There was a brief time period between its creation and its monetization where YouTube was a lawless wasteland. An internet cowboy's paradise where you could do and say anything because basically no grown-ups were watching (and there were no corporate sponsorships telling kids something didn't align with their brands.) It was just teens and young adults with iPhone 3s or digital cameras taping themselves doing silly things - but that's also the brand of comedy that inspired the people who are making, you know, actual programming now. Looking back at these videos isn't just fun - it's informational.

The impact of these videos was perhaps biggest for so-called 'Zillennials;' We may be a micro-generation, but we exist. If you were born in the 90's, you're probably going to have at least one moment watching these 8 classic YouTube videos where you ask, 'is THAT why I'm like this??' And the answer is yeah...yeah, it probably is.

Nigahiga

Nigahiga was THE YouTube phenomenon of the 2010s. Ryan Higa's famous YouTube account, known best for doing movie parodies and fake infomercials, was the number one content creater for a long time in the early days of the platform - so it makes sense that his channel is still active and making videos today (albeit with a much higher production value.)

The Big Bouncing Inflatible Green Ball informercial was my favorite of all his videos - the ridiculous infomercial parody is right on the money by proposing a solution to a nonexistent problem, and also because of the part where it goes "OH. PO-TA-TO." TEEHEE!

Charlie The Unicorn

Full disclosure: I went dressed as Charlie the Unicorn for Halloween in sixth grade. That's how much I loved this video. Now, as an adult watching it, I can see why my parents groaned every time I put it on. Those pink and blue unicorns are as annoying as Charlie acts like they are. Still, I couldn't help laugh at the magical leopleurodon.

Also, it's interesting to note that this dynamic - the one grumpy reluctant character with two or more bubbly enthusiastic ones - has become a major trope in modern TV, especially cartoons. Bob's Burgers anyone? (And Netflix's new show Inside Job has a bit of that energy, too.)

Muffins!

I don't have an explanation for Muffins. I really don't. This was the epitome of that LOLXD SO RANDOM humor that was borne of 2010s internet humor, those jokes from the waning days of AIM chats, when Facebook was just the new trendy site where everyone was blogging. This was one of those jokes that became common to video gags later on: You start with something seemingly normal, like blueberry flavor muffin, and slowly get more and more absurd, until you're offering cartoon muffins and blood muffins.

What do YOU want for breakfast, Donny?

Fred

Dear god. Oh Lord. It's Fred.

The pink and blue unicorns in Charlie the Unicorn had NOTHING on Fred. Picture, if you will, a stereotypical child with ADHD, then picture him being given entirely too much ritalin and left to his own devices. Oh, yeah, and with a voice pitched up into cartoon mouse territory. THAT was Fred.

Fred was a character created by teenage YouTuber Lucas Cruikshank - a young boy with an absent father and an overworked and consistently annoyed mother. Fred's many adventures included going swimming, going to a grocery store, chasing after his crush Judy, and fighting with his mortal enemy (and Judy's boyfriend), Kevin.

Fred actually got so popular that he was given a guest spot on iCarly, and then his own Nickelodeon special, which starred Jeanette McCurdy and John Cena. Thank god, that annoying voice was barely heard from after that.

Cruikshank, though, is still making videos - and as YouTube's first ever millionaire, why wouldn't he be? You can find his newer ones on his new channel, simply titled Lucas.

Jenna Marbles

One of the first ever popular vloggers, Jenna Marbles was actually still on YouTube just doing her thing until about a year ago. The comedic, Kesha-esque star garnered attention with her funny makeup videos, which, looking back at it, are actually filled with very real and biting commentary on how unrealistic and oppressive beauty standards were for women in 2009 (and also, the "cry over your Masters' Degree line, which is unfortunately STILL RELEVANT.)

But beauty tips and colorful commentary weren't the only things Jenna Marbles' channel had to offer back then. She would post rants about her day, silly videos of her dogs (everyone loved Kermit and Marbles), and even songs - I Hate Being A Grown Up is basically an anthem for everything that sucks about adult life, even still.

ASDFmovie

Speaking of LOLXD SO RANDOM humor - ASDF movie made no sense int he most WONDERFUL of ways. It was like the concept for Vine before Vine existed: All this guy's videos were just clips ten-or-so seconds long of jokes and visual gags. When he put them all together into one video, I felt like something had been unlocked.

Llamas With Hats

This one was very similar to Charlie the Unicorn: Talking animals, deadpan humor, casual murder, et cetera. But the nonchalant way these llamas talk actually reminds me very specifically of one show: It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia. The way they treat huge, giant issues like murder as though they're the "whoops, my bad" kind of mistake is exactly the same as when Charlie hatches some hare-brained scheme that involves several illegal things.

I'll be honest, I never even saw this one as a kid, but that's how I know it's a classic: I still always knew the line "Caaarl, that kills people!"

Miranda Sings

Oh Miranda Sings. The Queen of YouTubers Our Parents hated. I still remember a period of time where my best friends and I would just walk around talking to each other in a Miranda voice. I'm sure everyone loved it.

I'm also now remembering the sheer number of people who, back in the day, did not understand satire at all, and assumed that Miranda was a real person actually trying to sing in the comments. It was always fun to see her react to those - she even did it onstage once, in a comedy special called Haters Back Off that is now on Netflix.