Memes

The Crying Wojak meme perfectly captures online melancholy

It’s okay to cry.

Photo of Lindsey Weedston

Lindsey Weedston

crying wojak

The Crying Wojak or the Angry Crying Wojak, is a variation on the Wojak meme in which his teeth are clenched and tears are streaming down his face. This Wojak has many variations including different haircuts, glasses, and sometimes wearing a fake smiling mask to hide their pain.

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Most of the derogatory Wojaks have been drawn in tears and bared teeth to portray frustration, anger, or outrage. Crying Wojak is often used to mock people who get upset about any issue, while Wojaks that remain calm and emotionless are held up as an ideal.

Crying Wojak meme template.

Crying Wojak meme basics:

  • Meme Creator: Unknown
  • Meme Type: Wojak
  • First Appearance: 2014
  • Origin Source: Unknown / Wojak comic
  • Used to Convey: Frustration, anger, outrage, etc.
  • Peak Popularity: Jan. 2021
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Google Trends report for the term 'Crying Wojak.'
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What is the Crying Wojak?

This meme face takes the original Wojak and changes the forehead lines to form a furrowed brow, reddens the eyes, and adds a grimacing mouth along with more lines around here and the eyes to express an emotion like anger. Blue tears flow from both eyes.

Zoomer Wojak Bell Curve meme about thinking too much.
Google Trends
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Similar edits have been made to the NPC Wojak, the Soyjak, the Chudjak, and the Zoomer Wojak from the Bell Curve memes. People use these crudely drawn faces to mock those who they think get too dramatically upset over political issues, fandoms, or life generally. They’re often compared unflatteringly to Chad or Pepe the Frog.

In Body Image
u/Tili44/Reddit

A Crying Wojak Mask meme variation appeared later, signifying someone hiding their pain and rage behind a calm or happy demeanor.

Where did the Crying Wojak meme come from?

Little is known about the origins of the Angry Crying Wojak, but according to Know Your Meme, the earliest appearance was in a Wojak comic depicting different faces over the years of the 2010s. The source has been lost, but they believe it was published in 2014.

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The Crying Wojak became popular on 4chan, which does not hold a reputation for kindness and understanding. Users there often posted this Wojak with captions showing him screaming about something being unfair. Early usage frequently paired him with Pepe the Frog smiling at his anguish, though later iterations see the two as friends.

wojak and pepe hug
u/Only_Maxi/Reddit

Masked Crying Wojak

One of the more popular variations of this meme wears a normal Wojak mask but is visibly still crying behind it. It may also don masks with a highly simplified smiling face to indicate low effort or show a standard Wojak face variation with a smirk and side-eye, as though pretending to be smug or confident while inwardly suffering.

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Masked Crying Wojak meme about DJ Akademiks outperforming Drake songs.
MAGICALFLYINUHH/Reddit

This version of the meme allows people to accuse each other of having emotions no matter how calm they appear to be in any argument, real or imagined.

A variation Crying Wojak Mask meme switches the faces, showing a happy Wojak behind a crying mask. This suggests that the target is pretending to be upset as a scam or to confuse or mock those in pain.

Happy Wojak Behind Crying Mask meme template.
MAGICALFLYINUHH/Reddit
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In Body Image
tooprettty/Pinterest
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tooprettty/Pinterest

Soyjak Fans vs. Chad Fans

Another common spinoff of the Crying Wojak meme is the one that pits a tearful version of the Soyjak against the Yes Chad, also known as the Nordic gamer. These comic memes originated as a fight between people who thought the Soyjak was over and those who were clinging to this older Wojak.

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Crying Wojak meme about PlayStation vs. Apple leaks.
Osaka Channel/Facebook

As the new format spread, people began to use it to depict different people conversing on any topic.

crying wojak trump
Osaka Channel/Facebook

Other variations

In addition to crying versions of other Wojaks, people have altered the original the Angry Crying Wojak to dress him up in numerous costumes or stretched him out into even more agonized forms.

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The Pink Wojak shows him reddened with emotion and often crying blood, with an open mouth to scream and blood coming from his nose. His head may be stretched and warped in order to accentuate his anguish.

The Head Bite Wojak depicts a Crying Wojak in dark sunglasses who attempts to approach a female Wojak. When she says something the Head Bite Wojak doesn’t like, he stretches out in a grotesque manner to literally bite her head off.

The Crying Wojak face has also been applied to other Wojak characters, such as the female Trad Girl/Tradwife.

crying wojak tradwife
@31spacex/Instagram
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Crying Wojak meme arguing with the Little Caesars mascot.
@31spacex/Instagram
Meme showing many different types of Wojak to represent each astrology sign.
@DionysianAgent/X
Crying Wojak meme about girls preferring emo boys.
@DionysianAgent/X
Crying Wojak meme about computer noises.
@DionysianAgent/X
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Crying Wojak meme about U.S. vs. Irish Republicans.
@LibertyCappy/X

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