At the age of 80, she's 'riding a/the wave of' renewed interest in her work. [=she's experiencing a time when many people are interested in her work again]
The traffic cop 'waved' cars 'through'. [=waved in a way that told drivers to continue driving through a particular area]
The new school has triggered a 'wave' of optimism [=has made many people feel optimistic] about the public school system.
(..) In one minute, there were blue boys out there... all knowing exactly what the fuck they were doing, and they were all there! Remember that second wave that showed up in the cars? Those were the ones responding to the alarm, but those first motherfuckers... they were there (..)1992 Reservoir Dogs