About

Every Teenager Needs To Hear This is an exploitable image macro meme format that began spreading around TikTok in 2022 and 2023, continuing over the following years. Similar to the 7 Things Every Kid Needs To Hear meme, the trend involves adding a video or song overlaid on the image, implying that teenagers need to hear it, whether genuine or ironic in nature.

Origin

Though the original post is currently unidentifiable, it is likely to have come from an earnest motivational post, much like the "7 Things Every Kid Needs To Hear" meme, and is believed to have been pulled from a video on Instagram Reels.

The earliest known ironic version of the meme comes from a since-deleted post by the banned TikTok account @wizardpem, which was posted on May 12th, 2022. The ironic meme used a clip of rapper Autumn! and his song "Outta My Mind!" under a graphic of black-and-red text with the phrase "Every Teenager Needs To Hear This" and a yellow pointing finger Emoji.

Following this post, the format spread on TikTok, as users repurposed the meme and used it in both ironic and serious ways with the same text banner and clips underneath set to music.

For example, on May 28th, 2022, TikToker^[4] @lemmepyorealquick posted a version including a song from hip-hop duo HXG (Homixide Gang), garnering over 13,100 likes and 350 comments in four years.

As the trend picked up on TikTok, it was used and posted to other sites such as Reddit and Instagram, often used by fans of musicians such as Bladee and Yung Lean. However, the format began to fade into irrelevance until it picked up again and saw a major resurgence in 2023.

The format also spread to Twitter / X in early 2023, such as an example by user @isseyboy on January 26th, 2023, that received over 77,300 views and 650 likes in three years.

https://t.co/GbdikPXpqo pic.twitter.com/aJaWTGieDs

— kristof (@isseyboy) January 26, 2023

Spread

The meme began spreading on TikTok more significantly throughout 2023. On March 2nd, 2023, TikTok^[1] user @illegalbugtrader used the template with an edited clip from a SpongeBob SquarePants parody video, which received over 1.4 million views and 206,900 likes in about three years.

On June 29th, 2023, the official Rolling Loud TikTok^[2] account @rollingloud posted a video of rapper Lil Uzi Vert "rapping" while a flute rendition of "Yankee Doodle" plays under the "Every Teenager needs To Hear This" banner. The video received over 2 million views and 327,800 likes in just under three years.

On September 22nd, 2023, TikTok^[3] user @wifye used the template with a video of Lil B, which gained over 3.4 million views and 336,800 likes in less than three years.

Throughout 2023, the meme also appeared on other sites and platforms, such as iFunny,^[5] Reddit^[6] and Instagram.^[7]

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References