50 Gen Z and Gen Alpha Slang Words: Meanings, Origins, Examples and Viral Links ·

Quick answer: Gen Z and Gen Alpha slang is a fast-moving mix of memes, gaming vocabulary, livestream culture, fandom language, African American English, Black queer culture, music, and social-media shorthand.
This guide explains 50 terms people actually use online, where they came from, how widely they spread, and how to use them without sounding like a brand trying to sell you a “sigma productivity” course.

If you have seen people say rizz, delulu, cooked, aura, brainrot, skibidi, or Fanum tax and wondered whether everyone else got a secret dictionary, you are not alone.

This article covers:

What 50 popular slang terms mean
Where each word or phrase originated, where the history is known
How popular each term is today
A natural example sentence
The creator, stream, YouTube video, meme, or platform that helped it go viral
Cultural context that is easy to miss when slang becomes mainstream

[!NOTE] Many words now called “Gen Z slang” were not invented by Gen Z. Several terms have roots in African American English (AAE/AAVE), Black music, Black queer culture, ballroom culture, gaming, drag culture, and fandom communities. TikTok can make a word feel new even when it has been used in another community for years. NBC News

How popularity ratings work #

The popularity ratings below are editorial estimates rather than a scientific count of every mention online.

★★★★★ — Mainstream: Widely understood beyond TikTok, gaming, or Gen Z spaces.
★★★★☆ — Very popular: Common on TikTok, YouTube, Twitch, Instagram, memes, and group chats.
★★★☆☆ — Online-popular: Familiar in specific communities, fandoms, or younger online spaces.
★★☆☆☆ — Niche or fading: Still recognisable but more ironic, regional, platform-specific, or past its peak.
★☆☆☆☆ — Highly niche: Mostly understood inside a particular fandom, meme, or creator community.

Laptop, phone and notebook on a desk, representing digital language, online trends and creator culture

50 Gen Z and Gen Alpha slang words #

#	Slang term	Meaning	Popularity	Origin and viral route	Example sentence
1	Rizz	Charm, charisma, or flirting ability	★★★★★	Widely associated with streamer Kai Cenat, who popularised the word during 2021 Twitch e-date streams with creators including Silky and Duke Dennis. It then spread through TikTok, YouTube clips and memes. Oxford named rizz its 2023 Word of the Year. Merriam-Webster · Kai Cenat history	“He made one joke, got her number, and left. Serious rizz.”
2	Delulu	Delusional; usually used playfully for wildly optimistic thinking	★★★★★	A shortened form of delusional that circulated in K-pop fandom spaces before becoming mainstream through TikTok in the early 2020s. Merriam-Webster	“I’m delulu enough to think my favourite artist will reply to my comment.”
3	Cap	A lie, exaggeration, or false claim	★★★★★	Connected to older Black slang and hip-hop language, then amplified by social media, rap lyrics, memes and TikTok. Dictionary.com	“You said you completed the entire project in one hour? That’s cap.”
4	No cap	Honestly; for real; no lie	★★★★★	The opposite of cap. It became a common online intensifier through rap, social-media posts, gaming chats and memes. Dictionary.com	“No cap, that was the best concert I have ever attended.”
5	Bet	Okay, agreed, definitely, or challenge accepted	★★★★★	Used in African American English for decades before spreading through mainstream conversation, music, gaming and short-form video. Merriam-Webster	“Meet outside at eight?” “Bet.”
6	Sus	Suspicious, sketchy, or untrustworthy	★★★★★	Short for suspicious. The term is older than the game, but it surged again during the pandemic-era popularity of Among Us. Merriam-Webster	“He suddenly volunteered to pay for everything? That is sus.”
7	Mid	Average, disappointing, or underwhelming	★★★★★	A short, flexible internet insult used in music, sports, gaming, fashion and pop-culture arguments. It spread widely through reaction content and meme discourse.	“Everyone hyped the finale, but I thought it was mid.”
8	Slay	To do something exceptionally well; to look amazing	★★★★★	Has significant roots in Black and LGBTQ+ / drag culture before broader mainstream social-media adoption. NBC News	“She absolutely slayed that performance.”
9	Ate	Performed exceptionally well	★★★★★	Often heard in fashion, music, fandom, and drag-influenced online spaces; it is commonly paired with “left no crumbs.”	“She ate that red-carpet look.”
10	Left no crumbs	Did something so well that there is nothing left to criticise	★★★★☆	A dramatic compliment that travelled through stan Twitter, TikTok, fashion commentary and pop-fandom spaces.	“The dancers ate and left no crumbs.”
11	Cooked	In trouble, exhausted, defeated, or beyond saving	★★★★★	Gaming and sports slang helped popularise the modern usage. It can also mean someone did an excellent job, depending on context.	“The deadline is tonight, I have not started, and I’m cooked.”
12	Let him cook	Let someone continue because their idea may pay off	★★★★☆	Became a popular online reaction phrase in gaming, sports, Twitch chats, meme pages and video-comment sections.	“The opening is confusing, but let the director cook.”
13	It’s giving…	It resembles, evokes, or has the energy of something	★★★★★	Related to giving and serving language used in Black and queer cultural spaces. TikTok and style commentary pushed it into broader use.	“That coat is giving detective in a rainy city.”
14	Serving	Presenting a look, attitude, or performance impressively	★★★★☆	Common in fashion, ballroom, drag and pop-fandom conversations before becoming an internet-wide compliment.	“He is serving vintage rock-star energy today.”
15	Main character energy	Self-assured, cinematic confidence; sometimes self-centred behaviour	★★★★☆	Popularised as a TikTok trend around 2020; it can be sincere praise or a criticism of someone making everything about themselves. Merriam-Webster	“Taking yourself to dinner with a book is main character energy.”
16	Aura	Coolness, confidence, presence, or social appeal	★★★★☆	Older word, newer meme meaning. Sports clips, TikTok edits and online reactions turned “aura” into a score for perceived coolness.	“Catching the train just as the doors close is plus 100 aura.”
17	Aura points	Imaginary points gained or lost for looking cool	★★★★☆	A meme-based scoring system popular in sports edits, TikTok, YouTube Shorts and reaction videos.	“Dropping your phone during a speech is minus 500 aura.”
18	Vibe	Mood, atmosphere, or feeling	★★★★★	An older word that remains foundational online, especially in phrases such as “good vibes” and “vibe check.”	“This café has a quiet, rainy-day vibe.”
19	Vibe check	An informal test of mood, attitude, or social fit	★★★★☆	Spread through memes, reaction posts, group chats and social platforms during the late 2010s.	“That reply failed the vibe check.”
20	Low-key	Slightly, quietly, secretly, or somewhat	★★★★★	Not new, but heavily used by younger speakers as a conversational softener.	“I’m low-key excited for the new season.”
21	High-key	Openly, strongly, or obviously	★★★★☆	Used as the opposite of low-key, especially in online conversation and casual speech.	“I high-key need a weekend without notifications.”
22	IYKYK	“If you know, you know”	★★★★☆	Widely used as an Instagram, TikTok, Twitter/X and meme caption for inside jokes and niche references.	“The final elevator scene, IYKYK.”
23	POV	“Point of view”; a caption framing a scenario	★★★★★	Borrowed from film vocabulary, then turned into a major TikTok, Reels and YouTube Shorts format.	“POV: You remember the deadline is tonight.”
24	FYP	“For You Page”	★★★★☆	TikTok’s recommendation feed made this platform term everyday shorthand for algorithmically discovered content.	“That recipe has appeared on my FYP five times today.”
25	Chronically online	Excessively immersed in internet culture or online arguments	★★★★☆	A teasing critique common on Twitter/X, Reddit, TikTok, Discord and commentary YouTube. It is not a medical diagnosis.	“Only someone chronically online would understand that reference.”
26	Brainrot	Mindless online content or an obsessive fixation on a meme, fandom, game or show	★★★★★	The phrase is much older than social media—it appeared in Henry David Thoreau’s Walden in 1854—but Gen Z and Gen Alpha gave it a new online meaning. Oxford chose brain rot as its 2024 Word of the Year, after usage rose 230% from 2023 to 2024. Oxford · BBC	“I know every line from that game because I have lore brainrot.”
27	Doomscrolling	Compulsively scrolling through negative or distressing news	★★★★☆	Became especially common during the early 2020s, when many people described endless scrolling through pandemic, political and crisis news.	“I had to stop doomscrolling before bed.”
28	Touch grass	Log off, go outside, and regain perspective	★★★★☆	An internet put-down for someone who seems too invested in online arguments, gaming or fandom drama.	“After 60 replies about a fictional character, he needed to touch grass.”
29	NPC	Someone acting robotic, predictable, or unoriginal	★★★★☆	Originally a gaming term for a “non-player character,” with roots in tabletop role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons. It later became an online insult and meme. Use it cautiously. Know Your Meme	“The joke is that everyone becomes an NPC before their first coffee.”
30	Lore	Backstory, history, or accumulated context	★★★★☆	Borrowed from fantasy, gaming and fandom culture, then applied jokingly to personal history and everyday drama. It was also shortlisted for Oxford’s 2024 Word of the Year. Oxford	“You cannot understand their friendship without knowing the full lore.”
31	Canon event	A formative experience that feels inevitable, even if it is embarrassing or painful	★★★★☆	Popularised by Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and then adapted into a meme about life lessons people must learn for themselves.	“Letting him send that risky text is a canon event.”
32	The ick	A sudden feeling of disgust or loss of attraction	★★★★☆	An older phrase revived by dating content, podcasts and TikTok relationship discussions.	“Watching him clap when the plane landed gave her the ick.”
33	Situationship	A romantic or sexual connection without a clearly defined commitment	★★★★★	The term became widespread through modern dating discourse, social media and relationship advice content. It is now dictionary-recognised. Merriam-Webster	“They text every day but never call it dating—it’s a situationship.”
34	Soft launch	A subtle or partial reveal of a relationship, product, or project	★★★★☆	Popularised by Instagram and TikTok users posting hints rather than clear announcements.	“She soft-launched her boyfriend with a photo of two coffees and one hand.”
35	Hard launch	A clear, public, unmistakable reveal	★★★★☆	The social-media counterpart to a soft launch, common in relationship posts and brand announcements.	“They hard-launched the relationship with a holiday photo together.”
36	Beige flag	A harmless but oddly specific habit	★★★☆☆	A playful variation on red flags and green flags, popularised through TikTok dating and personality videos.	“His beige flag is setting five alarms and waking up before all of them.”
37	Red flag	A warning sign in a relationship, friendship, or situation	★★★★★	An older phrase made ubiquitous by dating, self-help and therapy-adjacent content online.	“Being rude to service staff is a red flag.”
38	Green flag	A positive sign of maturity, safety, or compatibility	★★★★☆	Spread as the positive counterpart to red flag, especially through dating and relationship content.	“Listening without interrupting is a green flag.”
39	Simp	Someone showing excessive devotion or admiration, often to gain attention	★★★★☆	Older than TikTok and widely used in music and internet culture. It can be insulting or sexist depending on context, so use care. Merriam-Webster	“Buying every item from a creator’s merch drop is simp behaviour.”
40	Stan	An intensely devoted fan; also, to strongly support someone	★★★★☆	Closely associated with Eminem’s 2000 song “Stan,” which told the story of an obsessive fan. Merriam-Webster	“I stan her older albums, but the new one is not for me.”
41	GOAT	“Greatest of all time”	★★★★★	Long-running sports and pop-culture acronym, still highly active in social-media arguments and fan communities.	“For many fans, that goalkeeper is the GOAT.”
42	Bussin’	Extremely good, especially delicious	★★★★☆	Connected to African American English and spread further through TikTok food videos, memes and music.	“These noodles are bussin’.”
43	Drip	Stylish clothing, fashion, or accessories	★★★★☆	Has roots in rap culture from the late 1990s and early 2000s, then spread through fashion content, sports edits and TikTok.	“The jacket is simple, but the whole outfit has drip.”
44	Cheugy	Out of touch, unfashionable, or trying too hard	★★☆☆☆	Coined by Gaby Rasson in 2013, then viral after a 2021 TikTok post. The word itself is now often used ironically or described as dated. Merriam-Webster	“That slogan feels a little cheugy now.”
45	Goblin mode	Unapologetically messy, lazy, or self-indulgent behaviour	★★★☆☆	Oxford’s 2022 Word of the Year, reflecting anti-polished, post-lockdown internet humour. Oxford	“I spent Sunday in goblin mode: snacks, blankets, and no plans.”
46	Girl dinner	A casual meal made from snacks, leftovers, or random small foods	★★★★☆	Credited to TikTok creator Olivia Maher and later added to Dictionary.com. It spread through TikTok food videos and parody posts. The New York Times	“Crackers, cheese, fruit, and olives: tonight is girl dinner.”
47	Sigma	An ironic “lone wolf” archetype, usually a supposedly independent man	★★★★☆	Grew from alpha/beta male internet culture and became a frequent Gen Alpha joke through YouTube Shorts, gaming clips, TikTok and meme compilations. Merriam-Webster	“He brought lunch from home and called himself a sigma.”
48	Skibidi	A deliberately absurd online reference with no stable definition	★★★★★	Linked to the viral animated YouTube series Skibidi Toilet by DaFuq!?Boom!. It became a Gen Alpha meme term that can mean weird, cool, bad, silly, or nothing at all. Merriam-Webster	“Why is this group chat so skibidi today?”
49	Fanum tax	Playfully taking some of a friend’s food	★★★★☆	Named after streamer Fanum, whose running joke involved taking food from AMP friends, especially Kai Cenat. The phrase spread through Twitch clips, YouTube compilations and TikTok. WIRED interview · Know Your Meme	“Stop taking my fries. That is not a Fanum tax.”
50	Ohio	Weird, cursed, chaotic, or embarrassingly bad, usually as a joke	★★★☆☆	The “Only in Ohio” meme grew across TikTok, YouTube Shorts, gaming memes and image-caption accounts during the early 2020s.	“That AI-generated menu is straight out of Ohio.”

Viral streams, videos and creator links #

These links are useful for readers who want to see the internet culture behind the words. They are external embeds or references; always check a video’s availability and age rating before displaying it on your site.

Rizz: Kai Cenat and Twitch culture #

Kai Cenat became closely associated with the mainstream rise of rizz through e-date livestreams in 2021. The word later spread through TikTok edits, YouTube reposts, reaction videos, and meme accounts. NBC News

Fanum tax: AMP, Fanum and Kai Cenat #

Fanum tax began as a recurring AMP-stream joke: Fanum would take a small amount of food from friends, particularly Kai Cenat. Clips spread from Twitch to YouTube and TikTok in late 2022 and 2023. WIRED · Know Your Meme

Skibidi: DaFuq!?Boom! and YouTube animation #

Skibidi is closely tied to Skibidi Toilet, the surreal animated YouTube series created by DaFuq!?Boom!. The word later became a catch-all piece of Gen Alpha absurdist humour. Merriam-Webster

Brainrot: from older writing to internet culture #

The phrase brain rot was first recorded in Henry David Thoreau’s 1854 book Walden, but its modern meaning is strongly tied to online content, doomscrolling, memes and algorithm-driven platforms. Oxford reported a 230% increase in its usage from 2023 to 2024 and selected it as the 2024 Word of the Year. Oxford University Press · BBC

Slang with deeper cultural roots #

It is easy to call every unfamiliar expression “TikTok slang.” It is also often inaccurate.

African American English and Black culture #

Terms such as cap, no cap, bet, drip, bussin’, and lit are connected to Black language, music, and cultural expression. Some gained visibility through hip-hop; others spread through creators, short-form video, gaming chats, memes, and mainstream marketing.

African American English is not a temporary online trend. It is a complete language variety with a history that predates TikTok, Instagram, Twitch, YouTube, and modern social media by generations.

Queer, drag and ballroom culture #

Words including slay, serving, reading, shade, and many expressions about fashion, confidence, and performance have important ties to Black queer, ballroom, and drag communities.

Using a term is not automatically disrespectful. The problem is treating culturally rooted language as a new invention simply because it became popular on a mainstream platform.

Gaming, streaming and fandom culture #

Some of the biggest slang terms began in online communities:

NPC comes from tabletop role-playing games and video games.
Lore and canon event come from fantasy, gaming, fandom, and franchise culture.
Rizz and Fanum tax became mainstream through Twitch, YouTube, stream clips and creator communities.
Delulu moved from K-pop fandom spaces to general social media.
Skibidi is inseparable from absurdist YouTube meme culture.

How to use slang naturally #

The best way to sound natural is usually to use less slang, not more.

Match the setting. “Bet” works in a group chat. It probably does not belong in a job application, client email, legal document, or condolence message.
Use words you genuinely hear around you. Slang changes by city, country, age group, community, school, gaming circle, and platform.
Know the tone. “Cooked” can mean doomed or brilliant. “Main character energy” can be praise or criticism. Context decides which meaning people hear.
Do not turn slang into a costume. If a phrase has roots in AAVE, ballroom, drag, or a specific fandom, learn the context rather than treating it as disposable trend material.
Be careful with insults. Calling someone an NPC, simp, delulu, or chronically online may be funny among close friends and rude nearly everywhere else.
Use clear language when it matters. “That seems suspicious” never expires. “That is sus” may be perfect—or may date your writing instantly.

Natural vs. forced slang #

Natural:

“The deadline is tonight, I have written two sentences, and I’m cooked.”

Forced:

“Greetings, team. No cap, this quarterly report is bussin’, and we are serving main-character sigma energy.”

The first uses one phrase to add personality. The second sounds like a social-media manager has been left unsupervised near the company newsletter.

Frequently asked questions #

Is Gen Z slang really invented by Gen Z? #

Not always. Many terms associated with Gen Z existed before Gen Z popularised them. Others come from African American English, Black queer culture, gaming, music, drag, livestreaming, K-pop, and fandom communities.

TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, Twitch clips, Discord servers and meme pages make slang travel faster. They do not always create it.

What is the difference between Gen Z and Gen Alpha slang? #

There is a lot of overlap.

Gen Z slang is often connected to social media, gaming, fandoms, streaming, memes and the internet culture of the 2010s and 2020s. Gen Alpha slang is especially associated with gaming humour, YouTube Shorts, short-form video, creator culture, and intentionally absurd “brainrot” phrases such as skibidi, sigma, and Fanum tax.

What does skibidi actually mean? #

There is no precise, stable definition. Skibidi is mainly a reference to the viral Skibidi Toilet series and absurd Gen Alpha meme culture.

Depending on the context, it can mean weird, cool, bad, silly, chaotic, or nothing at all. The absence of a strict definition is part of the joke.

Is brainrot a real word? #

Yes. It is widely recognised in dictionaries and major publications, though people often use it humorously. In current internet language, it can mean low-value or repetitive online content, or an obsessive attachment to a fandom, game, show, meme, or creator.

Oxford selected brain rot as its 2024 Word of the Year, and later added it to the Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press

Which slang words are safe at work? #

Use clear language first. In informal teams, terms such as vibe, low-key, lore, or GOAT may work if they already suit the workplace culture.

Avoid trend-heavy terms, insults, and culturally specific expressions unless you know your audience well. If you would not say it to a client, do not put it in a company-wide announcement.

Final thoughts #

Slang is a snapshot of how people make language playful, social, ironic, and expressive. Some words will become ordinary vocabulary. Others will become screenshots people laugh at in three years.

That is normal.

Learn the meaning, understand the context, credit the culture when it matters, and remember: knowing what rizz means is useful. Trying to demonstrate your rizz in every sentence is how you lose it.

Sources and further reading #

Join the conversation #

Internet slang changes faster than almost any dictionary can keep up with. Did we miss a word that is everywhere in your group chat, school, gaming server, TikTok feed, or Discord community?

Drop it in the comments with what it means, where you first heard it, and an example of how people use it. No cap: the comment section may end up having better lore than the article.