What Is The 'He Gave Me The Ew' TikTok Trend? The Lay Bankz' 'Ick' Meme Explained

A new TikTok trend has people using the lyrics from a rap song to share male traits that are a huge turn-off. "He gave me the ew" is part of a growing list of Ick related trends blowing up on social media today, where women describe how it sometimes only takes one new revelation for them to get cringed out by a potential mate.

Here's a recap of the "He gave me the ew" trend, from the niche YouTube rap song that inspired it to the scores of videos taking over TikTok in December 2023.

Where Does The Lyric 'He Gave Me The Ew' Come From?

"He gave me the ew" comes from a rap song first posted to YouTube by rapper Lay Bankz in August 2023, where she drops the lyrics in question at the 0:46 minute mark.

How Did 'He Gave Me The Ew' Become A Meme?

It took four months for the song to get picked up on TikTok, with @youkvsp using the soundbite for a meme that discussed The Side Eye Guy's alleged attempt at canceling YouTubers Sam and Colby

How Did The 'He Gave Me The Ew' Trend Spread?

The "He gave me the ew" soundbite first spread on TikTok as a series of slideshows before it was picked up as a video trend. TikTokers @yoursafepla.ce and @ana..tega were two creators who hopped on the trend early and gathered over 3 and 12 million plays on their videos, respectively.

As December 2023 progressed, people started copying a dance set to the song. After pinching their nose in a "pee-yoo" motion, they pointed with their fingers and did a shimmy to the beat of the song. TikToker @carlalimm posted one such video on December 5th and gathered over 11 million plays in a week.

For the full history of "He gave me the ew," be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.