Harlem Shake was released by American producer Baauer in 2012 as an electronic trap track, but it exploded in February 2013 when short YouTube videos turned its drop into a repeatable format. One person would dance alone during the build while others acted unaware, then the cut on the drop showed the whole group dancing wildly, often in costumes. Thousands of versions from offices, sports teams and military units followed, pushing the song to number one in several countries and making the format one of the defining early viral video trends.
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The Baauer Harlem Shake drop from the viral 2013 dance meme, used for chaotic group dance videos, edits and sudden beat switch moments online.
This is the opening section of Baauer's Harlem Shake, built around a pitched vocal sample, a tense electronic build and a heavy trap drop with pounding bass and sharp synth hits. The first half feels restrained, almost waiting, then the beat suddenly explodes into frantic energy. That contrast is the whole joke, making a calm scene feel instantly unhinged when the drop hits. Viewers recognise the shift in a second, expecting costumes, flailing dancers and total chaos to fill the frame where a moment before everything looked completely normal and still.