2017

If there was one meme we could completely get behind this year, it was respecting women. The meme is often used ironically, with the labels of "women" and "respect" placed in rather violent or aggressive situations. This doesn't bother us. It's a nice palate cleanser from the "begone thot" memes that have become so popular.

This screenshot from Arakawa Under the Bridge blew up after being used as a reaction meme back in March of this year. Originally used to signify a sort of mutual respect between people on various forums, the meme transformed as people began chopping up the dialogue in ridiculous ways. Here's a selection of our favorite examples of March's biggest meme.

Cowboy hats completely took over the internet early this year after a photo of a Shiba Inu with the text "what in tarnation" went completely viral. People quickly began photoshopping the western headgear on everything imaginable, incorporating applicable words that rhyme with the original caption. While there are now hundreds of examples of this meme, we tip our hats to these especially delightful images. 

"Cracking open a cold one with the boys" really set the tone for a summer of memes. While the joke actually started in 2016 as a copypasta, memers started incorporating it into generic stock photo memes. The meme exploded in May, becoming completely unavoidable on Facebook and reddit. Though there was a good deal of backlash, many of the "cold ones" memes were actually rather clever. Here's a selection of our personal favorites. 

Spotify released a fun feature this week that allows users to view an analysis of their 2017 music listening habits. The generator, which they call "2017 wrapped," reveals users' top artists, songs, and genres. The popular music streaming service has been encouraging users to share this information on social media. Judging by our newsfeeds, their plan is working - and then some. While some people are gleefully showing off their colorful listening cards, others are hard at work creating parodies for music and meme lovers alike. 

Turkish chef Nusret Gökçe became a meme sensation in January after a video of his flamboyant salt sprinkling went viral on social media. The trained butcher inspired scores of memes and parodies, many of them used to describe ways we add flourish to our everyday lives. The chef owned two steakhouses (one in Turkey and one in Abu-Dhabi) at the time of the meme's explosion. He's since opened a location in Miami for anyone interested in experiencing his graceful seasoning stateside.

In celebration of one of the years first and best memes, we've rounded up Salt Bae's 15 greatest hits. Enjoy!