What Does "SDIYBT" Mean? It Has to Do with SpongeBob and Butts — Are We Cooked, Chat?

Let's face it: Not every TikTok trend is wholesome and sensical. In fact, some are downright weird. They range from wholesome and heartwarming to bizarre, NSFW, and occasionally disgusting.

And then there's "SDIYBT."

The trend took over TikTok in the summer of 2025, and it's just as bizarre and unfathomable as you might expect. It involves SpongeBob SquarePants, Plankton, and butts.

Let's back it up and explain. No pun intended.

To get it out of the way, we'll go ahead and explain that "SDIYBT" stands for "start diggin' in yo' butt, twin." Yes, really. And it comes from a scene in SpongeBob SquarePants where a frustrated and yearning Plankton resorts to turning SpongeBob into a robot in the hope that he can then order robot SpongeBob to make him a long-coveted Krabby Patty.

According to Know Your Meme, an unknown internet denizen made an edit of that scene, perhaps as far back as 2019. In the original, Plankton demands, "I want you to make me a Krabby Patty." To which robot SpongeBob responds, "*robot noises* Response: Why don't you ask me later?"

But in the edit, robot SpongeBob replies, "start diggin' in yo' butt, twin."

Why? Who knows. But it quickly became the Gen Z sound of summer 2025. TikTok quickly became filled with animations, edits, lip dubs, and more as the trend swept the internet. Eventually, it moved to Instagram.

And, unsurprisingly, the trend is a little bizarre. But at least it's pretty funny. Many users have harnessed the sound to use in situations where they want to rudely tell someone that they're out of luck.

In one video, a TikTok user captions, "When you get NeuraLink to speak with your pets and realize you wasted all that money just to hear shi like this:" which is, of course, "start diggin' in yo' butt, twin." The post wryly adds, "Also, now you have ads that play because you didn't get premium."

In another video, a user harnesses the sound to playfully chide a coworker who says the wrong thing at the wrong time, instead of paying attention, to which one replies, as one would, "start diggin' in yo butt, twin."

If you think the trend makes no sense, you're not alone. While people find it hilarious, many comment sections are filled with people asking what's happening through laughing tears or wondering if they missed something.

But honestly, it's not really supposed to make sense.

There's nothing Gen Z loves more than a trend that only makes sense to them, especially if it comes from an obscure reference that confuses their elders.

And "start diggin' in yo' butt, twin," is prime real estate for just such an opportunity.

Of course, that doesn't mean you can't get in on the trend. All you have to do is post your video with the hashtag "SDIYBT" and you're off to the races.