What's With The 'Rio De Janeiro' Filter Taking Over Memes? The Trend Explained

Meme creators on Instagram, TikTok and X / Twitter have been slapping on some whacky image-editing effects on their images to parody the characteristics of a typical over-exploited and moldy meme.

Instagram's rainbow-tinted Rio de Janeiro filter is the latest iteration of how some memes are just funnier with an oversaturated quality to them.

Here's a recap of how the Rio de Janeiro filter became a staple of the post-ironic Hood Irony meme trend, a subculture that often plays on 2010s low-brow internet clichés.

Who Started The 'Rio de Janeiro' Filter Meme Trend?

While it is hard to pinpoint the exact origin of when people began to equate the Rio de Janeiro Instagram filter with the peak of comedy, such memes first began proliferating in 2022.

An early example of such a meme can be traced back to a May 2022 post by the Instagram page @schassisirony, where they reference the Ibo Eshak meme.

But while @schassisirony slapped the rainbow filter on his meme, Instagram user @slayworldalbania was one of the first to leave the words "Rio de Janeiro" on his image, as seen in a meme posted on July 11th, 2022.

How Did The 'Rio de Janeiro' Meme Spread?

The meme continued to spread going into 2022, with Instagram user @left4rat becoming a prolific early adoptee of the trend. A post shared on July 30th, 2022 featured Kylie Jenner while a post shared in August referenced the Ye vs. Pete drama.

When Did The 'Rio de Janeiro' Meme Go Meta?

People began joking about the practice of tilting, recoloring, or otherwise skewing an image using the Rio de Janeiro filter in 2023, as seen in an X post originally made in August 2023. In October 2023, X user @JUUOSWAGATRON joked about his pink and purple shaded drink looking like the Rio de Janeiro filter.

X user @infinite._.draws took @JUUOSWAGATRON's post and drew it, adding the quintessential "Rio de Janeiro" text on top of the image afterward.

What Are Some More Examples Of 'Rio de Janeiro' Memes?

For the full history of the Rio de Janeiro filter be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.