The Balkan Rage meme is an evolving trend on TikTok which started out focusing on female TikTokers from the Balkans who defined their anger as “Balkan female rage,” with clips that accompanied the videos depicting this rage. From there, Balkan Rage turned into a copypasta comment trend where folks farm for views, or pretend to, by combining several popular search terms.
This meme is typically used to mock people who try to look smart in the comment section of videos while just writing buzzwords with no deeper understanding of the subject.
Meme basics:
- Meme creator: Most likely @low_quality_stan91/TikTok
- Meme type: Copypasta /Text/ Brainrot
- First appearance: August 27th, 2024
- Origin source: TikTok
- Used to: Mock people who pretend to know more than they do by using buzzword phrases
- Peak Popularity: October 7th, 2024
What is Balkan Rage?
The TikTok trend started near the end of 2022 as a topic discussing “Female Balkan Rage” and how it can be portrayed in media and online. From there, it was turned into an ironic meme to seemingly oppose what it was originally meant to portray.
@karleusa 24/7 #fyp #viral #jelenakarleusa #marijaserifovic #zvezdegranda #foryou #meme ♬ female rage – JELENA KARLEUŠA
Origin and spread of the Balkan Rage copypasta
Balkan Rage became a copypasta brainrot meme at the end of August 2024, where users would comment a series of trending TikTok brainrot terms strung together with plus signs. One example is: “Still water + adrenaline + hawk tuah + balkan rage + those who know” in the comment section of an unrelated video. There are some TikTokers who will use it as a text overlay in their clipped TikToks as well
Many of the original Balkan Rage videos came about in late 2022 and onward, depicting women whose very specific way of showing their anger was described as “Balkan female rage.”
@gabrielamaksimovaa Love to see it.(tova e noviq mi lyubim balkan tik tok sound🫶) #foryou #foryoupage #balkan #fyp #balkantiktok #bulgaria ♬ original sound – bondisimo
It wasn’t until August 27th, 2024 that the first known copypasta meme edit was posted on TikTok by @low_quality_stan91. They posted a Jonkler meme edit with the text overlay, “Balkan Rage + zimbawean flicker munting + equatorial guinea sandpaper edging.”
This concept of meme format was latched onto in a short timeframe, with people posting witty TikToks about or using the video format of the meme and the phrase “Balkan Rage.”
@gergthesupreme Sigma #sigma #phonk #trollface #balkan #adtenalinerush #adrenaline #noradrenaline #mangos ♬ Mangos – Tiktok Version – LDRR
@coldfatsoup ♬ original sound – HepaTitusBA4
It has also become a popular comment meme, with folks posting the copypasta in various forms on videos.
Cultural context
As Redditor u/bmanc2000 succinctly explained it, “there’s a phenomenon I’ve noticed in TikTok comments where commenters feel the need to discuss not widely known or otherwise obscure ideas. I.e, in a cave exploration video, comments would warn of ‘still water’ where water without flow will develop bacteria and although looking innocuous, would likely be harmful to swim in or ingest. These commenters usually comment these things trying to appear knowledgeable and otherwise to fish for a ‘blue comment’ that if tapped, will search TikTok for videos on the subject.”
The Balkan Rage copypasta is using this concept as a tongue-in-cheek way of making fun of those commenters.
Meme examples
@lorestae Still water drinking💀☠️ #fyp #fy #foryou #foryoupage #dc #dlaciebie #viral #viral #blowup #dontflop #mangophonk #balkanrage #jonkler ♬ Mangos – Tiktok Version – LDRR
@cookieslayer_227 still water + noradrenaline + balkan rage + adrenaline #fyp #trending #stillwater #thosewhoknow #balkanrage #noradrenaline #adrenaline #balkan #germanstare #prime ♬ Mangos – Tiktok Version – LDRR
@cookieslayer_227 still water + noradrenaline + balkan rage + adrenaline #fyp #trending #stillwater #thosewhoknow #balkanrage #noradrenaline #adrenaline #balkan #germanstare #prime ♬ Mangos – Tiktok Version – LDRR
@gdig728 Still water + noradrenaline + balkan rage + gdigyap #gdigyap #stillwater #fypage #foryoupage #fyp #gdig728 ♬ Same Ol Mistakes – Runa🖤
More brainrot memes:
- The ‘Jamaican Smile’ meme is ripe and ready for public consumption
- Flying cars? Nah the Gegagedigedagedago chicken nugget meme is better
- Brainrot memes are bussin, skibidi, goated with the sauce
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