Halloween is days away, and that means one of the internet's most beloved recurring memes is back on schedule.

BuzzFeed, in a piece syndicated by both AOL and Yahoo, reports that the "I hate gay Halloween" meme has returned for another season, arriving — as the outlet's Gabrielle LaFrank puts it — "every October on the dot."

The meme's premise is simple: it celebrates gay people choosing Halloween costumes so niche and ultra-specific that, as the article describes it, maybe a handful of people or fewer will even recognize the reference.

The joke is framed as mock exasperation — the writer admits the meme makes her gasp, cringe, and laugh until there are tears in her eyes. Both AOL and Yahoo carry the identical BuzzFeed roundup, giving it wide distribution across the two portals on the same day.

What makes the 2026 installment notable, according to BuzzFeed, is how current the references have become.

The roundup highlights a "hot-off-the-presses" costume riffing on the Kelly Clarkson bird drama, posted by @jillboard on X. One quoted post from @cindehaa captures the appeal: "Three days ago, this would've been incomprehensible."

The roundup credits more than twenty creators, including @msnetik, @Brenbash, @micotoronto, @elphieupland, @brokenepobaby, @crvel_svmmer, @moonlightalx, @natey_bb, @filterflowers, @spinningturn, @DixPeyton, @virginnax, @apat10, @realdestinyh, @toribertha69, @sadandboujie, @billybinion, @tsismosito, @butchsucker_, @juliasnotonfire, @bendywendybitch, @doby75, and @joaninthegarden.

BuzzFeed argues the meme has evolved far beyond its origins. What began as a concept about hyper-specific costume choices has, per the article, "transformed into a hilarious meme that somehow gets better and better each year."

The humor depends on a kind of instant obsolescence — a costume reference to a viral moment from the same week lands harder precisely because it will be unintelligible within months.

With the holiday still ahead, BuzzFeed says it cannot wait to see what clever costumes people come up with as Halloween approaches — and it closes the roundup by asking readers what ultra-specific, oddly niche costume concept lives rent-free in their minds, inviting responses in the comments or an anonymous form.

The outlet also singles out the creators featured in the list, declaring that "every last one of these creative geniuses deserves to go viral this instant."