The Quirky, Iconic Wednesday Addams Dance That Shook Social Media

When Netflix dropped Season 1 of its Addams Family spinoff Wednesday in November 2022, no one could have predicted that one quirky dance scene would take the internet by storm. But that‘s exactly what happened when Jenna Ortega‘s Wednesday Addams hit the dance floor at Nevermore Academy‘s Rave‘N in Episode 4.

In the now-iconic scene, Wednesday breaks out into a peculiar solo dance to the song "Goo Goo Muck" by The Cramps. Her jerky, wild moves and signature deadpan expression had audiences hitting the replay button again and again. Within days, the 60-second clip had gone mega-viral across every social media platform.

The Choreography

What made the dance so memorable? First and foremost, the brilliant physical comedy of Jenna Ortega. The 20-year-old actress totally committed to Wednesday‘s bizarre dance style, reportedly choreographing it herself just days before the scene was shot.

"I choreographed that myself and I think it‘s very obvious that I‘m not a dancer or choreographer," Ortega told NME. She took inspiration from Siouxsie Sioux, Bob Fosse‘s Rich Man‘s Frug, Lisa Loring, Lene Lovich, Denis Lavant, and archival footage of goths dancing in clubs in the 1980s.

The end result was a chaotic mashup of flailing arms, spastic head whips, kicks, shimmies, and awkward hand gestures. There was nothing graceful or polished about it—which is precisely why it worked so well. The dance wasn‘t trying to be cool; it was 100% pure unfiltered Wednesday.

Ortega‘s commitment to the bit was especially impressive given that she was suffering from COVID-19 while filming the scene. "Yeah, I woke up and – it‘s weird, I never get sick and when I do it‘s not very bad – I had the body aches," She told NME. "I felt like I‘d been hit by a car and that a little goblin had been let loose in my throat and was scratching the walls of my esophagus."

The Music

Besides the dancing itself, a big part of the scene‘s appeal was the song choice. "Goo Goo Muck" is a cover of a 1962 single by Ronnie Cook and the Gaylads, but The Cramps‘ 1981 version with its heavy punk rock sound was a perfect match for Wednesday‘s ghoulish vibe.

Notably, this wasn‘t the first time "Goo Goo Muck" had been used in a pop culture dance scene. It also appeared in the 1986 film Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 in a very similar context—a spontaneous, creepy solo dance by the character Chop Top.

So in a way, Wednesday‘s dance had some built-in cultural cachet for horror buffs and 80s alternative music fans. But for most viewers, it was their first time hearing the song in full, sending thousands on a Shazam quest to ID the banger track.

By The Numbers

Just how big of a splash did Wednesday‘s dance make? Let‘s look at some statistics:

Across all major social media platforms, videos related to Wednesday‘s dance have racked up well over a billion cumulative views. The #WednesdayAddams hashtag on TikTok alone has been viewed a staggering 11.8 billion times.

On Spotify, "Goo Goo Muck" saw a 9,500% increase in streams in the first week after the show premiered, eventually racking up over 5 million global plays. Not bad for a punk song from 1981.

And of course, there was no shortage of articles, listicles, and reaction videos about the dance plastered all over news sites and YouTube. Saturday Night Live even parodied the dance in a sketch starring Jenna Ortega herself.

Simply put, Wednesday‘s dance took over the internet—and it did so at record speed.

The TikTok Effect

A huge part of the dance‘s popularity can be attributed to TikTok, where countless users filmed themselves recreating Wednesday‘s moves. But rather than using the actual scene audio, most TikTokers performed their dances to a sped-up remix of Lady Gaga‘s 2011 deep cut "Bloody Mary."

This trend revealed TikTok‘s incredible power as a platform to drive cultural phenomena. A single video using the "Bloody Mary" remix went so viral that it completely changed how people engaged with and shared the Wednesday dance. Suddenly, you didn‘t need to know the original context to join in on the fun—you just needed to know the trend.

What‘s more, the use of a Lady Gaga song tapped into the massive Little Monster fanbase, many of whom were thrilled to see Mother Monster‘s music getting a boost from an unexpected source. Gaga even acknowledged the trend herself, quote-tweeting a post from the official Wednesday Addams Twitter account.

This one-two punch of a viral TV moment and a TikTok audio trend was more than enough to launch the Wednesday dance into the social media hall of fame. It was the perfect storm in a world where remixing and recontextualizing content is not just common, but actively encouraged.

The Netflix Bump

The astronomical popularity of the Wednesday dance certainly didn‘t hurt viewership for the show as a whole. According to Netflix, Wednesday Season 1 logged 341.2 million hours viewed in its first week, and over 1 billion hours in its first month—a record for an English language series on the platform.

Much of that success can be attributed to Netflix‘s savvy use of social media to promote the show. The official Netflix accounts kept the momentum going by sharing fan-made content, behind-the-scenes clips, and highlight reels emphasizing the show‘s most meme-able moments.

This strategy demonstrates how streaming platforms are increasingly relying on social media virality to drive engagement and attract new subscribers. In the age of TikTok, a single shareable scene can be more valuable than a traditional ad campaign.

Other Netflix properties like Stranger Things have seen similar social media boosts, but Wednesday‘s success felt uniquely organic. Fans came out in droves to celebrate the show and especially Jenna Ortega‘s note-perfect portrayal of the titular character.

The Future of Wednesday

As of March 2023, Wednesday has officially been renewed for Season 2. Details are scarce, but it‘s safe to assume that Netflix will look to capitalize on what worked in Season 1—and that absolutely includes viral dance moments.

Whether Jenna Ortega will be able to come up with another piece of choreography that rivals the original remains to be seen. Capturing lightning in a bottle is never guaranteed. But if there‘s any character who‘s up for the challenge, it‘s Wednesday Addams.

Ultimately, the runaway success of Wednesday‘s dance speaks to the enduring popularity of The Addams Family franchise and its wonderfully wacky characters. In a pop culture landscape dominated by superheroes and action blockbusters, there‘s still a place for gothic oddballs doing their own thing.

Wednesday‘s dance was a breath of fresh air and a reminder that sometimes the internet can rally around something just because it‘s weird, fun, and incredibly well-executed. It brought a sense of joy and shared experience at a time when we needed it most.

So while the trend may eventually fade, the impact of Wednesday‘s dance will be felt for a long time to come. It was a masterclass in how to make a moment, and how to keep that moment alive long after the credits roll. For that, we owe Wednesday Addams a debt of gratitude.

Now if you‘ll excuse me, I have a TikTok dance to learn.