Memes

The Zoomer Wojak immortalized Generation Z hate

Remember when everyone was being mean to Gen Z for no reason?

Photo of Lindsey Weedston

Lindsey Weedston

Zoomer Wojack

Zoomer Wojak is a derogatory Generation Z Wojak with a shaved side cut, a unibrow, and glasses as a derogatory meme image. Like many other Wojaks, this one originated on 4chan, where users utilized it to poke fun at the young generation over their mannerisms and fashion sense.

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Many variations of the Zoomer Wojak meme have appeared since the original was introduced in 2018.

Meme basics:

  • Meme Creator: Anonymous
  • Meme Type: Wojak
  • First Appearance: July 21, 2018
  • Origin Source: 4chan
  • Used to Convey: Contempt for Generation Z
  • Peak Popularity: Sept. 2020
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Google Trends report for the term 'Zoomer Wojak.'
Google Trends

Who is the Zoomer Wojak?

This young Wojak represents a certain type of Gen Z individual. The term “Zoomer” emerged as a nickname for the generation in 2018, with the earliest entry in the Urban Dictionary with this definition dating Oct. 31, 2018. The nickname rhymes nicely with “Boomer” and may also refer to the fast-paced, tech-heavy lifestyle of a Zoomer.

The Wojak sports brown hair spiked up over shaved sides, a large nose, glasses, and an unkempt unibrow. He appears to have been drawn to be unattractive, with people typically bringing him out as an unflattering depiction of a young person.

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Templates

Zoomer Wojak template.
4chan
Crying Zoomer Wojak template.
4chan

Origins and spread

According to Know Your Meme, the Zoomer Wojak first appeared on 4chan on June 21, 2018. He rested in between a computer screen showing the 4chan homepage and a photo of rapper 6ix9ine grinning and making a gang sign, displayed with the comment “that 15 year old zoomer who proposed to his crush on messenger.”

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This may also be the first known online use of the term “Zoomer,” predating any Urban Dictionary entry or anything that the folks at Merriam-Webster can find.

Drawing of a young person in glasses with a shaved sides haircut saying that it's good that something interesting was added to Fortnite.
u/spimaster_ via Reddit

The Wojak spread from there across 4chan and eventually to social media, where interest peaked around Sept. 2020 during the peak of the Zoomer-hating era. Over the years, people have continued to use the image to mock Gen Z, though it has become more standard to use the regular Zoomer Wojak to represent someone normal.

Crying Zoomer Wojak

As often happens with Wojaks, it wasn’t long after this one’s birth that people started drawing him with the features of the Crying Wojak. With red eyes, bared teeth, and tears streaming down his face, the Crying Zoomer Wojak doubles down on the mockery of Gen Z, targeting young people who are upset.

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Crying Zoomer Wojak meme referencing the IQ bell curve meme.
@gogoDiegoCrypto/X

This variation was also first conceived by an anonymous 4chan user on June 28, 2018, with the text “daaad turn off the lawn mower I’m trying to play Fortnite.” Today, he often appears at the top of the IQ bell curve meme.

Cultural context: Zoomer hate

Hating on younger generations when they hit their early-to-mid teen years is a storied human pastime. We tend to think that everyone of a certain generation has more in common with each other than actual evidence suggests, and people love to jump to conclusions based on the trends of the time.

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In the late 2010s, adults everywhere quickly determined that the generation that never knew a time without the internet would be spoiled, demanding, entitled, and have a limited attention span and hated the growing Gen Z population for it. As it turns out, these labels describe many people of all age groups, terminally online or not.

Zoomer Wojak meme examples

Drawing of a young person in glasses with a shaved sides haircut using Gen Z slang.
u/epic-yolo-swag via Reddit
Zoomer Wojak meme about the 2985 Super Bowl.
u/epic-yolo-swag via Reddit
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Drawing of a crying Gen Z person yelling about the anime 'BERSERK.'
u/epic-yolo-swag via Reddit
Crying Zoomer Wojak meme about blocking and parrying in video games.
u/kuromakamijo via Reddit
Zoomer Wojak meme using a lot of Gen Z slang.
u/kuromakamijo via Reddit

More Wojak memes:

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