Members of the Class of 2020 still haven’t quite let go of the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out their senior-year milestones. On TikTok, that lingering frustration has effectively become a running joke — and increasingly, a punch line.
Got robbed? “Did you know I didn’t even get a graduation?”
Slipped on ice? “I didn’t have prom. I didn’t have homecoming.”
Something genuinely tragic happened? “Okay, but I literally didn’t graduate.”
The bit has been circulating since 2020, when Gen Z students either marked their graduation on Zoom or skipped it altogether. Some users post earnest reflections about those “unprecedented times.” Others jokingly show up to younger siblings’ ceremonies as stand-ins for the celebration they never had. Recently, the meme has picked up new momentum.
It has fused with another TikTok format where creators explain how different personalities would interpret a glass being half full or half empty. Beyond the standard “optimist” and “pessimist,” the trend now includes fictional characters, niche archetypes — and, of course, the Class of 2020.
“It wasn’t even like a graduation,” one creator says. “It was like a drive-thru. You just grabbed your diploma.”
Much of the humor is self-aware. It reflects Gen Z’s preferred coping strategy: turning disappointment into irony. “Me using every opportunity to remind my friends that I was Class of 2020,” another creator jokes.
Still, beneath the meme is a legitimate grievance. The Class of 2020 finished high school at the onset of a once-in-a-century global health crisis. What began as a temporary school closure quickly escalated into a prolonged emergency with lasting economic and social consequences.
Young people bore a particular strain. As businesses shuttered and hiring froze, unemployment among Americans under 24 spiked dramatically. Research suggests that entering the workforce during a recession can suppress earnings for years and shape long-term career trajectories.
Given that backdrop, it’s hardly surprising that the Class of 2020 continues to define itself in relation to the pandemic. If they’re still talking about it — even jokingly — there’s reason enough to understand why.
@briemcp Disclaimer: I was a victim of 2020 so let me clown #glasshalffull #glasshalfempty #fyp #fypシ #pessimist ♬ Classic classical gymnopedie solo piano(1034554) - Lyrebirds music
@cobreezzy That lockdown had us all acting crazy lol my dad came up with this idea #classof2020 #graduation #family ♬ original sound - Conor O’Brien