The 'Gas Doesn't Smell Like It Used To' meme taps into a strangely specific form of sensory nostalgia shared by many who grew up in previous decades. While it often features an older individual looking somber or contemplative, the joke centers on the controversial yet widely acknowledged scent of older gasoline formulations. It serves as a humorous commentary on how everything—even chemical odors—feels different in the modern era. Users often deploy this template to satirize the 'back in my day' mentality or to bond over weirdly universal childhood memories that shouldn't be nostalgic but somehow are.