{"slug":"yo-dawg","name":"Yo Dawg","url":"/templates/yo-dawg.jpg","w":500,"h":323,"top":"YO DAWG I HEARD YOU LIKE X","bottom":"SO I PUT AN X IN YOUR X SO YOU CAN X WHILE YOU X","description":"Xzibit heard you like things. So he put things inside your things. The Yo Dawg meme is the internet's original recursion joke, and it is still going.","keywords":"yo dawg meme, xzibit meme, pimp my ride meme, yo dawg i heard you like, recursion meme, inception meme","year":2007,"origin":"Xzibit hosted MTV's \"Pimp My Ride,\" where his crew would modify cars with outrageous custom features based on the owner's hobbies. The format became a meme around 2007: \"Yo dawg, I heard you like X, so I put an X in your X so you can X while you X.\" It is the original recursion joke of the internet, predating even the Inception \"dream within a dream\" format by years. The structure nests one thing inside itself, creating an infinite loop of absurdity. For a different kind of meta-nesting humor, see Expanding Brain (escalating levels of an idea) or Is This A Pigeon (misidentifying the thing entirely).","format":"classic","howToMake":["Xzibit's grin is loaded. The recursive madness begins with two text fields","Top text: \"Yo dawg, I heard you like [thing].\" Bottom text: \"So I put a [thing] in your [thing] so you can [thing] while you [thing].\" Fill in the blanks with the same word","The joke lives or dies on the recursion. Every blank should reference the same concept, nested inside itself. The more layers, the better","White Impact with a heavy black outline keeps text sharp against the close-up photo. Keep both lines punchy so readers can parse the recursion without rereading three times","Loop complete. Download the recursive masterpiece as a PNG or Share it with someone who needs more things inside their things"],"exampleCaptions":["YO DAWG I HEARD YOU LIKE MEETINGS","SO I PUT A MEETING IN YOUR MEETING SO YOU CAN MEET WHILE YOU MEET"],"exampleAltText":"Yo Dawg Xzibit meme about putting a meeting in your meeting so you can meet while you meet","exampleRefreshDate":"2026-03-10","seo":{"aliases":["Xzibit Meme","Pimp My Ride Meme","Yo Dawg I Heard You Like","Dawg Meme","Recursion Meme"],"description":"Close-up photo of Xzibit (rapper and host of MTV's Pimp My Ride) laughing with a wide, knowing grin. He wears a black shirt and a silver chain necklace, cornrow hairstyle framing his face. His eyes are nearly shut from laughing, and the expression says \"wait until you see what I did.\" The slightly blurred gray background keeps all focus on that infectious, scheming smile.","definition":"\"Yo dawg, I heard you like [X], so I put an [X] in your [X] so you can [X] while you [X].\" The entire joke is recursive nesting. Xzibit takes a thing you like and puts it inside itself, creating an infinite loop. Originating from his show Pimp My Ride, the format became the internet's go-to structure for any situation where something is redundantly layered inside itself.","useCases":[{"category":"Work & Productivity Recursion","examples":["Yo dawg I heard you like emails / so I put an email about emails in your email so you can email while you email","Yo dawg I heard you like meetings / so I scheduled a meeting to discuss the meeting about meetings","Yo dawg I heard you like spreadsheets / so I put a spreadsheet inside your spreadsheet so you can track while you track","Yo dawg I heard you like deadlines / so I put a deadline before your deadline so you can stress while you stress","Yo dawg I heard you like feedback / so I gave you feedback on your feedback so you can revise while you revise"]},{"category":"Technology & Software","examples":["Yo dawg I heard you like tabs / so I put a browser in your browser so you can browse while you browse","Yo dawg I heard you like updates / so I put an update for your update so you can wait while you wait","Yo dawg I heard you like notifications / so I sent you a notification about your notifications so you can get notified while you get notified","Yo dawg I heard you like passwords / so I put a password on your password manager so you can forget while you forget","Yo dawg I heard you like apps / so I put an app store inside your app so you can download while you download"]},{"category":"Food & Cooking","examples":["Yo dawg I heard you like pizza / so I put a pizza on your pizza so you can eat while you eat","Yo dawg I heard you like snacks / so I put snacks inside your snack drawer inside your snack closet","Yo dawg I heard you like wraps / so I wrapped your wrap in a wrap so you can unwrap while you unwrap","Yo dawg I heard you like leftovers / so I made leftovers from your leftovers so you can reheat while you reheat"]},{"category":"Gaming & Entertainment","examples":["Yo dawg I heard you like loot boxes / so I put a loot box inside your loot box so you can gamble while you gamble","Yo dawg I heard you like DLC / so I put DLC for your DLC so you can pay while you pay","Yo dawg I heard you like sequels / so I made a sequel to the sequel of the sequel","Yo dawg I heard you like loading screens / so I put a loading screen before your loading screen so you can wait while you wait","Yo dawg I heard you like respawning / so I put a respawn at the checkpoint before the checkpoint so you can die while you die"]},{"category":"Social Media & Content","examples":["Yo dawg I heard you like screenshots / so I screenshotted your screenshot so you can share while you share","Yo dawg I heard you like reposts / so I reposted your repost so you can repost while you repost","Yo dawg I heard you like memes / so I put a meme in your meme so you can meme while you meme","Yo dawg I heard you like stories / so I posted a story about your story so you can view while you view"]},{"category":"School & Learning","examples":["Yo dawg I heard you like studying / so I put a study guide for the study guide so you can study while you study","Yo dawg I heard you like homework / so I assigned homework about the homework so you can work while you work","Yo dawg I heard you like notes / so I took notes on your notes so you can review while you review","Yo dawg I heard you like citations / so I cited a citation in my citation so you can cite while you cite"]},{"category":"Transportation & Cars (The Original)","examples":["Yo dawg I heard you like cars / so I put a car in your car so you can drive while you drive","Yo dawg I heard you like GPS / so I put a GPS in your GPS so you can navigate while you navigate","Yo dawg I heard you like commuting / so I put a commute inside your commute so you can sit in traffic while you sit in traffic","Yo dawg I heard you like gas stations / so I put a gas station at the gas station so you can fuel while you fuel"]}]}}