The 'We Are Young' meme draws its inspiration from the hit 2011 song by the band Fun. featuring Janelle Monáe. While the song itself is an anthem of youthful exuberance and reckless abandon, the meme often juxtaposes these high-energy lyrics with images of people doing things that are decidedly uncool, clumsy, or ironically mundane. It gained significant traction on platforms like Vine and later TikTok, where users would time the 'Tonight...' drop to chaotic or dramatic events. In static image form, the meme is frequently used to celebrate friendship, highlight the absurdity of modern adulthood, or create a sense of early 2010s nostalgia by pairing the lyrics with grainy, low-quality photos of parties.