Meaning
What does All I Wanted Was a Pepsi mean?
Origin
What's the origin of All I Wanted Was a Pepsi?
Institutionalized was featured on the debut album of Suicidal Tendencies, which was named after the band itself.
The album was released on July 5th, 1983, and the first video clip would be broadcast on MTV in 1984.
“All I wanted was a Pepsi” appeared in the second verse of the song, as the singer, Mike is describing how he was sent to a mental institution.
It became a popular line among punks across the globe, with numerous references appearing in art and music over the years.
Spread & Usage
How did All I Wanted Was a Pepsi spread?
The video clip was first uploaded to YouTube by BlankTV on February 24th, 2008.
“All I wanted was a Pepsi” wouldn’t be turned into a meme until 2011, when the first of the image macros would appear online.
These, however, wouldn’t gain a large popularity until March 2012, when Tumblr user the-numbers-game posted a photo of Mike Muir, the singer, with a text saying he was wrongfully institutionalized.
“All I wanted was a Pepsi” would quickly spread to Reddit, where it would still surge up, until 2015.

External resources
- Know Your Meme – All I Wanted Was a Pepsi