No single person can be definitively credited with “inventing” the dab dance, but it is widely agreed that it emerged from the Atlanta hip‑hop scene in the early 2010s, especially among artists on the Quality Control label.

Quick Scoop

  • The dab is a simple dance move where a person drops their head into the crook of a bent arm while raising the opposite arm diagonally, like a stylized sneeze pose.
  • It started showing up in Atlanta clubs and videos around 2013–2014, then went mainstream by 2015 through rap hits and viral clips.

Who Gets The Credit?

  • Several Atlanta rappers have claimed to be behind the move, especially Skippa Da Flippa, Migos, OG Maco, Rich the Kid, Peewee Longway and others associated with Quality Control Music.
  • Migos at one point claimed they invented the dab, but later acknowledged Skippa Da Flippa as a key creator after pushback from label‑mate OG Maco.

So, Who “Invented” The Dab?

  • Many writers and fans treat Skippa Da Flippa as the most likely originator, but even then, the move probably evolved in Atlanta’s local scene before any one artist put a name and song to it.
  • Some cultural commentators even suggest it may have started with unnamed Atlanta teens and dancers, with rappers being the first to popularize and monetize it.

How It Went Viral

  • The dab exploded into global pop culture once athletes, especially NFL quarterback Cam Newton, started using it as a touchdown celebration in 2015.
  • From there it spread to YouTubers, politicians, and everyday social media users, turning from a local Atlanta dance into a meme and then a nostalgic early‑2010s trend.

Bottom line: if someone asks “who invented the dab,” the safest answer is that it came out of the early‑2010s Atlanta hip‑hop scene, with Skippa Da Flippa and other Quality Control artists often cited as key originators, rather than a single undisputed inventor.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.