Rickroll
what it means
The internet's most enduring bait-and-switch. The joke is entirely in the disguise — the payoff is a 1987 pop song nobody asked for.
Tricking someone into clicking a link that turns out to be Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up".
the origin story
Evolved from 4chan's "duckroll" bait in 2007, when a user swapped the image for the Rick Astley music video.
It survived nearly two decades, outliving almost every meme of its era. Rick Astley has embraced it publicly, performing the song at surprise appearances, and the video passed a billion YouTube views in 2021 — a large share of them jokes.
in the wild
Here's the document you needed.
You've rickrolled me. In 2026. Genuinely impressive.
Slide 14 was just the music video.
Classic rickroll.
how to use it
- Harmless pranks with friends
- Discussing early internet history
- Nostalgic meme references
- In professional communication where people need the real link
- In anything time-sensitive
- Repeatedly with the same person
related terms
receipts
Community feedback
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