Because there are so many memes out there, it’s easy to forget how hard each one has to work in order to catch and hold our attention. A meme has to do something distinctive to stand out from the hundreds we mindlessly scroll past in one of the typical mindless scrolls that we engage in multiple times a day. It needs something to help it to rise above the noise, and that takes real skill (or an ability to appeal to emotions). Naturally, not every meme is going to reach that level.

This is all the more reason to appreciate the ones that do. They can be surprisingly hard to find, and even a curated list offers no guarantees. With a little luck, you might stumble across a meme below that feels like it strikes a chord. If that’s the case, feel free to add it to your own personal meme collection.