It’s all about that weird “you know this feels like a meme, but it’s secretly a vibe” moment. A meme sticks when it grabs a meme‑core emotion and then throws in a twist—like a meme‑sword that suddenly slashes through a meme‑castle, or a relatable life‑hack that pops up in a punchline. When the joke becomes a shorthand for a feeling, a meme‑reference or a meme‑inspired meme, it starts being shared for more than a laugh. It’s the meme’s secret handshake: a visual, a phrase, a reference that everyone knows and can remix. Once that handshake exists, the meme gets its own little universe and the jokes just keep riding the wave.