"[3] According to a 2023 survey of 1,500 American fathers and their partners, this particular gag was the most heard of the genre in nine U.S. states and the most common nationwide.

[4] Some dad jokes may be considered anti-jokes, deriving humor from a punchline that is intentionally not funny,[5] such as non sequiturs like: "Q: Why did the plane crash into the mountain?

[7] The term "dad jokes" received mentions in the American sitcom How I Met Your Mother in 2008[8] and the Australian quiz show Spicks and Specks in 2009.

[6] The U.S. Administration for Children and Families and the Ad Council launched the #dadjokesrule campaign in August 2017 to use the increasing popularity of the humor form to encourage positive father-child communication.

[11] In October 2021, Men's Health compiled 200 of "the best dad jokes of all time", sorting them into topical categories of punny, "groaners", sick, parenting, and "my wife".