is bulking a meme?

File: skinnyfat beta.jpg (102KB, 500x375px) Image search: [Google]

102KB, 500x375px

I am a pretty skinny individual, a little doughy but working on it. Is it true I have to eat a ridiculous amount of calories (3000 according to myfitnesspal) to bulk?

I'm not trying to get too big, but definitely bigger and more muscular. I'm doing lots of physical activity: an intense gym session in the morning, walk around a lot for the rest of the day, and then usually an hour of tennis or basketball in the evening. these exercises make me need to eat a ton of calories.

however, I find myself hitting the protein macro pretty quickly; yesterday I hit like 190 grams when it says I only need like 160. However, I was still like 500 grams off from my calorie goal.

Even if I'm not eating as much as I should, will my body still get better, and will I still lose fat and gain muscle? I'm also eating really clean, so dont want to like eat a tub of ice cream to make up the lost calories