The Brainrot Extravaganza (Explained)

MEW. Brainrot is everywhere, it reflects on how many times someone sees the same meme over and over again. In this photo, two students are doing the six-seven dance. Photo courtesy of Mele Nelson.

Brainrot. We’ve all heard about it, whether we are seeing someone scream it in class or say it to a friend. Either way, Brainrot has spread like wild fire. The word “Brainrot” is slang for meaningless or addictive videos or sayings online, as if these sayings are “rotting” our brain because of how many times we see and hear them. The biggest brainrot trends that still circulate today are Italian brainrot, Aura, six-seven, Unc, Mewing and Labubu’s.

The Italian brainrot is AI generated memes that went viral at the end of 2024 and start of 2025, and it is a bunch of short videos of a shark with legs and shoes on (Tralalelo Tralala) or a Ballerina with a cup of coffee as her head (Ballerina Cappuccina).

But the real question is: What do people even know about brainrot? Is it just something people say without meaning because it’s just a trend? What do all of these terms mean, anyway?

“It’s a bunch of Gen alpha and Gen Z stuff, and it’s kinda stupid mostly, and Labubu’s are little stuffed animals that cost like 400 dollars,” Freshman Vaughn Harmon said while referring to the new viral collectable item trend.

Labubu’s are a controversial stuffed animal with big eyes and a very long, wide smile, also inspired by Kawaii characters such as a goblin or mysterious spirit that started going viral in 2025, as a big global sensation. Labubu’s are an accessory for clothes, bags, backpacks and other keychains. People even started making little clothes for them. Another big trend involving Labubu’s were blind boxes (a box in which you do not know what kind of Labubu is inside. The options of what one you could get are on the outside of the box), and people paid around 100 dollars for one box just to find out they didn't get the one they wanted.

Some people stopped buying them after they discovered that Labubu’s might be demonic because whenever someone was around one, they would always feel as if they were being watched.

One of the biggest brainrot trends of this year is regarding the numbers six and seven people have gotten the obsession to say both of those numbers together so it sounds like six-seven.

“Six-seven is just a way of life, you know you have to embrace it,” Harmon said.

The six-seven meme is from LaMelo Ball, —a basketball player for the Charlotte Hornets— telling people that he is six feet and seven inches tall. Then, rapper Skrilla made a song called “Doot Doot” where he quotes LaMelo saying “six seven,” and now people quote the term regularly. For example, if someone asks how many minutes are left of class, they would say back “about 6 or 7” even if there are not six or seven minutes left. That’s just one example of how random slang spreads fast.

And, if your birthday is coming up soon and someone just says that you are becoming an unc, or that you are unc, that just means you are getting old.

“Unc basically means that you are 20 years old or over,” stated sophomore Blake Bennnett. Now on another note..

The topic and action of “mewing” gained popularity in 2012 but made a comeback in 2025 and got very popular as people started doing it more and more. Mewing is a technique to make your jawline more pronounced. And, while people joke about aging, others are turning to appearance-enhancing trends as a lifestyle.

The term “aura” is now used to tell someone they did something correct or did a great job at something. It is another way to tell somebody that they like your vibe or energy.

“Aura is like coolness points,” explained freshman Cedar Henderson.

For example, if someone said to another person that they have a charming aura, they just like the vibe of that person, and being told you have an especially positive aura is a huge compliment. Since someone can gain aura, they can also lose it. If they did something embarrassing or bad, they would likely lose it. For example, if someone were to drop your lunch tray during lunch and it made a huge mess on the floor.

When push comes to shove, Brainrot will eventually be a distant memory, but a memorable one. In the future, there will definitely be more “Brainrot”--terms that people use and say until that gets old too. Although it might be harder to understand sometimes, there will always be someone younger than you who understands it to explain.