Cursed instruments are what happen when someone hears “make music” and replies, “I’m going to make a problem instead.” I was in the driveway with the porch light flickering and my neighbor’s kid practicing something that sounded like a goose learning taxes, and I thought… maybe the universe is trying to warn us. Have you ever seen a thing and immediately felt like it has a threatening aura?
When you're playing on Expert but you still need that emotional support capo.
Perfect for the person who wants to look like a punk rocker but sound like a lonely campfire.
Band camp hit a little different after the jazz ensemble took over.
Tell me you skipped music theory without telling me you skipped music theory.
That sign can't stop me because I can't read (and I love chaos).
Play one chord on this and you’re legally obligated to save the universe.
When the bard finally multi-classes into a tank.
Family reunions just got significantly more metal.
This is weird instruments chaos, the kind of music memes fuel that thrives on internet humor and questionable decisions. Some of these look like they’d summon a thunderstorm in a school band room. Others feel like they were built during a late-night “I can fix it” episode that got out of hand.
Let’s meet the cursed instruments you don’t make eye contact with
There are cursed instruments that are funny because they’re useless, and then there are cursed instruments that are funny because they’re technically usable, which is somehow worse. The useless ones are like decorative chaos. The usable ones are like… oh no, someone could actually bring this to an open mic. That’s how you get a new local legend.
The weird instruments in here also have that DIY confidence I both admire and fear. It’s the same vibe as “my uncle wired the ceiling fan himself” except now it’s musical. You can practically hear the sentence, “Hold on, I’ve got an idea,” right before a perfectly normal object becomes a sound-making threat.
And then there’s the category I call “internet humor made physical.” You know, the stuff that feels like a meme escaped your phone and crawled into the real world. It’s cosplay-level commitment, workshop-level craftsmanship, and absolutely zero interest in being subtle. Do I want to hear these played? Not really. Do I want to know who made them and why? Unfortunately, yes.
If you want more delightfully cursed creativity after this, you should absolutely read 20 DIY Projects That Started With Confidence And Ended With Screaming, 35 Thrift Store Treasures That Felt Slightly Haunted and 28 Outfits That Should’ve Been Stopped By One Honest Friend.
Mike Hartley is a suburban storyteller who respects artistic expression, fears the phrase “custom mod,” and would prefer his music gear to be less haunted.
Read Memes
Get Paid
Michael Hartley, or just "Mike," is an editor and seasoned meme historian whose articles have traced the evolution of meme humor from early Impact-font classics to today’s TikTok sensations. With nearly a decade spent as senior editor at ViralHype and as a regular contributor to Cheezburger, Mike has dissected the rise of meme legends such as Bad Luck Brian, Success Kid, and Doge. When he's not hunting down meme gold for Thunder Dungeon, Mike teaches workshops on meme marketing and the psychology behind shareable content.
