Herbert Morrison Tech. Harlem Shake. (y) The Harlem Shake is an Internet meme in the form of a video of various groups of people performing a comedy sketch accompanied by a short excerpt from the song "Harlem Shake". As a meme, the video was replicated by many people, using the same concept, and this rapidly led to it becoming viral in early February 2013 with thousands of "Harlem Shake" videos being made and uploaded to YouTube every day at the height of its popularity.