The phrase combines two pieces of early internet slang that travelled from gaming chats and meme forums into wider online humour. Kek became shorthand for laughter in gaming communities, while gr8 m8 is playful leetspeak for great mate, often used ironically to praise something deliberately. Together they formed a short, self-aware reaction that works because it sounds both dated and knowing at once. That mix of nostalgia and irony is why creators still reuse it for sarcastic praise, reaction videos and meme edits today.