The 'X but Y' meme format, often seen as 'X but every time Z happens,' became a dominant force on platforms like YouTube and Twitter during the mid-2010s. It typically involves taking a well-known piece of media and applying a disruptive, escalating, or absurd rule to it, such as 'The Bee Movie but it gets faster every time they say bee.' This format relies on subverting expectations and creating a chaotic, often humorous experience. Over time, it evolved into a shorthand for describing any specific or 'cursed' variation of a standard concept, making it one of the most flexible and enduring phrasal templates in internet culture.