Is someone raging about losing a game in chat? You could always post the ‘copium’ meme to troll them and infuriate them further. This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this meme.
Meaning
The expression ‘copium’ combines the words ‘Cope’ and ‘Opium.’ It’s used as a support or troll term for someone after they lose a game online. Users will post the Pepe ‘copium’ meme to mock the gamer or show pity for them.
Opium is a potent sedative, often used in anesthesiology to numb the patient before surgery. To ‘cope’ means to battle through a trying time in your life. So, ‘copium’ is an imaginary drug designed to help you cope with the pain of embarrassment and loss.
The effects of Copium include extreme rationalization of the defeat, outlandish conspiracies involving the other team, extreme rage directed at other players after defeat, and allegations of abuse and fraud on the platform.
Example Usage
“I was battling Tim online in GTA5, and I took him out right when he least expected it. He was raging so hard, so I started spamming the Pepe copium emote, and that sent him over the edge. It was so funny.”
“Sounds like you need some copium there bro. That’s a rough one, but we all gotta get it sometime. Hang in there.”
“Will you people stop posting the copium emote? I get it, I lost, and there’s nothing I can do. You know what, I’ll give you what you want and log off.”
“Quick, post the copium emote. That guy just took a huge loss, and now he’s raging. It’s the perfect opportunity to drop it.”
Origin
The expression ‘copium’ originates from a 2003 album ‘Copium,’ released by rapper ‘Keak da Sneak.’ While the hip-hop artist coined the term, it would only gain viral traction in the r/the_meltdown subreddit some 10+ years later.
The r/the_meltdown subreddit became incredibly popular during Donald Trump's presidential campaign in 2016. After winning the election, Trump fans would publish the meme as a troll to the leftists that thought Trump didn’t stand a chance.
The meme features a ‘right-wing’ troll emote, ‘Pepe the Frog’ holding an oxygen mask to his mouth, with the word ‘copium’ written on the side of the O2 tank. The meme spread through Reddit, Twitch, and Twitter. Now it’s a common emote used by gamers on Twitch when someone loses a game.
Phrases Similar to Copium
- Chill out.
- Relax.
- Support.
Phrases Opposite to Copium
- Raging.
- Out of control.
What is the Correct Saying?
- Copium.
Ways People May Say Copium Incorrectly
Some people may confuse ‘copium;’ with other words like ‘hopium.’ ‘Copium describes a situation where someone is raging after taking a loss online, and people can use it to show support or troll the user.
Acceptable Ways to Phrase Copium
You can use the phrase ‘copium’ in online gaming chats, message boards, and forums like Reddit, 4Chan, and Twitch. It’s a popular meme of Pepe, the frog, and gamers use it to show their support for a gamer or troll them after experiencing a loss in a game.
If you were to take out someone in a game with a vendetta against you, you could post the meme or emote on the chat to troll them. Or you could post it after a friend gets taken out of the game and starts raging in the chat. It usually emits a funny response from the people in chat, and some might start spamming the emote to climb into the troll.