The Popcat meme originated from a video of a cat named Oatmeal chirping at a bug, which was later edited by a Twitter user to give the feline a giant, O-shaped mouth. This simple edit evolved into 'popcat.click,' a competitive international clicker game where users from around the world clicked to earn points for their respective countries. The meme is defined by its two-frame animation: the 'closed' mouth and the 'open' mouth, often accompanied by a satisfying 'pop' sound effect. It has since become a symbol of internet camaraderie and friendly global rivalry, used to represent excitement, screaming, or the sheer joy of repetitive clicking.