The 'We Didn't Start the Fire' meme is inspired by Billy Joel's 1989 hit song, which lists rapid-fire historical events from 1949 to 1989. In internet culture, the template is used to categorize a series of chaotic events, modern crises, or niche community dramas into a rhythmic list format. It saw a massive resurgence in 2023 following Fall Out Boy's updated cover, which brought the concept to a new generation. Users typically use the meme to jokingly distance themselves from the chaos of the world or to highlight how overwhelming current events have become by listing them over images of fire, dumpster fires, or the original music video aesthetics.