The dab is a hip-hop dance move where you tuck your face into your bent elbow while extending the other arm straight out, resembling an exaggerated sneeze[2]. It became one of the defining gestures of mid-2010s internet culture[3].

Where did the dab come from?

The dab originated in Atlanta, Georgia's hip-hop scene around 2013, with Quality Control Music artists including Skippa Da Flippa, Migos, Rich The Kid, and Peewee Longway[5]. It reached mainstream attention in 2015[1].

What does the dab mean?

In its original hip-hop context, dabbing was a gesture of swagger and confidence. PeeWee Longway described it as what you do "when you put your favorite outfit on"[4]. Over time it became a general-purpose celebration move.

How do you use the dab?

Drop your head into the crook of one bent arm while extending the other arm straight out, like a sneeze into your elbow[2]. It's typically used as a celebration, punchline, or ironic callback.

Is the dab still popular?

The dab peaked between 2015 and 2017 and is now widely recognized as a classic move from that era. It still appears in ironic usage, video game emotes, and nostalgia content, but its days as a serious celebration are long over[2].

Who invented the dab?

The exact inventor is disputed. OG Maco credited Skippa Da Flippa as the originator, while Migos also claimed credit[11]. Quavo said the dance predated the name and was circulating in Atlanta by 2013[10]. Most sources agree it came from the Quality Control Music circle[5].

Why did Cam Newton start dabbing?

Newton credited his 16-year-old brother Caylin, who told him to "Dab on them folks" during the 2015 NFL season[7]. His eight-second dab after a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans on November 15, 2015 became the single most famous dab in sports history[1].

Did Bow Wow really claim dabbing came from smoking weed?

Yes. In December 2015, Bow Wow posted a video claiming the dance originated from the coughing motion after smoking concentrated cannabis[12]. Migos and Rich The Kid clowned him on Twitter, and Bow Wow fired back by calling Migos "fake ass Ying Yang twins" before deleting the tweet[12].

When did Hillary Clinton dab?

Clinton dabbed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on January 11, 2016[8]. The moment split the internet: Charlamagne tha God declared the dab dead, while Rich The Kid said he felt "accomplished"[8].

What happened when Loretta Sanchez dabbed in the Senate debate?

During the October 2016 California Senate debate, Sanchez closed her remarks by striking a dab pose, startling her opponent Kamala Harris[14]. Harris responded with shade, and Sanchez's spokesman insisted it showed why millennials supported her[15]. Harris won by 15 points.

Is the "world's first dab" from 1932 real?

No. Snopes traced the viral black-and-white photo to summer 2016, identifying the subjects as movie extras filming Christopher Nolan's *Dunkirk* in the Netherlands[19]. A filter was applied to make the image look vintage.

Did dabbing exist in anime before the hip-hop dance?

Visually similar poses appeared in Japanese media decades earlier. Dragon Ball Z's Gohan performed a dab-like move as The Great Saiyaman in the 1990s, and Super Sentai series featured comparable arm positions from the 1970s onward[7]. These are coincidental parallels, not direct influences on the Atlanta dance.

Why was someone arrested for dabbing in Saudi Arabia?

In 2017, a Saudi singer was arrested for dabbing during a live performance. Authorities associated the gesture with drug culture, citing the word's secondary meaning related to cannabis consumption[7].

The Dab

2015dance move / gesture memeclassic

Published March 23, 2026

Also known as: Dabbing · Dabbin' · Hit the Dab

The Dab is a hip-hop dance move and gesture in which a person drops their head into one bent arm while extending the other arm outward, like an exaggerated sneeze. Originating from Atlanta's hip-hop scene around 2013 and popularized by Quality Control Music artists like Migos and Skippa Da Flippa, the dab exploded into the mainstream in late 2015 after Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton turned it into his signature touchdown celebration. At its peak in 2015-2017, everyone from LeBron James to Hillary Clinton was dabbing, making it one of the defining dance crazes of the mid-2010s.

dance memes hip hop memes mid 2010s memes participatory video memes gesture memes

Overview

The Dab, a quick, sharp gesture: you lean forward, tuck your face into the crook of one bent arm, and shoot the other arm out straight behind you. It looks like someone trying to muffle a violent sneeze into their elbow2. The whole motion takes about a second, and that's the point. Unlike other dance crazes that require learning choreography, the dab is dead simple. Rich The Kid even shot a tutorial video proving anyone could learn it in minutes4.

What made the dab work as a meme was its versatility. It could be a victory celebration after a touchdown, a punchline at the end of a Vine, a flex on the dance floor, or an ironic gesture by a middle-aged politician trying to connect with millennials. As Migos member Takeoff put it, people thought "it's just a dance, when dabbin' is a way of fashion"10. PeeWee Longway echoed this: "When you put your favorite outfit on, you dabbin' at that moment"4. The dab was swagger distilled into a single body movement.

The name itself became a source of confusion and controversy. Some assumed "dab" referenced dabbing concentrated cannabis (smoking hash oil), since the arm-to-face motion loosely mimics coughing into your elbow after a harsh hit2. Others went even further off track. Rapper Bow Wow publicly claimed the dance directly came from the cannabis dabbing community12. A FOX affiliate news station in South Carolina reported that the dab was named after Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney13. Both claims were quickly shot down by the actual Atlanta rappers responsible for the move.

Origin & Background

Platform

Atlanta hip-hop scene (dance move), Vine / Instagram / Twitter (viral spread)

Key People

Skippa Da Flippa, Migos, Rich The Kid, Peewee Longway

Date

2015 (roots to 2013)

The dab traces back to Atlanta, Georgia's hip-hop scene, where it started circulating around 20136. The exact inventor is a matter of dispute, but the consensus points to a cluster of artists signed to Quality Control Music. According to Migos member Quavo, the dance had been around in Atlanta for "about two years" before it reached the wider internet10. He also added a wrinkle to the naming debate: "It wasn't even called dab. We didn't even know it was called dab. Y'all just called it the dab"6.

The most commonly credited originator is Skippa Da Flippa, a QC affiliate. His July 2014 music video for "How Fast Can You Count It" features him dabbing throughout, predating Migos' dab-focused tracks by over a year2. When XXL published an article on August 5, 2015 crediting Migos as the inventors of the dance, their labelmate OG Maco pushed back on Twitter, pointing to Skippa Da Flippa as the real pioneer11. Migos responded that Flippa was "part of the Migos family," and an awkward exchange of subtweets followed between the labelmates throughout the day11.

By summer 2015, the dab was everywhere in Atlanta. Other QC-adjacent artists who helped spread it early included Rich The Kid, Peewee Longway, and Jose Guapo5. Migos released "Look at My Dab" in 2015, which became the de facto anthem of the trend17. The Fader ran a piece on July 28, 2015 titled "I Can't Stop Watching These Videos Of Kids Dabbing In Atlanta," documenting the dance's spread through Instagram clips of Atlanta youth adding their own creative flair9.

How It Spread

The dab's migration from Atlanta clubs to national awareness happened fast. On May 22, 2015, YouTuber T-Jay Hayes uploaded one of the first dab tutorial videos, pulling 2.3 million views within a year6. By July, more tutorial and showcase videos were hitting YouTube and Instagram. The Fader's coverage on July 28 was one of the first music press outlets to document the trend9, followed by XXL on August 511.

The turning point came through sports. The earliest known football dab was Cincinnati Bengals running back Jeremy Hill's celebration during a Week 1 game against the Oakland Raiders on September 13, 20151. LeBron James dabbed before a Cleveland Cavaliers preseason scrimmage on October 520. D'Angelo Russell hit a double dab on October 121. But it was Cam Newton who turned the dab into a national talking point. On November 15, 2015, Newton dabbed for eight straight seconds after a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans, and when two Titans players confronted him about it, he kept dabbing in their faces as he backed away1. Newton credited his 16-year-old brother Caylin for telling him to "Dab on them folks"7.

After Newton's moment, media coverage exploded. Sportscasters tried (and failed) to replicate it on air2. Charlamagne tha God put it in perspective: "If you sneeze into the inside of your elbow the way you supposed to then you been dabbing"2. Jay-Z attempted the move at his Tidal 10/20 concert in October 2015, delivering what Complex called "the most swaggerless dab in history"4. The dance had officially crossed from hip-hop to everywhere.

Frequently Asked Questions

References (28)

1
What Is Dabbing, The 'New' Dance Craze That Already Peaked?article
2
Hillary Clinton dances on ‘Ellen’ again | CNN Politicsarticle
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The Origins Of Dabbingarticle
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The Dab - Know Your Memeencyclopedia
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The Dab - Urban Dictionarydictionary
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Urban Dictionary: Dabbingdictionary
10
When Did Dabbing Become a Thing: A History of the Dab and Its Origins – Headshop.comarticle
11
A Complete History Of The Dab | Culture Kings USarticle
12
Is This the World's First Dab? | Snopes.comarticle
13
âDab on them folks;â A brief history of the Dab dance in sportsarticle
14
Answered: What is the Dab Dance? – DJBootharticle
15
To Understand Where Jay Z Failed at Dabbing, You Must First Understand the Dabsocial
16
LeBron Breaks Out the Dab Dance Before Cavaliers Scrimmagesocial
17
OG Maco and Migos Got Into It on Twitter Over the Dabbin' Dancesocial
18
South Carolina FOX affiliate mistakenly credits Dabo Swinney with inventing the Dab | SB Nationarticle
19
I Can’t Stop Watching These Videos Of Kids Dabbing In Atlanta | The FADERarticle
20
Bow Wow Attempts To Explain The Origin Of “The Dab,” Gets Clowned By Migosarticle
21
Hillary Clinton dances on ‘Ellen’ again | CNN Politicsarticle
22
2015's Hottest Dance Crazes: The Dab, Hit the Quan and Beyondarticle
23
What Is Dabbing, The 'New' Dance Craze That Already Peaked?article
24
Deconstructing the 'Dab' | News | BETarticle
25
Loretta Sanchez Did The Dab In The California Senate Debate, For Some Reason | HuffPost Latest Newsarticle
26
Essential Politics October archive - Los Angeles Timesarticle
27
And the Oscar for Best Dab Dance Goes to Tom Hanks | News | VH1article
28
Loretta Sanchez dabs in California Senate debate, Kamala Harris not amused | CNN Politicsarticle