# Rhymes With Grug
> Rhymes With Grug is a 2025 TikTok snowclone from DreamWorks' The Croods where users pair absurd or dark concepts with "I call it X, rhymes with Grug," deriving humor from the obvious contradiction that nothing actually rhymes.
"Rhymes With Grug" is a snowclone meme based on a scene from the 2013 DreamWorks animated film *The Croods*, where the caveman character Grug invents objects and incorrectly claims their names rhyme with his own. The format exploded on TikTok in May 2025, with users pairing absurd, dark, or completely unrelated concepts with the phrase "I call it X, rhymes with Grug." The joke hinges entirely on the obvious contradiction: nothing being named actually rhymes with Grug, and the more outrageous the pairing, the funnier it lands.
## Origin
On March 22, 2013, DreamWorks Animation released *The Croods* in U.S. theaters[6]. The film follows a prehistoric family led by Grug Crood, an overprotective caveman patriarch voiced by Nicolas Cage[2]. In one scene, Grug tries to prove himself useful by "inventing" things and naming them. He holds up a wig-like object and says, "I call it a rug, rhymes with Grug. And this one, I call it a ride, rhymes with Grug"[2]. The joke in the film is that "ride" doesn't rhyme with "Grug" at all. As one Reddit user later summarized, Grug keeps naming things and claiming they rhyme with his name until the very end, when he invents the "hug," which actually does rhyme[2].
The first known person to repurpose this scene as a meme was YouTuber madoxthepsychic, who posted a video on February 13, 2020 featuring a deep-fried edit of the scene with text reading "Good job, Grug"[5]. It picked up just over 1,100 views across five years[4]. A minor animation meme trend around the scene spread on YouTube heading into 2020, but it stayed small[5].
- **Platform:** YouTube (early memes), TikTok (viral spread)
- **Creator:** @bryan..200 (TikToker who sparked the 2025 trend), madoxthepsychic (first known meme use in 2020)
- **Date:** 2020 (first meme use), 2025 (viral explosion)
## Overview
The meme follows a simple template: take any word, phrase, concept, or event and declare that it "rhymes with Grug." The punchline is that it obviously doesn't. Users typically format posts as "I call it [X], rhymes with Grug" or "I call it [X] (it rhymes with Grug)," where X is something increasingly absurd or taboo[1].
The standard visual format on TikTok involves still images or one-photo slideshows showing whatever subject is being falsely rhymed, often with Grug himself badly Photoshopped into the scene[1]. These are typically set to the *Croods* main theme or a Jersey Club remix of it[5]. The more confident the delivery and the more ridiculous the pairing, the better the meme works. "Quantum computing" shares zero phonetic overlap with "Grug," but the deadpan insistence is the whole bit[3].
## How It Spread
On August 5, 2020, YouTuber MrMrMANGOHEAD uploaded a YouTube Poop incorporating the Rhymes With Grug scene, which pulled in over 406,300 views and 13,000 likes over five years[5]. This kept the scene circulating in niche remix communities but didn't push it mainstream.
Grug appreciation content started appearing sporadically on TikTok as early as 2023. On January 28, 2023, TikToker @s.harts02 posted a clip of the original rhyming scene, though it didn't gain much traction[1]. By 2024, occasional posts featuring the Crood and his catchphrase would pop up on the platform[1].
The real breakout came in April and May 2025. On April 10, TikToker @fear.films posted a fan edit compiling Grug's best scenes, starting with the rhyming moment. That video earned 5.3 million views[1]. Then on May 3, TikToker @bryan..200 posted what became the template for the modern format: a video of himself dancing to a Jersey Club remix of *The Croods* main theme with the caption "How I feel after using my own method to solve the math problem (it rhymes with grug)"[5]. It racked up over 67,200 likes in three days[2].
The floodgates opened immediately. The next day, May 4, TikToker @lilbiggefatmonke posted "I call it vehicular man slaughter 'cause it rhymes with Grug," gaining over 158,500 likes in two days[5]. On May 5, @gabe_again shared a drunk driving iteration that pulled 16,600 likes in a single day, while @mashed_onions posted an AI-generated image of Grug sporting a low taper fade, which hit 45,400 likes overnight[5].
By May 6, the TikTok hashtag #grug had over 10,500 videos and #croods topped 13,600[1]. The trend ran parallel to another *Croods* revival, the "Croods Running" meme, and both used the same TikTok sound from the film's main theme[5].
The meme quickly jumped from TikTok to broader awareness. SheKnows published a parenting explainer titled "Teen Slang: 'Rhymes With Grug' Explained," noting how tweens and teens had adopted the phrase in everyday speech[2]. Middle school teacher Mr. Lindsay, a popular TikTok "student translator," posted a breakdown of the trend, confirming that most iterations "teeter on the edgy-slash-inappropriate category"[2]. The Daily Dot covered it as TikTok's "latest unhinged meme trend," noting the competition to attach the darkest possible concept to the phrase[1].
## How to Use
The format is deliberately simple:
1. Pick any word, concept, event, or object. The less it sounds like "Grug," the better.
2. Frame it as "I call it [your choice], rhymes with Grug" or "I call it [your choice] (it rhymes with Grug)."
3. On TikTok, pair it with a still image or photo related to your subject, often with Grug crudely edited in.
4. Set the audio to *The Croods* main theme or a remix of it.
## Cultural Impact
The speed of the meme's spread drew attention from parenting publications and educators. SheKnows ran an explainer aimed at confused parents, assuring them that their kids didn't need a "rhyming refresher" and that the trend had "innocent origins" even if many iterations leaned edgy[2]. Robert Irwin appeared on Australia's Pedestrian TV learning Gen Z slang, with the Grug meme among the terms discussed[2].
The trend tapped into a pattern of dormant animated films suddenly becoming meme goldmines years after release, similar to how *Bee Movie* and *Shrek* periodically resurface in internet culture[4]. As The Bite noted, this tends to happen during slow movie seasons when audiences aren't engaged with current releases[4]. *The Croods* had been a solid box office performer in 2013, earning $587 million worldwide and landing nominations for both the Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature[6], but it had largely faded from cultural conversation until the 2025 meme revival.
The Daily Dot described the trend as a competition to see who could "attach the darkest or most absurd concept" to the phrase, with popular subjects including Hiroshima, child labor, and problem gambling[1]. This push toward shock value made it a classic example of Gen Z and Gen Alpha anti-humor, where the format's simplicity acts as a vehicle for increasingly transgressive content.
## Fun Facts
- The scene that spawned the meme ends with Grug finally inventing something that actually does rhyme with his name: a "hug." It's the emotional climax of the film[2].
- Nicolas Cage voiced Grug in both *The Croods* (2013) and the sequel *The Croods: A New Age* (2020)[6].
- The meme took 12 years to go from a minor movie gag to a massive TikTok trend, sitting dormant for most of that time with only small YouTube remix communities keeping it alive[4].
- *The Croods* was DreamWorks Animation's second highest-grossing original release at the time[1].
- The trend spawned a full franchise including two TV series: *Dawn of the Croods* (2015) and *The Croods: Family Tree* (2021)[6].
## Frequently Asked Questions
### What is Rhymes With Grug?
Rhymes With Grug is a TikTok meme format where users take random words, events, or concepts and falsely claim they "rhyme with Grug," referencing a scene from the 2013 DreamWorks film *The Croods*[5].
### Where did Rhymes With Grug come from?
The meme originates from a scene in *The Croods* where the character Grug names his inventions and claims they rhyme with his name, even when they clearly don't. The first meme version appeared on YouTube on February 13, 2020, by user madoxthepsychic[5].
### What does Rhymes With Grug mean?
The phrase is used as an absurdist punchline. When someone says "I call it [X], rhymes with Grug," the joke is that X obviously doesn't rhyme with Grug at all. The confidence of the false claim is the humor[2].
### How do you use Rhymes With Grug?
Pick any word or concept, pair it with the phrase "rhymes with Grug," and post it as a TikTok slideshow or caption over *The Croods* theme music. The more outlandish or unrelated the pairing, the funnier it is[3].
### Is Rhymes With Grug still popular?
As of May 2025, the trend was at peak virality, with the #grug hashtag topping 10,500 TikTok videos and #croods exceeding 13,600[1].
### Who started the Rhymes With Grug trend on TikTok?
TikToker @bryan..200 is credited with sparking the 2025 viral wave on May 3 with a video dancing to a Jersey Club remix of *The Croods* theme[5].
### What movie is the Rhymes With Grug meme from?
*The Croods*, a 2013 DreamWorks animated film starring Nicolas Cage as Grug, Emma Stone as Eep, and Ryan Reynolds as Guy[6].
### Why is the meme edgy?
Many iterations pair the phrase with dark or taboo subjects like violence, addiction, or historical tragedies. The PG-rated source material contrasted with inappropriate content is part of the appeal[1].
### What's the original Grug quote?
In the film, Grug says: "I call it a rug, rhymes with Grug. And this one, I call it a ride, rhymes with Grug"[2].
### Is Rhymes With Grug related to The Croods Running meme?
Yes. Both trends spread on TikTok simultaneously in 2025 and used the same audio from *The Croods* main theme[5].
## References
1. [Rhymes With Grug Memes: The Weird New Meme Trend]()
2. [This is a Story; Rhymes With Grug – The Bite]()
3. [Teen Slang: ‘Rhymes With Grug’ Explained]()
4. [Rhymes With Grug - Know Your Meme]()
5. [The Croods]()
6. [Rhymes With Grug - Urban Dictionary]()
7. [What is the 'Rhymes With Grug' meme? The TikTok trend pairing 'The Croods' character with disturbing topics]()
8. [Why Rhyming With Grug is the Secret Code of the Modern Meme Economy - Snomoto]()
---
Source: https://meme.com/memes/rhymes-with-grug
Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library