The dab is a quick, sharp gesture: you lean forward, tuck your face into the crook of one bent arm, and shoot the other arm out straight behind you. It looks like someone trying to muffle a violent sneeze into their elbow2. The whole motion takes about a second, and that's the point. Unlike other dance crazes that require learning choreography, the dab is dead simple. Rich The Kid even shot a tutorial video proving anyone could learn it in minutes4.

What made the dab work as a meme was its versatility. It could be a victory celebration after a touchdown, a punchline at the end of a Vine, a flex on the dance floor, or an ironic gesture by a middle-aged politician trying to connect with millennials. As Migos member Takeoff put it, people thought "it's just a dance, when dabbin' is a way of fashion"10. PeeWee Longway echoed this: "When you put your favorite outfit on, you dabbin' at that moment"4. The dab was swagger distilled into a single body movement.

The name itself became a source of confusion and controversy. Some assumed "dab" referenced dabbing concentrated cannabis (smoking hash oil), since the arm-to-face motion loosely mimics coughing into your elbow after a harsh hit2. Others went even further off track. Rapper Bow Wow publicly claimed the dance directly came from the cannabis dabbing community12. A FOX affiliate news station in South Carolina reported that the dab was named after Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney13. Both claims were quickly shot down by the actual Atlanta rappers responsible for the move.

The dab's crossover from Atlanta clubs to the world stage happened at an unusual speed, even by internet standards. Rolling Stone included it in their 2015 roundup of the year's hottest dance crazes, alongside the Whip/Nae Nae and Hit the Quan3. Choreographer Jamaica Craft noted the move's simplicity was its strength: "It's great with any song!!!"3.

The dab's political chapter was particularly notable. Hillary Clinton's Ellen appearance in January 2016 was one of the most-discussed moments of the primary season8. By late 2016 and into 2017, dabbing in political contexts became a recurring bit, with politicians across the globe using the gesture as an attempt at youthful relatability. It worked about as well as you'd expect.

In some countries, the dab even attracted official censure. In 2017, Saudi Arabia made headlines when a singer was arrested for dabbing during a performance, as authorities considered the gesture linked to drug culture7. The incident highlighted how differently the same dance move could be interpreted across cultures.

Sports networks, morning shows, and late-night hosts all dedicated segments to the dab. Jason Derulo taught James Corden how to dab on Carpool Karaoke in November 20157. Jennifer Lopez taught Jimmy Fallon in a 2017 dance battle on The Tonight Show17. 2 Chainz's "Dabbin Santa" sweater line showed the move could be merchandised, reportedly generating close to $2 million6.

The second wave of dabbing kicked off in January 2016, when Hillary Clinton dabbed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show8. The reaction was split. Charlamagne tweeted, "SMH. That's it. I'm going with Bernie Sanders. RIP to the Dab it's over folks"8. Rich The Kid took the opposite view: "I feel accomplished lol Hillary Clinton just hit the dab"8. The moment became a flashpoint for how dance trends die: once a presidential candidate does it on daytime TV, the coolness factor drops to zero for the people who started it.

The 2015-2016 NFL season pushed the dab deeper into sports culture. With Cam Newton's Panthers heading to Super Bowl 50 in February 2016, dabbing was everywhere. Parents reported their kids dabbing constantly at home2. After the Denver Broncos beat the Panthers 24-10, Broncos players mocked Newton by performing his signature celebration7. By June 2016, Newton announced he was retiring from dabbing, though he broke that promise in November 2016 after a touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs7.

The commercial potential wasn't lost on anyone. In December 2015, 2 Chainz started selling "Dabbin Santa" Christmas sweaters through his website, reportedly bringing in almost $2 million in revenue by year's end6. The dab moved from a gesture to a brand-ready commodity.

Through 2016, dabbing went thoroughly global. In July, Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton dabbed to celebrate his Hungarian Grand Prix win7. In South Africa, President Jacob Zuma dabbed at opposing political parties during an address6. Rihanna dabbed at the 2016 MTV VMAs after Drake told her he loved her on stage, a moment that spawned its own wave of reaction memes18. Tom Hanks dabbed on camera when his son Chet asked him to "hit that dab like I told you," and the result was surprisingly smooth16.

The political dabbing era reached its peak in October 2016, when Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez closed her only California Senate debate against Kamala Harris with a dab14. Harris looked stunned, bit her lip, and responded: "So, there's a clear difference between the candidates in this race"15. Sanchez's spokesman insisted the move proved why "millennials are supporting Loretta Sanchez for U.S. Senate"15. Harris won by 15 points15.

The cringe continued into 2017. In January, 17-year-old Cal Marshall dabbed behind his father Rep. Roger Marshall during the Congressional swearing-in ceremony, confusing House Speaker Paul Ryan7. UK Labour Deputy Leader Tom Watson dabbed in the House of Commons in February7. French presidential candidates Emmanuel Macron, Benoît Hamon, and François Fillon all dabbed on television in March7. Norway's Prince Sverre Magnus dabbed at the Royal Palace during his grandparents' 80th birthday celebration in May7. Australian Labor leader Bill Shorten dabbed as part of a political diss track, later admitting his children had been "humiliated" by it7.

The dab also attracted false origin stories. A FOX affiliate in South Carolina claimed "The Dab" was named after Clemson coach Dabo Swinney after he performed it once on camera13. SB Nation pointed out the absurdity: "although I would like for this to be how inventions work because I would totally claim responsibility for the lightbulb and pizza and airplanes, that does not make him the inventor"13. In December 2015, Bow Wow posted a video claiming the dance came from the motion of coughing after smoking cannabis concentrate12. Migos and Rich The Kid roasted him on Twitter. In a since-deleted response, Bow Wow called Migos "fake ass Ying Yang twins"12.

An edited photograph circulated online claiming to show a soldier performing "the world's first dab" aboard a warship in 1932. Snopes traced the image to summer 2016, identifying the subjects as movie extras on the set of Christopher Nolan's *Dunkirk* in the Netherlands, with a black-and-white filter applied to fake the vintage look19.

Even before the Atlanta hip-hop scene coined the term, similar gestures existed in Japanese pop culture. Dragon Ball Z's Gohan (as The Great Saiyaman) performed a dab-like move in the 1990s, and the gesture appeared in Super Sentai and Kamen Rider tokusatsu series from the 1970s onward7. Janet Jackson incorporated similar arm positions in her music videos for "The Pleasure Principle" (1987), "Escapade" (1990), and "If" (1993)7. These are coincidental visual parallels rather than direct influences, but they gave internet historians plenty of "they dabbed before dabbing was a thing" content.

By late 2016, the dab had reached peak saturation. Bill Gates dabbed. Kids dabbed at the National Spelling Bee. A boy stuck on a broken roller coaster at Sea World Australia dabbed while waiting for rescue crews2. When literally everyone from your grandmother to heads of state is doing a dance, it stops being cool. The dab didn't disappear, but it shifted from genuine celebration to ironic callback, a move you do precisely because it's over.