# Turn Up the Volume Turn Up the Volume is a 2016 Twitter meme built around a photo of Vine star Jay Versace sobbing with headphones on while pumping his fist to music. Twitter users paired the shot with song lyrics and a motion-blurred volume knob to parody over-the-top emotional reactions, and the format became one of the signature Black Twitter joke templates of fall 2016. ## Origin On May 13, 2016, Jay Versace tweeted four selfies of himself crying while listening to Chance the Rapper's new album through his headphones, pulling over 710 retweets and 1,200 likes[1]. The tweet was earnest, Versace was openly emotional about the music, and the first of those four pictures became the source image when Twitter users repurposed it months later[3]. - **Platform:** Twitter - **Creator:** @hayleydotsonn (earliest known meme edit) - **Date:** 2016 ## Overview The core Turn Up the Volume format pairs the Jay Versace crying-headphones image with a second photo of a stereo volume dial blurred mid-rotation, captioned with lyrics the poster wants to pretend hit them unusually hard[3]. The humor leans on the mismatch between Versace's genuinely tearful face and whatever song is quoted, which is often something embarrassing or childish rather than a track anyone would reasonably weep to[3]. The joke works because the source photo really was Versace crying over music he loved, so recontextualizing it with children's TV theme songs or disposable radio lyrics flips the sincerity on its head[1]. Dispute over what to call the format is part of its history. A December 2016 /r/OutOfTheLoop thread titled 'what's with the new meme of the volume dial and the black kid screaming while wearing headphones?' shows how confused onlookers were still trying to name the thing weeks after it blew up[7]. Know Your Meme filed it as 'Turn Up the Volume'[3]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Turn Up the Volume? It's a 2016 Twitter reaction meme using a crying photo of Jay Versace in headphones paired with a blurred volume knob and song lyrics[3]. ### Where did Turn Up the Volume come from? The source photo came from a May 13, 2016 Jay Versace tweet about Chance the Rapper's new album[1], but the meme format was launched by @hayleydotsonn on November 3, 2016[2]. ### What does Turn Up the Volume mean? It parodies over-the-top emotional reactions to music by captioning Versace's tearful face with lyrics that are embarrassingly uncool, like children's show theme songs[3]. ### How do you use Turn Up the Volume? Pair the Jay Versace crying-headphones picture with a volume-knob photo and caption it with lyrics or audio you want to pretend wrecked you emotionally[2]. ### Is Turn Up the Volume still popular? It's a classic 2016 Twitter format that peaked alongside the 'Black Beatles' viral wave and is now mostly referenced historically[3]. ## References 1. [https://twitter.com/jayversace/status/730958001285283840]() 2. [https://twitter.com/hayleydotsonn/status/794347652854861824]() 3. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/turn-up-the-volume]() 4. [https://twitter.com/worldstar/status/794958287028547584?lang=en]() 5. [https://twitter.com/lifeofablondee/status/794607201813929984]() 6. [https://twitter.com/jayversace/status/800537180053512192?lang=en]() 7. [https://www.reddit.com/r/OutOfTheLoop/comments/5gkgg7/whats_with_the_new_meme_of_the_volume_dial_and/]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/turn-up-the-volume Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library