The crying meme has become one of the most versatile tools in internet communication, instantly conveying everything from genuine sadness to melodramatic overreaction. Whether you are reacting to a minor inconvenience or a genuinely devastating piece of news, there is a crying meme format that fits. This guide breaks down the most recognizable crying meme faces, explains their origins, and shows you how to use them without accidentally sending the wrong signal.
Quick Answer: A crying meme is any image, GIF, or video clip that depicts a person, animal, or animated character in visible distress or tears, used online to express sadness, frustration, or exaggerated emotional reactions. The most famous crying memes include the crying Michael Jordan face, the crying cat, and the sad Pablo Escobar waiting meme.
The Psychology Behind Why Crying Memes Work
Internet culture has transformed crying from a private emotional experience into a shared visual language. A single crying meme can communicate a complex emotional state faster than a paragraph of text, and that efficiency is exactly why these images spread so quickly across platforms.
Psychologists who study digital communication point to something called emotional contagion. When you see a face expressing an emotion, even a stylized or exaggerated one, your brain activates mirror neurons that simulate that feeling. A crying meme works because it triggers that simulation instantly. You do not need to explain that you are disappointed, frustrated, or heartbroken; the image does the emotional labor for you.
The humor in most crying memes comes from a mismatch. A grown man crying over a sports loss, a cat with tears photoshopped onto its face, a dramatic anime character sobbing, all of these amplify the emotion to a degree that feels absurd. That absurdity makes the sadness safe to share. You can express genuine disappointment while also signaling that you are not taking yourself too seriously.
Pro Tip: The best crying meme for a situation is rarely the most dramatic one. A subtle tear or a mildly sad face often lands better than a full sobbing breakdown, especially in professional or semi-professional group chats.
This emotional shorthand has become so embedded in online culture that many people now think in meme formats. When something mildly disappointing happens, the brain immediately pulls up the appropriate crying meme image. It is a reflex, not a decision.
The Most Famous Crying Meme Faces and Their Origins
Not all crying memes are created equal. Some have been circulating for over a decade, while others rise and fall within months. Understanding where the major crying meme formats come from helps you use them with the right cultural context.
Crying Michael Jordan
The crying Michael Jordan face, officially known as the Crying Jordan meme, originated from Jordan’s 2009 Basketball Hall of Fame induction speech. During the emotional speech, Jordan shed tears, and a photographer captured the moment. The image sat relatively dormant until around 2015, when internet users began photoshopping Jordan’s crying face onto other athletes, then onto losing teams, then onto literally anything that experienced a public failure.
The crying Jordan meme became so widespread that Jordan himself acknowledged it in a 2016 interview, saying he took it as a compliment that people still thought about him. The meme has faded from peak popularity but remains instantly recognizable to anyone who spent time online in the mid-2010s.
Crying Cat
The crying cat meme is actually two separate images that often get confused. The first is a white cat with tears photoshopped onto its face, typically used for sincere sadness or sympathy. The second is a more recent image of a cat with a genuinely distressed expression, often called the sad cat or crying cat meme, which spread primarily through TikTok and Twitter.
The photoshopped crying cat has no single definitive origin. It emerged organically as users edited tears onto various cat photos, and the format stuck because cats already have expressive faces that read as sad even without editing.
Sad Pablo Escobar
The sad Pablo Escobar meme comes from the Netflix series Narcos, where actor Wagner Moura plays the Colombian drug lord. In one scene, Escobar stands alone in a desolate area, looking wistful and defeated. The image became a template for expressing loneliness, waiting, and quiet disappointment.
Unlike the crying Jordan meme, which is loud and dramatic, the sad Pablo Escobar meme is quieter. It communicates a more resigned form of sadness, the kind where you are not actively crying but you feel empty inside.
Crying Wojak
Wojak is a simple line-drawn face that has spawned dozens of variations, including the crying Wojak. The original Wojak dates back to a 2009 post on a German image board, but the crying version became prominent as a way to express genuine emotional vulnerability in meme form.
The crying Wojak is often used in more sincere contexts than other crying memes. When someone posts a crying Wojak, they are usually expressing real sadness rather than humorous exaggeration.
| Crying Meme | Origin Year | Emotional Tone | Best Used For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crying Michael Jordan | 2009 (speech), 2015 (meme) | Dramatic, humorous | Sports losses, public failures |
| Crying Cat | 2010s | Sympathetic, soft | Expressing sadness, comforting others |
| Sad Pablo Escobar | 2016 | Resigned, lonely | Waiting, isolation, quiet disappointment |
| Crying Wojak | 2010s | Vulnerable, sincere | Genuine emotional expression |
| Crying Laughing Emoji | 2015 (Unicode 8.0) | Mixed emotions | Laughing through pain |
The crying laughing emoji deserves special mention because it functions differently from image-based crying memes. Officially called the Face with Tears of Joy emoji, it was the most used emoji on Twitter for several years running, according to Emojipedia’s tracking data. It communicates a specific emotional state: laughing so hard you are crying. It is not sadness at all, but the tears make it visually adjacent to the crying meme family.
Pro Tip: If you are using a crying meme in a group chat with people from different generations, stick to the crying laughing emoji or the crying cat. The crying Jordan meme reads as dated to anyone under 25, and the sad Pablo Escobar requires familiarity with a specific TV show.
How to Choose the Right Crying Meme for the Situation
Context is everything when selecting a crying meme. The same image that lands perfectly in one conversation can feel tone-deaf in another. Here is a practical framework for matching the meme to the moment.
Assess the Emotional Register
First, determine how serious the situation actually is. If a friend just shared genuinely bad news, a photoshopped crying cat is appropriate. If your favorite sports team lost a regular season game, the crying Jordan face works. If you are expressing frustration about a minor inconvenience, an exaggerated sobbing anime character fits.
The key distinction is between laughing with someone and laughing at someone. A crying meme should never make the recipient feel mocked when they are actually hurting. The crying cat and crying Wojak are safer choices for sincere emotional support because they read as sympathetic rather than mocking.
Consider Platform Norms
Different platforms have different crying meme cultures. Twitter and Reddit users tend toward the more absurd and ironic crying memes. Instagram and Facebook users favor the softer, more sincere formats. TikTok has its own ecosystem of crying meme sounds and video clips that change every few weeks.
LinkedIn is a special case. Crying memes on LinkedIn are rare and usually inappropriate, but a carefully chosen crying laughing emoji in response to a relatable workplace story can work in comments. Know your audience before you post.
Match the Format to the Message
Still images work best for quick reactions. GIFs add motion and can escalate the emotional intensity. Video clips with sound are the most immersive but require more context to land. A crying meme GIF of a character sobbing with audio is a full emotional experience; a still image is a lighter touch.
- Quick reaction to a message: Use a still image or emoji
- Responding to a story or anecdote: Use a GIF
- Creating original content: Use a video clip or make your own variation
- Comforting someone: Use a soft crying cat or sympathetic Wojak
- Self-deprecating humor: Use the crying Jordan or dramatic sobbing anime character
The best crying meme users build a mental library of formats and deploy them instinctively. That instinct comes from spending time in the communities where these memes circulate, not from memorizing a guide. But the framework above gives you a starting point.
The Crying Meme in Marketing and Brand Communication
Brands have discovered that crying memes resonate with audiences, but the execution is tricky. Done well, a crying meme humanizes a brand and shows self-awareness. Done poorly, it feels like a corporation desperately trying to seem relatable.
The most successful brand uses of crying memes share a common thread: the brand is the butt of the joke, not the audience. When a company acknowledges a mistake or a product failure with a crying meme, it defuses tension and shows humility. When a brand uses a crying meme to mock its customers’ pain points, it backfires.
Wendy’s Twitter account built a reputation on meme fluency, including occasional crying meme usage. The account’s success came from consistency and a genuine understanding of meme culture, not from a one-off attempt to seem cool. Brands that try to force crying memes into their marketing without that cultural fluency usually end up in “how do you do, fellow kids” territory.
Pro Tip: If you are managing a brand account, spend at least three months observing how your target audience uses crying memes before posting one yourself. The context and timing matter more than the image choice.
Small businesses and personal brands have more latitude. A freelance designer posting a crying cat meme about a client asking for “just one more revision” is relatable and human. The same post from a major corporation would feel calculated.
The Evolution of Crying Memes: From Static Images to Video and Sound
The crying meme format has evolved significantly since the early days of image macros. What started as static images with text overlays has expanded into GIFs, short video clips, and audio-based memes that function as emotional shorthand.
TikTok accelerated this evolution dramatically. On TikTok, a crying meme is often a sound, not an image. A specific audio clip of someone crying or a dramatic song snippet becomes the meme, and users create videos that match the emotional tone of the sound. The crying meme is no longer something you see; it is something you hear.
This shift matters because it changes how crying memes spread. A static image can be shared across any platform. A TikTok sound is tied to the platform’s ecosystem, even when it gets reposted elsewhere. The crying meme is becoming more ephemeral and more platform-specific, which makes cultural fluency even more important.
The core function remains unchanged. A crying meme, whether it is a 2009 image macro or a 2024 TikTok sound, exists to communicate emotion efficiently. The formats evolve, but the need to express sadness, frustration, and exaggerated disappointment through shared cultural references stays constant.
Key Takeaways
- The crying meme is a visual shorthand for sadness, frustration, or exaggerated emotional reactions, with formats ranging from static images to TikTok sounds.
- The most recognizable crying memes include Crying Michael Jordan, Crying Cat, Sad Pablo Escobar, and Crying Wojak, each with distinct origins and emotional tones.
- Choosing the right crying meme requires matching the emotional register, platform norms, and format to the specific situation.
- The crying laughing emoji (Face with Tears of Joy) is technically a crying meme but communicates laughter, not sadness.
- Brand use of crying memes works best when the brand is self-deprecating rather than mocking its audience.
Frequently Asked Questions About Crying Memes
Q: What is the most famous crying meme?
A: The crying Michael Jordan face is widely considered the most famous crying meme, originating from Jordan’s 2009 Hall of Fame speech and peaking in popularity around 2015-2016. The crying laughing emoji is the most used crying-related emoji globally.
Q: Where did the crying cat meme come from?
A: The crying cat meme is a photoshopped image of a white cat with tears added to its face. It has no single definitive origin but emerged organically as internet users edited tears onto expressive cat photos. A separate sad cat image gained popularity on TikTok in the early 2020s.
Q: What does the crying meme mean?
A: A crying meme typically expresses sadness, disappointment, frustration, or exaggerated emotional reactions. The specific meaning depends on the format and context. Some crying memes are sincere, while others are ironic or humorous.
Q: Is the crying laughing emoji a crying meme?
A: Yes, the Face with Tears of Joy emoji is technically part of the crying meme family, but it communicates laughter rather than sadness. It was the most used emoji on Twitter for several consecutive years, according to Emojipedia.
Q: How do I make my own crying meme?
A: You can create a crying meme using image editing tools like Photoshop, Canva, or free online meme generators. The basic process involves taking a photo of a face, adding tear shapes or a sad expression, and overlaying text that provides context for the emotional reaction.
Q: Why do people use crying memes instead of just saying they are sad?
A: Crying memes communicate emotion faster than text and add a layer of humor or irony that makes vulnerability feel safer. The shared cultural reference also creates a sense of connection between the sender and recipient.
Q: Are crying memes appropriate for professional communication?
A: Generally, crying memes are inappropriate for professional communication, especially in formal contexts like email or client meetings. The crying laughing emoji can work in casual workplace chats, but image-based crying memes are best reserved for personal conversations.
Q: What is the crying Wojak meme?
A: The crying Wojak is a variation of the Wojak character, a simple line-drawn face that originated on a German image board in 2009. The crying version is used to express genuine emotional vulnerability and sincere sadness, often in more earnest contexts than other crying memes.
References & Further Reading
- Know Your Meme: Crying Jordan – Detailed history and documentation of the Crying Jordan meme
- Emojipedia: Face with Tears of Joy – Official data on the crying laughing emoji usage and history
- Know Your Meme: Wojak – Origins and variations of the Wojak character, including the crying version
- The Atlantic: The Crying Jordan Meme – Cultural analysis of how the Crying Jordan meme spread
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About This Article
This guide draws on years of observing internet culture and meme evolution across platforms including Twitter, Reddit, TikTok, and Instagram. The information about meme origins comes from documented sources at Know Your Meme and Emojipedia, both of which maintain extensive archives of internet culture. The framework for choosing the right crying meme reflects common patterns in online communities rather than any single formal study.
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