Damon and Stefan were both immensely popular in The Vampire Diaries. So much so that two teams formed - team Damon and team Stefan. This became even more obvious once Damon and Stefan both fought for Elena's affections. In the end, Damon won, but it wasn't an easy battle. The rivalry between the brothers existed for years even before Elena entered the picture, though.
Damon and Stefan also fought because of Katherine. That meant that Damon's fans, the ones who belonged in the team Damon, wanted to show their support of him. One common way of achieving this was making many memes that showed how great Damon is.
A Charming Villain
Damon switched sides in the end but that doesn't change the fact he was the first major villain of The Vampire Diaries. And many fans loved him just like that, as this meme posted by Sarah Roth points out. Even when he was at his worst and did what he wanted (including freely killing people), Damon still had a lot of charm that made it impossible for the fans to hate him for his evil actions.
Before And After
Throughout the series, multiple vampires switched their emotions off when the situation called for it. And some (such as Stefan) did it multiple times. Damon was one of them, and as this meme posted by We Heart It states, he was even more attractive when he had his emotions switched off.
Unlike Elena who changed into a duplicate of Katherine (except there could be only one Katherine) and Stefan who just became unhinged. When Damon switched his emotions off, he could still be charming except he no longer had that much respect for human lives.
A Full-Time Job
A lot of the fans liked the way Damon looked, and his appearance was one of the major reasons why he became so popular. It also didn't hurt that Damon seemed to have a good style and he knew how to dress to look great.
As this meme posted by Fanpop then suggests, Damon was often busy just sitting around and looking beautiful. Which, to be frank, can be a time-demanding, almost a full-time job.
Elena Doesn't Mince Her Words
When The Vampire Diaries started, it looked like the show would follow in the book series's footsteps and would let Stefan and Elena stay together. But all fans of the couple Elena and Damon were happy to find out that wasn't the case.
It took Elena quite some time but she fell for Damon in the end and she wasn't afraid to let Stefan know about her feelings for his brother, as this meme posted by shadowhunter97 shows. It was a real burn for Stefan but then again, Elena never was one to mince her words once somebody irritated her or once she made up her mind about something. It looked like Damon and Elena were soulmates and Elena never looked back with regret.
No Arguments There
Whatever Damon's insecurities are about (such as that Elena will never love him), one thing they're not about is his looks. Damon is very well aware he's attractive and his confidence also plays a major part when it comes to his success with the ladies. It's easy to imagine that if a situation similar to the one in this meme posted by We Heart It happened, Damon would react with his typical smirk and would feel better about himself afterward.
Damon Knows It
Speaking of Damon's confidence, one of the reasons why he might have been so drawn to Elena is that she excelled at resisting his charms. Elena wasn't impressed when Damon showed up and tried to get her for himself. She was in love with Stefan at that time and wouldn't budge no matter what Damon did or said.
Happening to a guy who was accustomed to getting his way thanks to his charm and good looks, that must have been a heavy blow for Damon. But judging by this meme posted by Spriha, it wouldn't hurt Damon to be just the tiniest bit more humble. Confidence is an attractive feature but less so when it turns into arrogance.
Each To Their Own
Even when Elena wasn't interested in Damon and didn't appreciate his charm and flirtatious nature, the same couldn't be said for many fans of the show. Plenty of Damon's fans liked him right from the start and were thrilled when Elena finally acknowledged her feelings for Damon and the two got together.
It took them quite a long time, though, and this meme posted by iamnotelenagilbert best explains the initial difference between Elena and the show's fans when it came to their attitude toward Damon.
Stefan Loves Damon
Damon and Stefan have continuously competed on the show since both of them were in love with Elena and wanted her for themselves. Damon had also promised Stefan he would make his life a living hell because of their ugly shared past.
But while Stefan might not have been thrilled about Damon in the beginning, Paul Wesley never had the same problem, or so it seems thanks to this meme posted by Kennedyannwarner. Many of Damon's fans would no doubt share Wesley's attitude when it comes to Damon's piercing blue eyes.