The term 'Friend Zone' describes a social situation where one person in a friendship wishes to enter a romantic or sexual relationship, while the other prefers to remain just friends. As a meme, it gained massive traction in the early 2010s across platforms like Reddit and 9GAG, often featuring awkward photos of 'nice guys' or screenshots of heartbreakingly platonic text messages. The humor typically stems from the universal relatability of rejection and the cringe-worthy ways people attempt to soften the blow. Today, it remains a staple of internet culture, used to mock social awkwardness or to lament the tragic 'Mission Failed' moment when a romantic advance is politely redirected back to the friend circle.