitch followers and 3.1 million YouTube subscribers, and took 'Twitch Streamer of the Year' at the 2018 Shorty Awards3. Her earliest YouTube upload, a League of Legends gameplay clip, went live on May 12, 20144.

How It Spread

An earlier controversy gave Pokimane her first sustained meme spotlight. YouTube pulled a Bowblax commentary video about her feud with Keemstar on November 30, 2018, and PewDiePie covered the takedown on January 11, 2019, arguing that copyright strikes on reactions drew more attention to the drama than the original videos would have3. Pokimane posted a video response defending her side.

On March 3, 2019, a user posted a Pokimane stream clip to r/livestreamfail that split viewers on whether she had said 'anivia' or a racial slur. Keemstar shared it on Twitter, and she replied on March 4 that she had said the League champion's name2.

The 'simp' backlash landed on May 13, 2020, when YouTuber It'sAGundam released a video singling out a Pokimane fan who claimed to have been evicted while donating to her. Her on-stream reaction three days later, calling for the video's sponsor to drop him, drove the clip from roughly 150,000 views to more than 770,000 within months3. On June 26, 2022, during the Mizzy Wizzy, Poki Doki podcast with Mizkif, she said she could probably earn between $1 million and $10 million a month on OnlyFans, comments Dexerto wrote up three days later1.

Timeline

2014-05-12

Pokimane uploads her first YouTube video, a League of Legends gameplay clip.

How to Use This Meme

Pokimane memes typically reference one of her specific viral clips rather than a fixed template. Common examples include the 'anivia' audio bait, 'simp' jokes about big donors, and reaction edits of the OnlyFans earnings quote.