But as the immensely popular meme continued to grow, a bizarre phenomenon began to emerge.

Where "Harlem Shake" videos were once solely about fun and games, a trend towards serious repercussions (like people getting fired for creating "Harlem Shake" videos on the clock) and even politically-charged versions of the popular dance craze have taken hold.

There was an almost immediate backlash to Baauer's breakout song, primarily from disgruntled viewers upset that the wild flailing seen in a majority of the clips is not the "real" Harlem Shake, which is credited to Harlem dancer "Al B" in the early '80s, and was revived in urban music videos by the likes of Diddy more than 20 years later.