The late aughts introduced the internet to creepypastas, a term coined in 2007, blending the words “creepy” and “copypasta,” referring to horror stories copied and pasted online.

Some famous creepypastas include Jeff the Killer, a story about a pale-faced 13-year-old going on a serial killing spree after losing his mind due to being burned during a fight with some bullies; Smile Dog, a hellhound husky who terrorizes people to “spread the word” and share his photo, Smile.jpg, or else he would kill them; and others.

Creepypastas were popular during the late 2000s and early 2010s, which raises the question of whether they remain relevant in the 2020s.

Although creepypastas are not nearly as popular as they were during their peak in 2010, there is a niche of people on the internet who are still active and involved with the creepypasta community.

Creepypastas are still being written on the Creepypasta website to this day in 2025. The famous creepypastas are still well-known and still referenced or remediated on social media in short video format.

Another fandom that is associated with creepypasta as a subset that may have more relevance today is the SCP Foundation, or Secure, Contain, Protect Foundation, a fictional organization responsible for containing otherworldly anomalies and protecting citizens around the globe from their influence. The SCP Foundation has had a significant cultural impact on the internet, with many adding their own SCPs and creating games on Roblox or Steam involving the anomalies, along with memes.

It appears that creepypastas have evolved and branched into these subsets to maintain their relevancy in a new, refined way that goes beyond just copying and pasting a horror story.

Another subset of creepypasta or scary story media that has been gaining popularity in the 2020s is analog horror. Analog horror is a format of horror storytelling that brings an unsettling feeling to the viewer with the static video of a VHS tape, old computerized voices and vibes from the 80s — an immersive horror experience that feels like you’ve come across a tape that was prohibited for viewing. Battington’s Five Nights at Freddy’s analog horror is notorious for this genre, as it fits well with the animatronic eatery vibes back in the 80s.

While the original creepypastas aren’t as popular today in 2025, they have evolved with time to form new media that is relevant to current-day users.