English language arts must be a class of both challenge and engagement. Joyful literacies can open the door to the unplanned and the new for both students and teachers as they center students' literacy experiences alongside the skills of the discipline, not just at the end of the year but, alternatively, throughout the whole school year. This article shares a rationale for teaching joyful literacies and provides insight into a teacher and students' joyful experiences analyzing self-selected pop culture trends.