Behind the thousands of templates out there sit a handful of formats that keep repeating. Once you know them, you’ll know which template fits each idea, why a meme falls flat even with a good image, and how to get the most out of a template you’ve never seen before. These are the eight main ones.

1. Top and bottom text (the image macro)

The internet’s original format: an image with one line on top and one on the bottom, in white Impact with a black outline. The top line sets up; the bottom line lands it.

What it’s for: setup-and-twist jokes.
Examples: “One does not simply…”, most animal memes from the 2000s and 2010s.
Tip: the bottom line should be the shortest. It’s the punch.

2. Two-panel comparison

Two images, side by side or stacked, setting two things against each other: what you reject and what you prefer, what stresses you and what calms you, before and after.

What it’s for: preferences, contrasts, expectation vs. reality.
Examples: Drake, high cortisol / low cortisol, Buff Doge vs. Cheems.
Tip: make the two things nearly identical and change just one detail.

3. Labels on a scene

A photo or a frame where each person or object gets a label. The scene works as a metaphor: who’s looking at whom, who’s flattening whom, who’s ignoring whom.

What it’s for: showing a relationship between three or four things without writing a single sentence.
Examples: Distracted Boyfriend, the train hitting a school bus.
Tip: two- to four-word labels. The image already tells the story.

4. Reaction

A face or gesture expressing an emotion, with a line saying what it’s reacting to. Sometimes there’s no text at all: it’s sent as a reply in the chat.

What it’s for: responding to something that just happened.
Examples: Hide the Pain Harold, Surprised Pikachu.
Tip: these are the most “conversational” memes; they work best right after the moment.

5. Charts and tables

A serious-looking chart (bars, curves, gauges) measuring something absurd. The joke is treating pure opinion or exaggeration as data.

What it’s for: exaggerating, ranking things from worst to best, mocking ways of thinking.
Examples: the IQ bell curve, the loudest sounds on Earth, cortisol meters.
Tip: respect the chart’s format; break it and you lose the fake seriousness that makes it funny.

6. Comics and panels

A short three- or four-panel story with one panel left blank for your caption. The drawing provides the setup and the ending; you provide the content.

What it’s for: truths, revelations, lines that change the meaning of the whole strip.
Examples: the Scroll of Truth, Two Buttons.
Tip: read the whole strip with your caption before calling it done; the drawn ending still has to make sense.

7. Escalation

A series of panels that ramp up: each one “more” than the last. The final one is usually the most absurd, presented as the most brilliant.

What it’s for: ranking ideas from normal to ridiculous, or from logical to absurd.
Examples: Expanding Brain, “levels” memes.
Tip: the second-to-last panel should be almost reasonable, so the last one surprises.

8. Signs and counters

A sign, a notice or a scoreboard with a gap for your text. The sign’s format already adds the tone: official, warning, record-breaking.

What it’s for: things that keep happening, ironic warnings, absurd records.
Examples: 0 days without…, “Change my mind”.
Tip: finish the sign’s sentence; don’t repeat it.

Summary: which format to use for what you want to say

Format	It says…	Use it when…
Top and bottom text	A setup and a twist	You have a joke with a punchline
Comparison	This vs. that	You want to contrast two things
Labels	Relationships between things	Three or four elements are in play
Reaction	An emotion	You’re replying to something that just happened
Chart	Absurd data	You want to exaggerate with fake seriousness
Comic	A revelation	Your caption changes the story’s meaning
Escalation	Rising levels	You’re ranking from normal to absurd
Sign	A warning or a record	Something keeps repeating or deserves a warning

Video and audio formats

On TikTok, Reels and Shorts, memes are mostly videos: a sound everyone recognizes, a freeze frame, text on top. They follow the same rules as image memes (contrast, repetition, exaggeration), but they move faster: a sound can be trending for two weeks. For a friend group, image memes are still the most practical: they take a minute to make and can be sent through any chat.

How to use this guide

When you have an idea, ask what you want to say (a contrast? something that repeats? a reaction?) and find the format in the table. Then pick a template from that family: MemeCoop’s templates include several with a free maker. If you need topics, see the 60 meme ideas, and if it’s your first meme, start with how to make a meme.

FAQ

What’s the most used type of meme?

Today, comparisons and labels on a scene, because they read at a glance on a phone. The classic top-and-bottom text is used less than it was ten years ago.

What is an image macro?

It’s the technical name for an image meme with text over it, usually top and bottom in Impact. It’s the format that made memes popular online.

Can one template be used in several formats?

Sometimes. A reaction image can become a comparison when placed next to another, and a scene with characters can take labels or top-and-bottom text. What changes is what you’re saying.