The "Yikes" meme is a staple of internet culture, often represented by the 😬 (Grimacing Face) emoji. It is the ultimate digital reaction for moments of extreme awkwardness, secondary embarrassment, or minor peril.
While "Yikes" has been part of the English language for decades, its life as a meme took off with specific reaction images of people making tight-lipped, bared-teeth expressions. The yikes emoji perfectly captures that "cringe" feeling when something goes wrong.