Italian brainrot is a surreal internet meme trend that emerged in early 2025, featuring absurd AI-generated creatures with Italianized names and nonsensical Italian-style voiceovers

. The trend was first popularized on TikTok by the character Tralalero Tralala, a three-legged shark in sneakers, created on January 13, 2025, by the user @eZburger401, who later deleted their account

. Another early popularizer was TikTok user @noxaasht, who created the character Tung Tung Tung Sahur in February 2025

. The phenomenon originated within Italian meme communities but quickly spread internationally, gaining traction in the United States, Indonesia, and Europe by March 2025

. It is characterized by a mix of absurd visuals, AI-generated audio mimicking Italian accents, and nonsensical humor that appeals especially to Gen Z and Gen Alpha users

. The name "brainrot" refers to the mental overstimulation or "rotting" effect from consuming such trivial, chaotic content, a term recognized as Oxford's Word of the Year in 2024

. In summary, Italian brainrot was made and popularized by early TikTok creators such as @eZburger401 and @noxaasht, who used AI tools to generate the bizarre characters and surreal content that define the meme