Bad Luck Brian Meme Generator

Also called “Unlucky”. Type your captions, then download it free.

A smiling teenage boy with reddish-blond hair and braces, wearing a red plaid sweater vest over a light blue polo, against a mottled purple yearbook backdrop. No caption is baked in.

Bad Luck Brian examples

Tap one to load its captions into the editor.

What is the Bad Luck Brian meme?

Bad Luck Brian is an Advice Animal built on a 2005–06 school portrait of Kyle Craven: braces, goofy grin, red plaid sweater vest, purple studio backdrop. Top line is a setup that sounds okay; bottom line is the humiliating reversal. The name “Brian” was invented by the friend who posted it — the kid in the photo is Kyle.

How the joke works: Top is a short hopeful or ordinary setup; bottom is the ironic unlucky reversal. Keep Impact off the face; this is the yearbook still, not Good Luck Brian.

Where it comes from

Yearbook outtake of Kyle Craven, Archbishop Hoban High School, 2005–06. Meme: Ian Davies, r/AdviceAnimals, 2012-01-23 (Know Your Meme: Bad Luck Brian). This PNG is the uncaptioned portrait.

When to use it

getting excited for an event that goes badly
small victories followed by an embarrassing consequence
school, work, or dating mishaps
accidentally making a situation worse
everyday bad timing and awkward social moments

How to make a Bad Luck Brian meme

1
Type your captionsFill in The hopeful setup and The unlucky outcome. You can also tap the meme and type right on it.
2
Pick a styleKeep the original look or switch to Impact, dark text, or subtitles. Add more text if the joke needs it.
3
Generate and downloadHit Generate meme, then save a PNG or JPG, or copy it straight into a chat.