What is Troll's Remorse?

It is internet slang for a creator who got famous being edgy or mean-spirited online and later flips to public atonement, often after advertiser or audience pressure.

Where did Troll's Remorse come from?

An early definition went up on Urban Dictionary on October 23, 2009 by user @RawrItsPanda, and a blogger used it in print on NBC Sports Philadelphia in April 2013.

What does Troll's Remorse mean?

It describes the guilt phase where a former troll tries to atone or rebrand, sometimes by scrubbing older uploads or adopting a more progressive persona.

How do you use Troll's Remorse?

People typically apply it to a named creator whose current output looks too clean against their earlier edgelord work, usually as a pointed accusation rather than a sympathetic read.

Is Troll's Remorse still popular?

HBomberguy's December 2023 plagiarism video brought the term into wider circulation in YouTube commentary about creators who rebrand.

Troll's Remorse

2009catchphrasesemi-active

Published November 11, 2026

Troll's Remorse is internet slang for the arc where a creator who got famous on edgy or mean-spirited content later flips to public apology, deleted uploads, and a cleaner persona. An early definition went up on Urban Dictionary in October 2009, and the label resurfaced through the late 2010s aimed at YouTubers like HBomberguy and iDubbbz. By December 2023, HBomberguy himself used it in his plagiarism video to call out Internet Historian for scrubbing older uploads.

internet slang origin memes urban dictionary memes youtube culture memes cancel culture memes trolling memes

Overview

Troll's Remorse describes an arc, not a single joke format. A creator makes their name on provocation or cruelty online, then faces pressure from advertisers, audiences, or culture at large, and overcorrects by public atonement, deleting old videos, or adopting a more progressive online brand2.

Posts using the label tend to attach it to a named creator alongside a before/after. Users argue that a current political stance looks too clean against the edgelord work that made the person famous, or cite deleted channels and private videos as receipts3. The accusation is usually pointed rather than sympathetic, questioning whether the turn is sincere or a brand pivot.

Gallery

Origin & Background

Platform

Urban Dictionary (early definition) / YouTube commentary (viral spread)

Creator

Unknown

Date

2009

An early definition appeared on Urban Dictionary on October 23, 2009, posted by user @RawrItsPanda, who framed it as a troll feeling sympathy or regret for past actions4. By 2010, the term also saw use on 4chan's /tv/ and /tg/ boards3. On April 4, 2013, a blogger using the handle FanSince09 wrote a post for NBC Sports Philadelphia describing his own 'trolls remorse' after a Twitter rant at Sixers CEO Adam Aron, who then invited him to lunch1.

How It Spread

Around 2017, forum and Twitter users attached the label to HBomberguy, pointing to his earlier associations with people like Mister Metokur as evidence that his progressive brand was a walkback3. Similar claims hit other commentary YouTubers over the following years.

On March 22, 2023, X user @DoomerCoomer posted a White Man Has Been Here meme naming YouTubers accused of troll's remorse. Six days later, @Actually_Tina called iDubbbz 'a tool with trolls remorse.' Both posts collected thousands of likes according to KYM3.

On December 2, 2023, HBomberguy folded the term into his hour-long plagiarism video, aiming it at Internet Historian for deleting older uploads that wouldn't sit well with advertisers2. The video's wide reach brought the label from niche commentary circles into mainstream YouTube discourse about creator rebrands.

Timeline

2009-10-23

Urban Dictionary user @RawrItsPanda posts an early definition of 'troll's remorse'[4].

2010

The term sees use on 4chan's /tv/ and /tg/ boards[3].

2013-04-04

NBC Sports Philadelphia blogger FanSince09 uses the phrase to describe guilt after a Twitter rant at Sixers CEO Adam Aron[1].

2017

Online users begin applying the label to HBomberguy over his earlier associations with figures like Mister Metokur[3].

2023-03-22

X user @DoomerCoomer posts a White Man Has Been Here meme listing YouTubers accused of troll's remorse[3].

2023-03-28

X user @Actually_Tina calls iDubbbz 'a tool with trolls remorse' in a widely-liked post[3].

2023-12-02

HBomberguy uses the term in his plagiarism video aimed at Internet Historian[2].

How to Use This Meme

People typically apply Troll's Remorse to a specific creator in a comment or quote-tweet, pairing the term with examples of the person's older edgy work and their current cleaner output. The usage is usually accusatory, treating the pivot as suspect rather than a redemption story.