Buzz
Your ultimate guide to memes like Ohio vs. the World
It feels like every time you check TikTok, some terrifying horror movie creature is attacking Ohio, or users are venting about how awful Ohio’s energy is. What’s going on? Simply put, it’s the latest bizarre internet meme, poking fun at Ohio (not because it’s a disaster zone, but simply because it’s funny). We’ll dive into the origins of these memes, explain how they spread, and show you how to create your own to join the fun.
Explaining the “Only in Ohio” Meme
The “Only in Ohio” meme is a viral trend on TikTok and Twitter/X that mocks the state of Ohio. These memes depict Ohio as a place where strange, apocalyptic, or just plain unlucky events occur, challenging its otherwise typical, Midwestern image. The meme often appears as “Ohio vs. the World” or “Can’t do X in Ohio.”
How to Participate
Meaning of “Only in Ohio”
The phrase “Only in Ohio” is a humorous social media trend that mocks Ohio. It’s often used as a caption for over-the-top, ridiculous, or unfortunate images or videos (usually featuring apocalyptic events), suggesting that such absurd situations could only occur in a place as unusual as Ohio. While Ohio itself isn’t particularly strange, the meme’s fun comes from exaggerating its oddness—likely because not much typically happens there.
- Example: On November 21, 2022, TikTok user @ryzwtf shared a video showing a carnival ride launching its riders into the air, captioned “Only in Ohio💀”
Meaning of “Ohio vs. the World”
“Ohio vs. the World” is a meme that envisions Ohio taking over the world. This variation portrays Ohio as a powerful, possibly evil force attempting to dominate the globe, often accompanied by fake news headlines like “Ohio has conquered America” or “Ohio is invading Canada,” along with other ridiculous situations.
- Example: A widely shared Ohio vs. the World meme depicts an MS-paint drawing of two astronauts observing a planet made entirely of Ohio. One astronaut says, “Wait, it’s all Ohio?” to which the other responds, pointing a gun, “Always has been.”
Meaning of “Can’t Even X in Ohio”
“Can’t even X in Ohio” is a meme used to highlight inconvenient or absurd situations. This plays off the older “Can’t have sh*t in Detroit” meme, offering a humorous way to express frustration about everyday problems or even far-fetched, fictional scenarios. It’s often paired with Lil B’s song “Swag Like Ohio.” The meme implies that Ohio has an otherworldly level of bad vibes, or that bizarre things always seem to happen there, though of course, the joke has little connection to reality.
- Example: TikToker @fwkairu shared a video on August 18, 2022, showing a giant animated spider crawling across the moon, with the caption “can’t even look at the moon in ohio💀”
How Ohio Memes Began
Ohio memes first emerged from a Tumblr post in 2016. On August 6 of that year, the Tumblr account screenshotsofdespair posted an image of a digital bus stop sign reading, “Ohio will be eliminated.” The post went viral, racking up over 100,000 notes, and it sparked a wave of jokes exaggerating the dangers and absurdities associated with Ohio.
- Later, a Reddit user named chutotkaa shared a map of the U.S. labeled “DANGER PRESENTED BY OHIO,” with color-coded “Ohio advisories” marking surrounding states.
The memes hit TikTok in August 2022. The trend gained traction on TikTok when user @redie999 posted a video of a CGI creature lurking outside his window, captioned “I’m just trying to sleep in Ohio💀,” with “Swag Like Ohio” by Lil B playing in the background. Soon, other users began posting similar videos, and the meme took off.
- Since then, people have been creating apocalyptic, bizarre, or exaggerated scenarios, claiming they happen “only in Ohio.”
- In 2023, YouTuber CG5 released a song inspired by the meme, which became popular, as Ohio memes are often used for humorous purposes.
Why is Ohio the Center of So Many Memes?
Ohio’s just an arbitrary, everyday target, which is what makes the memes even funnier. There are many reasons behind this, but perhaps the simplest one is that Ohio is kind of boring. As a Midwestern state where not much happens, the idea of it being the center of the apocalypse, a rogue state attempting world domination, or just a place full of bad vibes becomes that much more humorous.
- Some argue that Ohio represents American capitalist, suburban culture, making the memes a type of parody or social commentary, exaggerating or romanticizing the “midwest wasteland.”
How to Use “Only in Ohio”
Use “Only in Ohio” to add humor to surreal or unfortunate images and videos. One of the best parts of these memes is their flexibility! If you come across something even slightly out of the ordinary, whether it’s a dog walking on its hind legs in an unnerving way or a scene from the latest Godzilla movie, you can caption it with something like, “Only in Ohio” or “Can’t even take a walk outside in Ohio” to deliver a playful poke at everyone’s favorite Midwestern target.
Other Related Memes
Can’t have sh*t in Detroit This is where the “Can’t have X in Ohio” memes came from, originally used to caption unfortunate events—a jab at Detroit’s famously tough living conditions. The meme started with a Facebook post that showed a house missing its front steps, captioned, “Someone stole my f--king porch. I opened my door an fell 🤦♂️ u can't have shit in Detroit.”
- Fun fact: The original post was actually about Cincinnati, Ohio, but was edited to refer to Detroit. It all comes full circle.
Ohio Final Boss This term refers to Japanese TikTok user Saoyu0704, also known as “Satoyu.” Satoyu became famous for his anime protagonist parodies, but he became linked with Ohio memes because he often says “Ohayo” (meaning “Good Morning” in Japanese) during his streams. As a result, people have humorously dubbed him the “Final Boss of Ohio,” given his knack for imitating powerful and intimidating anime characters.
