If you’ve noticed the word “folk” slapped onto memes and TikTok videos, usually followed by a long string of crying emojis, you’re not alone. The latest irony trend borrows from Black slang to signal that something is laugh-out-loud funny, as if an entire crowd is cracking up at once.
Despite the name, the meme has nothing to do with folk music or tradition and everything to do with hyper-online humor and a familiar face: comedian Druski.
What does “folk 😭” mean online?
Plastering the word “folk” over memes or TikTok videos, especially with the loud crying emoji, communicates that the user who created the post thinks the content is hilarious. Basically, the poster is claiming that everyone—all the folks—are laughing or would laugh.
A common form of the trend includes a long string of the emojis after the word “folk,” as if to represent a hysterical crowd of people.
In AAVE, the word “folks” is often shortened to “folk.” Either are technically correct, according to Merriam-Webster. In the current trending meme, it’s not meant to refer to the adjective form, defined as “originating or traditional with the common people of a country or region and typically reflecting their lifestyle.”
People quickly attached the “folk” meme to another recent trend featuring a singing AI baby. A third, which many call the “Druski Ravens” meme, started its trending crossover in mid-December.
This gag places the head of comedian and influencer Druski on the body of an NFL player in a Baltimore Ravens uniform. He may also appear as an NBA star in the middle of a dunk or as a Delaware Blue Hens player.
Either way, you might find athlete Druski folk images all over social media right now if you run in certain circles.
The term “folk” peaked on Google on Nov. 30 and maintained a slightly higher than usual rate of use up to Christmas Eve.
When “folk” became a meme
While Black users have wielded the word “folk” for many years, it first appeared over funny videos paired with the crying emoji in October 2025. On Oct. 22, Instagram user @idroptacoinmysoup of a man crashing his dirt bike directly into a tree. The caption says “Folk” followed by 16 emojis.
Commenters followed suit, often replacing “folk” with a synonym or another monosyllabic term.
The meme’s popularity really kicked off in December, especially as influencers crossed it with other current trends favored by the extremely online. On TikTok, the hashtag #folk now sports over a million videos, though many of these are about folk music and similar topics.
As of Christmas season 2025, however, most of the top videos clearly reference the meme. It’s easy to spot this if you know about the Druski and AI baby gags.
Folk meme crossovers and remixes
According to Know Your Meme, the folk meme crossed with the “AI Baby Holding Laugh” meme mid-November.
The uncanny video video of a baby lip-syncing to “Sweet Love” by Chen Yujian & Wang Yuxin appeared on Nov. 6. By Nov. 14, a screenshot of the fake baby holding in its amusement with a fist over its mouth appeared on TikTok with a classic “folk” caption.
The Druski Ravens meme became popular thanks to the same individual behind the dirt bike crash video that spread the folk trend. On their main account, @bigsoup.taco, they posted a Druski football gag for the first time on Dec. 15. Four days later, they posted a plain image of this meme with the description reading, simply, “folk.”
As time went on, the term became so popular that it began to appear as edited versions of other memes. Some of these, including a combined Bush learning about 9/11, Captain Picard, and Druski Ravens post, altered just a few letters in order to spell out the trending term.
More “folk” memes
@thrision Do my ears deceive me😭😭😭#son😭🙏🏾 #fyp #nonchalant ♬ original sound – runningnose
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