If you’ve spent any time on TikTok in the past week, chances are you’ve stumbled across a viral trend that has taken the platform by storm.
It’s all about Pepé the King Prawn, the iconic Muppets character, paired with a choir rendition of Madonna’s Like a Prayer.
The result? A hilarious mix of absurd stories and Pepé’s increasingly shocked expressions, creating a meme format that’s both simple to recreate and incredibly addictive to watch.
For those not up-to-date with the latest meme culture, don’t worry – we’ve got you covered.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Pepé meme trend, how it started, and why it’s sweeping through TikTok at lightning speed.
At its core, the Pepé meme format is incredibly straightforward – and that’s part of its charm.
The trend usually features a series of images of Pepé looking increasingly stunned, each swipe revealing a more outrageous or embarrassing story.
@user47482910474 the olive oil story made me laught so hard #likeaprayermeme #pepethekingprawn #fyp #laugh #trend
The whole thing is set to the dramatic, almost operatic choir version of Madonna’s Like a Prayer, which adds a layer of absurdity to the whole affair.
The typical video begins with an image of Pepé staring blankly or with a mildly confused expression.
As the story progresses with each swipe, Pepé’s expression evolves from neutral to genuinely flabbergasted, mirroring the escalating madness of the story being shared.
The music builds in intensity, amplifying the drama and humor as the narrative becomes more bizarre or unfourtunate.
@br00kef0ster Favorite stories so far are Olive girl, Target girl, donut fairy girl & sat in 💩 on the subway girl. #likeaprayer #trend #meme #pepethekingprawn
The format is simple enough that anyone can replicate it, which is a huge part of why the trend has taken off.
Whether you’re sharing an awkward personal anecdote, a ridiculous workplace mishap, or a cringeworthy social faux pas, the Pepé meme provides the perfect visual to match your story.
Like many viral trends, this one started with a single viral post. TikTok user Caity Cline is credited with sparking the Pepé meme craze.
In her initial post, Cline shared two pictures of Pepé with a playful caption: “Sometimes I’m late because I’m spending too much time like this.”
@baiabayfr the olive oil girl 😂😂😂😂 #humour #oliveoil #likeaprayer #memestiktok #memecut #capcut #capcutavecamour #capcutfêtesdefindannee
She followed up with another two memes that read: “My face when someone asks me to do a math equation in my head” and “The face I make when I’m trying to maintain great customer service while getting screamed at.”
Cline’s humorous posts quickly gained traction, and before long, other TikTok users started sharing their own relatable, funny, and sometimes embarrassing stories using the same Pepé format.
It’s no surprise that the relatable and often cringe-worthy nature of these stories combined with Pepé’s comically shocked expressions resonated with so many people.
@problyawitch #storytime #muppet #meme #trend #prawn #suspect #funnymoments #likeaprayer
@meagelys
