A single repost from Elon Musk was all it took to push Grok Imagine’s “Soda Pop” dance template from a fun experiment into a fast-moving viral trend.
The feature, part of Grok app, animates still photos into short, high-energy dance clips—complete with popping footwork, playful hand gestures, and exaggerated swagger. Within hours of Musk amplifying a Soda Pop clip on X, creators, comedians, and casual users alike jumped in, flooding timelines with animated humans, pets, and even cartoon animals.
From One Clip to a Full-Blown Trend
The moment that kicked things off came from Jeffrey Weichsel, whose Soda Pop animation caught Musk’s attention. That signal boost proved powerful. Soon after, comedian Chrissie Mayr shared her own sharp-edged take, while other creators added their own flair—some glamorous, some absurd, all built on the same simple template.
What’s striking isn’t just the speed of the trend, but how broad it became. Users animated family dogs, rats, dinosaurs, and group photos, often joking in replies about testing the feature in spare moments between everyday tasks. The barrier to entry was almost nonexistent.
I love the Soda Pop 🥤 template from @Grok Imagine with @WeichselJenia pic.twitter.com/PsbitfDSaR
— Jeffrey Weichsel (@jeffreyweichsel) January 16, 2026
Why Grok Imagine Feels Different
Grok Imagine, developed by xAI, isn’t trying to be a full production studio. Instead, it leans hard into templates. Users pick a style, upload an image, optionally tweak a short prompt, and generate a clip in minutes.
That design choice matters. While many generative video tools emphasize control and customization, Grok Imagine prioritizes speed and social readiness. The result is content that feels tailor-made for feeds—short, expressive, and instantly shareable.
A Signal About Where AI Creativity Is Headed
The Soda Pop moment highlights a broader shift in generative AI. The next wave isn’t just about what models can do—it’s about how easily people can use them. By packaging creativity into recognizable, repeatable formats, tools like Grok Imagine lower the friction that often keeps casual users on the sidelines.
In that sense, Musk’s repost didn’t just spotlight a feature. It revealed how social amplification, combined with frictionless AI tools, can manufacture a trend almost overnight.
What Comes Next
If the momentum continues, Grok Imagine is likely to expand its template library, possibly leaning further into meme culture and seasonal formats. For now, Soda Pop stands as a case study in how quickly AI-powered creativity can spread when the right mix of simplicity, spectacle, and visibility comes together.
Grok Imagine’s Soda Pop isn’t just a viral dance—it’s a glimpse at how AI tools are evolving to match the rhythms of social media itself.