Lampshading

Not to be confused with Parody The UnTrash, the act of satirically referencing an UnTrash.

When characters Bend The Fourth Wall by alluding or directly referencing an UnTrash. An example of an instance of Lampshading is when Guy wakes up and finds himself in the Surreal Dimension. After spending time enjoying the weirdness of the Dimension, he says, "This better not all turn out to be a dream," Lampshading All Just A Dream.

Lampshading normally happens to make fun of bad UnTrashes, like Slowed Enemy or Ex Machina, to further empathize that they are bad and it's not okay to play them. That's why it's easy to confuse Lampshading with Parody The UnTrash.

Examples of Lampshading
The Amazing World of Gumball - The Finale. At the very end of the episode as the Wattersons are about to be engulfed by an Angry Mob, Gumball says "The only thing that can save us is reality being completely reset by some kind of magic device!", almost directly referencing Reset Button, an UnTrash that episodic TV shows are known to play at the end of their episodes. As to be expected, Gumball is proven correct as the next episode and season 3's first episode, The Coach, resets all events that took place in The Finale.

The Simpsons - Bart Sells His Soul. Bart has a dream in which children from his school are playing with their souls. Martin calls the kids to find a first mate to row with as they head to a shining, beyond-shore city in the distance. Bart, lacking his soul, fails to row to the city while Milhouse sets oar with both his own and Bart's soul. Terri and Sherri paddle by and sing the following rhyme: "Bart, it's time to end this dream. / And don't forget the standard scream." This Lampshades Morning Screamer, which Bart promptly plays afterward.