What Is 'Brat Summer?' The Viral Meme Inspired By The New 'Charli XCX' Album Explained

Pop artist Charli XCX has found massive success with her latest album Brat and many are calling it the album of the summer. Taking things a step further, some of her biggest fans have declared summer 2024 a Brat summer, denoted by a specific shade of green, acting trashy and letting loose. But what exactly is a Brat summer and why has it become such a massive meme? Here's what you need to know.

What Is A 'Brat Summer?'

A few days before the release of Brat, Charli XCX made a post on her Instagram reading, "BRAT SUMMER GET READY." Then, on the day of the album's release, BBC Sounds posted an interview with Charli. During the interview, the interviewer asks her what it means to have a Brat summer.

Charli answers that a Brat summer can be "quite luxury" but also "trashy […] like a pack of cigs and a Bic lighter." Since then, social media has run with this idea, with a big emphasis on the "trashy" part. Essentially, a Brat summer is a summer where you let loose, stay out late, act like a brat, wear a lot of green (in the specific shade of the album cover ideally) and generally have a good time, probably while listening to Brat.

How Is 'Brat Summer' Used In Memes?

The ushering in of Brat summer has inspired a wave of memes about what it means to have a Brat summer. Many of these memes feature photographs of subjects that share the same, or a similar, shade of green as the Brat album artwork. Others are taking a more satirical approach to the meme and portraying their Brat summer as the opposite of outgoing and wild, posting memes about laying in bed until noon and generally rotting.

The meme is very similar to and inspired by memes like hot girl summer and white boy summer. This time, however, there's the added element of an album with a specific aesthetic to tie the meme together.

For the full history of Brat summer, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.