The Best New Memes of 2019

Combining two classic reaction images into one all-powerful meme, the tearful-eyed "me explaining" setup and the overwhelmed-but-listening response didn't need to be explained to Twitter, who jumped on the meme at the end of May. Many folks identified the listener as their mom, who took in why an ice cream truck ice cream is superior to what's at home, the differences between metal subgenres, the intricacies of fandom, nitpicking video game nerdery, and even why the family should switch to nondairy.

Moms weren't the only ones getting explained, as the format also worked for the face dogs make when you explain how much you love them and the difficulty of trying to Google a song you actually don't know well at all.

A passive-aggressive smile from the Mother of Dragons was tossed onto Twitter in late April 2019 with a "caption this" request. The world was all too happy to pitch in, referencing "per my last email" feels, and annoying and far too regular questions from relatives.

But when someone pointed out that both the Khaleesi and Thor shared a similar sarcastic expression questioning the truth of a statement, the floodgates opened as tweets took to having the two images be in conversation or embody the disbelieving attitude of specific brands.

Much to the surprise of the original poster themselves, a meme swept Twitter in February 2019 that gave people the perfect opening to justify their choices or behavior (or succintly explain scenes from the Bible). Starting a tweet with "due to personal reasons" is the ideal setup to explain any sort of behavior - eating a lasagna in the shower or the rest of the Cheetos, hugging dogs, or just screaming existentially into the void.

If you don't have a particular vice to be excused, you can always play along by using your phone's predictive keyboard to decide for you.

With its own dedicated Twitter account, edits of Keanu Reeves walking to music in the Netflix film Always Be My Maybe has joined the current tide of adoration for the John Wick actor. Reeves's cameo as Ali Wong's boyfriend, walking in slo-mo as cool as can be, seems to fit every possible song.

From Salt n Pepa's "Whatta Man" to The Cure's "Just Like Heaven," Reeves walking to music - any music - seems to almost transcend meme-dom and fill the space that cute puppy and kitten aggregator accounts do, as a necessary balm in a cruel world.