UNO reverse card memes have become the fastest way to shut down an argument, flip the script on someone (or something) coming at you, and overall just win against any theoretical opponent. At least, that’s what those who love the meme would have everyone believe—but not everyone does. This versatile yet juvenile meme has a surprising amount of controversy for something so basic. Let’s take a look at what this UNO-centric meme is all about.
What is the UNO reverse card meme?
The UNO reverse card meme is a simple, lighthearted way of turning the tables on another person. Over on Urban Dictionary, users define it by referencing “no u,” calling each of these variations of the “ultimate comeback,” to which there can be no follow-up response.
Variations of these comebacks have existed throughout time. “I know you are, but what am I?” and “I’m rubber, you’re glue, whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you” are other examples that ultimately mean roughly the same thing. The UNO reverse card, however, has been optimized for internet meme culture—a simple image to be deployed without words, to nonsensically yet definitively end an argument altogether.
And throwing down a reverse UNO card doesn’t require specific, familiar phrasing to get its point across. This means it can also be utilized in reference to action, rather than just conversation. Like so:
Where did the UNO reverse card come from?
The reverse UNO card itself, of course, comes from the actual UNO card game. Players compete to try to get rid of the hand of cards they’ve been dealt before everyone else, and they may stumble across “action” cards in the process, such as the reverse card.
The meme, however, appears to have gained traction online thanks to a combination of a 2018 Urban Dictionary entry calling it an “upgraded no u” and an imgur post that photoshopped “NO U” (rearranged from “UNO”) onto the back of one of the game’s cards.
How to make use of the reverse UNO card meme
Because the meme is somewhat nonsensical to begin with, it’s actually ideal to use in basically any situation where you want to put your foot down and “win” whatever it is that’s going on without actually putting in the effort.
Folks also reference the meme when pointing to anything in which a person or entity has essentially turned the tables on whoever came at them first.
@the_mannii REVERSE🔄Card Game✨ #comedy #themannii #pov #uno #satire #funny #unbanthemanniishow #justjokes ♬ Thanks for using my sound – issawrap
Backlash against the meme
No meme is universally loved, but some fare far better than others amongst meme-loving social media users. The UNO reverse card meme appears to fall somewhere in the center. It’s stayed in play for several years now, which is no small feat in a society where internet fads can easily last a few short weeks, or even days.
But many people quickly grew tired of it, or found it juvenile, likely due at least in part to the same thing that made the reverse UNO card popular to begin with—its similarities to a playground insult most of us grew out of before even learning what a meme is.
It’s also worth noting that the reverse card doesn’t function quite the same way in the game as it does in the meme. Rather, it simply reverses the order in which players take their turn. This has caused some people who are apparently very intense about their UNO games to take issue with the meme, insisting it makes no sense.
Comment
byu/cosmicannoli from discussion
inNoStupidQuestions
Comment
byu/cosmicannoli from discussion
inNoStupidQuestions
UNO reverse card IRL: Max Fosh vs. the referee
In September 2023, YouTuber Max Fosh took the UNO reverse card meme off the internet and deployed it in front of a large, real world audience. Fosh was participating in a charity soccer match with other YouTubers in the UK when the referee held up a yellow card, indicating that Fosh had broken the rules of the game.
The YouTuber had clearly been waiting for that very moment, and pulled out an UNO reverse card in response, holding it up to the ref.
@espn He pulled out an UNO reverse card to the ref after the yellow card 😂 @ESPN FC (via @Sidemen ♬ original sound – ESPN
While plenty of perpetually online people found Fosh’s move hilarious, it garnered annoyance among others in line with the general backlash the meme has faced in the years since its inception.
So the next time things aren’t going your way on the internet, or maybe even in the real world, you can always try pulling an UNO reverse card and seeing how things go. It may have no impact beyond creating a modicum of confusion, or it may leave your peers crowning you the comeback champion. There’s only one way to find out.
Editor’s note: This article is regularly updated for relevance.
Related Memes:
- The ‘Distracted Boyfriend’ aka ‘Guy Looking at Girl’ meme
- The ‘no meme’ (for when you need help you say ‘no’)
- Learning to love cursed memes
- Everything you need to know about the ‘girl math’ meme
