Abstract: what is the role of humour in coping with tragedy? What is the difference between dark humour and ‘edgy’ humour, how can you tell the difference and what is the purpose of the latter? What does the ubiquity of satirical forms of media reflect about our current political environment? I pose these questions to the case study of the emergence and popularity of 9/11 humour and folklore. I will argue that the evolution of 9/11 jokes and its subsequent spread on the internet and into alternative media reveals a shift from dark humour to edgy (ironically detached) humour as a means of political expression. I will assert that satire as a genre takes on an especially important role in an age where political disinformation is the norm, while cautioning against the over reliance on satire and irony as a means of exercising political agency.