The dance craze involving people shaking wildly to a 30-second audio clip in 2013 was the Harlem Shake.
The meme used an excerpt from “Harlem Shake,” a 2012 electronic song by American producer Baauer. Typical videos lasted about 30 seconds: one person danced alone for roughly 15 seconds while others appeared oblivious, then a bass drop triggered a sudden cut to the whole group dancing wildly in costumes or with strange props.
The format became established through a January 30, 2013 video associated with YouTube personality George Miller’s Filthy Frank character, Pink Guy. A group of Australian teenagers then recreated the setup, helping the format spread rapidly. At its height, thousands of versions were uploaded each day.
Despite its name, the meme’s frantic movements were not the original Harlem Shake dance, a dance style that emerged in Harlem in the 1980s. The viral trend also helped demonstrate YouTube’s growing influence on music charts: Baauer’s song reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 after YouTube views were incorporated into the chart’s metrics.