Dark Humor and 'Brainrot': The Hidden Power of Gen Z Laughter and Collective Identity Making

Abstract

‘Brainrot’ is a relatively new concept within fields such as anthropology, cognitive science, and psychology. It is generally defined as low-effort social media content associated with a range of negative consequences, including shortened attention spans and increased
anxiety. However, this article proposes an alternative understanding of brainrot rooted in its capacity to help Generation Z navigate and resist societal expectations, producing more generative and positive outcomes. Drawing on ethnographic interviews with seven Generation Z (Gen Z) participants—undergraduate students at UC San Diego—this paper demonstrates how brainrot operates as a genre of dark humor through which Gen Z expresses a shared, collective political identity. Although brainrot is often framed as detrimental to young people’s cognitive and social development, I argue that brainrot humor shares key qualities with surrealism, linking it historically and aesthetically to traditions of dark humor. In doing so, it reveals an emancipatory political potential. Through this lens, more broadly, this article proposes brainrot as a communicative practice that offers insight into how Gen Z constructs identity, builds community, and
develops coping mechanisms in response to contemporary social pressures.