You might have seen the phrase root beer popping up in TikToks and comments a lot lately. It’s even spread elsewhere across the Internet, so much so that it’s hard to miss. However, if you haven’t seen the original video the phrase is referring to, you might be a bit confused. Is everyone just sharing an enthusiasm for the soft drink? Where did this trend come from? If you’re out of the loop, you’re not the only one. Not to worry, though — here is the root beer TikTok meme explained with some great examples to boot.

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What Is The Root Beer TikTok Meme
The root beer meme began with a viral video by user @nifreffa. It’s dimly lit, but the camera shows several cans of root beer placed on their sides on a table. As they begin to roll off one by one, the person behind the camera shouts: “No, root beer! Root beer, no!”
This strange and hilarious clip has become incredibly widespread, with many posting different versions of the video with various edits added. It’s also popped up in comments quite a bit, so if you see someone writing “root beer” out of context, this video is likely what they’re referring to.
Why Did The Root Beer Meme Take Off?
Part of the reason the clip became so popular is because it raises many questions without answering any of them. For example, why is it being filmed in the dark? What is this person doing with so many root beers out, and why did they place them sideways instead of standing up? What was the plan before the root beers started to roll?There seems to be an entire story that the clip is only a short glimpse of.
There’s also something about the tone and accent of the speaker that makes it funny to watch, not to mention incredibly quotable. This has led to the audio being used for all kinds of other videos.
Some Great Examples
Of course, there’s no way to truly understand the root beer meme without seeing the video for yourself. So here is the video, plus some different edits. Different users took the trend and really ran with it, layering the audio over itself or adding different music to comedic effect.
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