Intro
define harlem shake is a common search phrase people use when they want to know whether the Harlem Shake is a dance, a meme, or both. It points to two different cultural objects: an old-school Harlem dance and a short-lived but explosive internet meme that blew up in 2013.
This article untangles those two meanings, gives examples, tracks the term’s origin, and explains how the phrase is used today. Short, clear, and practical. Ready?
Table of Contents
What Does define harlem shake Mean?
When people type define harlem shake they usually want a short, clear answer: the Harlem Shake is both a street dance that originated in Harlem, New York, and the name of a global internet meme built around a 2012 track by producer Baauer.
On one hand you have a movement vocabulary rooted in Harlem’s club and party scenes, with bending, shaking, and expressive upper-body gestures. On the other hand you have a 2013 YouTube phenomenon where groups edited 30-second clips to a sudden drop in Baauer’s song ‘Harlem Shake’, switching from one-person dancing to chaotic group mayhem.
Etymology and Origin of define harlem shake
The phrase ‘Harlem Shake’ refers to the neighborhood of Harlem in New York City, a long-standing center of Black culture and performing arts. The dance grew out of local scenes and club culture, borrowing from jazz, funk, and early hip-hop movement vocabularies.
The viral meme took its name from the Baauer song ‘Harlem Shake’, released in 2012. The track borrowed a vocal sample that references Harlem, and the meme adopted the title even though the short online skits do not reproduce the original dance moves.
For a compact historical overview see Wikipedia on Harlem Shake and for background on Harlem as a cultural place see Britannica on Harlem.
How define harlem shake Is Used in Everyday Language
People use define harlem shake in searches, classroom questions, and social media conversations. The intent usually falls into one of three lanes: asking about the dance, the meme, or the difference between them.
“Can someone define harlem shake for my history class? Is it a dance from Harlem or the meme?”
“Type ‘define harlem shake’ and you’ll get pages about both the 1980s dance and the 2013 meme.”
“I asked ‘define harlem shake’ because my friend said the meme disrespected the original moves.”
“When someone asks to define harlem shake, I explain the dance first, then the viral clips.”
define harlem shake in Different Contexts
In academic or cultural contexts, define harlem shake usually points to the dance’s roots, its place within Harlem’s nightlife, and its stylistic features. Music and dance scholars may analyze posture, rhythm, and lineage.
In casual speech or internet conversations, the phrase often refers to the 2013 meme format, not the historical dance. The meme format can be described as a short clip with an abrupt switch from one dancing person to a chaotic group scene timed to the beat drop.
On social media the term can carry judgment. Some use it as shorthand: ‘that Harlem Shake video’ to mean a chaotic, party-style clip. Others criticize that usage for erasing the dance’s Black cultural origins.
Common Misconceptions About define harlem shake
One big misconception is that the meme represents the original Harlem Shake dance. It does not. The meme borrowed the name and a song title while the actual dance continues to exist separately in clubs and dance classes.
Another mistake is assuming the dance is a single standardized move. Harlem Shake is more of a family of movements and stylistic approaches, shaped by different dancers and eras. It’s not a single pose you can master in one tutorial video.
Finally, some people think the meme began the moment Baauer released his track. In reality the song existed as a piece of electronic music before the meme adopted it and launched a wave of user-generated clips in early 2013.
Related Words and Phrases
You will see related terms that help place define harlem shake in context. ‘Street dance’ and ‘club dance’ point to performance settings. ‘Viral meme’ and ‘YouTube challenge’ describe the 2013 phenomenon.
Other related entries you might explore on this site include Harlem history, viral memes, and dance terms. Those pages help map how the phrase moves between cultural and online spaces.
Why define harlem shake Matters in 2026
Even years after the meme peaked, define harlem shake matters because it highlights how language can compress complex cultural histories into a two-word phrase. Search queries often flatten nuance, and the tension between original practice and viral rebranding is a persistent pattern.
In media literacy and cultural education, asking people to define harlem shake offers a quick entry point for conversations about appropriation, credit, and how digital culture repackages local traditions. It also serves as a reminder that not everything named after a place actually represents that place’s full culture.
For more on how culture and naming interact, a useful reference is Merriam-Webster’s pages on regional terms and slang. See further reading at Wikipedia on Harlem.
Closing
If you typed define harlem shake into a search bar because you wanted a short answer: it is both a Harlem-born dance style and a separate 2013 internet meme named after a Baauer track. Two things, same name, different histories.
Ask follow-up questions if you want examples of the dance steps, sources for the meme timeline, or recommended videos that respectfully show the original moves. Language and culture keep moving. Keep asking.