“Karen” is a pejorative term for a white woman perceived as entitled or demanding beyond the scope of what is normal. The term is often portrayed in memes depicting white women who use their white privilege to demand their own way. Depictions include demanding to "speak to the manager", being racist, or wearing a particular bob cut hairstyle. A notable example was the Central Park birdwatching incident in 2020.
A more pointed explanation, which involves race, is the expression originating among Black people to refer to unreasonable white women. The term was popularized on Black Twitter as a meme used to describe white women who "tattle on black kids' lemonade stands" or who unleash the "violent history of white womanhood". Bitch magazine described Karen as a term that originated with Black women but was co-opted by white men. In an article on high profile incidents in the U.S. of white women calling the police on Black people, The Guardian called 2020 "the year of Karen".
