The term "Groyper" is being used a lot online right now, as many believe that the suspected shooter, Tyler Robinson, who allegedly assassinated right-wing political commentator Charlie Kirk this week, is one of them.

Many Americans and internet users at large are unfamiliar with the term. When they Google it or ask ChatGPT, they're given images of a bloated, smirking Pepe the Frog, among other poor explanations. The image provides little context as to why a "groyper" would be associated with the Charlie Kirk shooter's motivation.

Users on Twitter / X, Reddit and other social media platforms are scrambling for an answer, and although it's unconfirmed whether Robinson is or isn't one, let's explain the term "Groyper" and what it has to do with Kirk and Robinson.

What Is A 'Groyper?'

The original Groyper was a variant drawing of the famous (and infamous) Pepe the Frog cartoon, which portrayed Pepe as overweight, sitting down with one knee in the air and his head resting on his hands. The Groyper is also giving the viewer a smug smile.

The first known upload of the image was shared to the /v/ (video game) board on 4chan in March 2016. However, "groyper" was first used on the /r9k/ board a year earlier.

In the following years, as Pepe the Frog became increasingly associated with the online far-right, so did the Groyper. By 2019, many alt-right accounts used variations of the Groyper drawing as their profile pictures on social media.

What Is The 'Groyper Army?'

In 2019, protesters and hecklers began showing up at events for conservative speakers like Ben Shapiro and Donald Trump Jr. However, the hecklers weren't on the political left.

The people responsible were part of the then-budding "Groyper Army," a subset of the far-right, largely focused on American white nationalism and preserving the white race. Like a TikTok cult or a group of friends, they all changed their profile pictures to the same thing: Groypers.

Then-22-year-old Nick Fuentes, a controversial far-right figure, was the de facto leader of the online "army." He hosted a YouTube show called "America First" in which he harped on Groyper Army talking points and championed the movement.

Conservative pundits and politicians like Shapiro and Trump Jr. were targeted because they weren't viewed as conservative enough.

For example, the Groypers took issue with the Republican Party's use of LGBTQ+ speakers and Shapiro's status as a Jewish man in the movement, according to outlets like Vox.

Heading into the 2020s and U.S. President Donald Trump's second term, the Groypers seemingly grew in numbers and Fuentes's influence ballooned. He was recently profiled by the New York Times, months after he was doxxed for the first time.

Why Do People Think That Tyler Robinson, The Suspected Charlie Kirk Shooter, Is A Groyper?

When the Groyper Army was targeting conservative influencers that they thought weren't conservative enough, one of their main targets was Charlie Kirk, who headed a conservative youth outreach program at the time called Turning Point USA.

Kirk was the subject of harassment on behalf of Fuentes's Groypers, and Fuentes didn't shy away from the fire either. He frequently tweeted at Kirk in 2019, donning a cadence and rhythm reminiscent of Trump's tweets.

On Wednesday, September 10th, 2025, Charlie Kirk was shot in the neck and killed during a Turning Point USA event held at Utah Valley University (UVU). The event shocked the web and elicited responses from some of the top conservative leaders, like U.S. President Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance.

The FBI was tasked with finding the shooter, who had fled the scene by jumping off a nearby roof, which was all caught in CCTV footage.

A manhunt ensued to find the shooter, and on Friday, September 12th, the FBI and Utah Governor Spencer Cox announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, we got him," in a press conference.

Their primary suspect was 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, a resident of nearby Washington, Utah, who was reportedly turned in by a close family member. Some sources, like the Daily Mail, have claimed that the family member was Robinson's father.

The public quickly took to searching the web, looking for clues as to why Robinson committed the crime, assuming that he was guilty. But internet sleuths have, so far, been pressed to find anything political about the youngster's online presence.

People are instead focusing on his immediate family, who appear conservative, pro-gun and Mormon.

Therefore, people think that Robinson might be a Groyper, due to his family and the engravings on the bullet casings left at the scene of the crime. On them, memetic catchphrases, sometimes associated with Groypers, were found.

For instance, one casing had the lyrics of "O Bella Ciao" on them, which is an Italian, antifascist song, but it has recently become an ironic joke for Groypers who supposedly use it online mockingly, according to some X users.

Others have pointed out the engraving on one bullet casing that referenced the "Notices Bulge / OwO What's This?" meme, which has been used for years by the far-right to troll groups like furries.

All of these factors have led many to jump to the conclusion that Robinson is a Groyper. Kirk being the victim and the engravings have hinted at this, but not every clue that's being highlighted holds water.

For instance, some have pointed to a 2018 Facebook post shared by Robinson's mother, that shows her son dressed for Halloween as a Gopnik.

The Russian and Slavic stereotype has existed since the fall of the Soviet Union, but went viral as a meme in the 2010s, when the "Slav Squat" became an online punchline.

Some are under the impression that Gopniks and Groypers are linked, but that's not necessarily the case. The Pepe the Frog Gopnik image that people are sharing next to Robinson's costume doesn't have much to do with the alt-right, and is more pulled from the largely unproblematic "Rare Pepes" era of the Pepe meme.

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