Let’s not gate keep the good stuff. If you’ve ever read a text and thought, “What does that even mean?”, this one’s for you. Gen Z slang is fast, funny, and way too iconic to miss. This guide is your cheat code to get the vibes, skip the cringe, and actually know what people mean when they say something is “giving” or why “rizz” is basically social currency now. Use it right, and you’ll sound less “what are you talking about?” and more main character energy.
Slay
Translation: Do something amazingly
Example: “You slayed that presentation!”
Ate
Translation: Nailed it / Did amazing
Example: “She ate that solo performance.”
Bet
Translation: Okay / For sure
Example: “You wanna hit the mall later?” “Bet.”
Bussin’
Translation: Really good (especially food)
Example: “This ramen is bussin’ fr.”
Cap
Translation: Lie
Example: “He said he can do 100 push-ups. That’s cap.”
No cap
Translation: No lie / For real
Example: “That movie had me crying. No cap.”
Gas
Translation: Something really good or hype; high praise
Example: “That new sneaker drop is pure gas. Everyone’s copping.”
Fire
Translation: Amazing, awesome, or excellent
Example: “This playlist is fire! Can’t stop vibing.”
Sigma
Translation: Lone wolf energy / doesn’t follow the crowd but still dominates
Example: “He skipped the party, hit the gym, and got promoted the next day. Sigma grindset.”
Real talk: It started as a meme-y twist on “alpha male”, someone powerful, but silent and mysterious, like Batman if he also had a podcast.
Alpha
Translation: Dominant / leader type
Example: “He ordered for the whole table and paid. Straight alpha energy.”
Beta
Translation: Passive, not assertive / the opposite of alpha
Example: “He apologized even though he did nothing wrong. That’s beta behavior.”
Skibidi
Translation: Pure meme chaos / from the weirdest corners of YouTube Shorts and TikTok
Example: “Bro’s whole vibe is skibidi toilet-core. I can’t unsee it.”
Canceled
Translation: Publicly rejected or called out for bad behavior; no longer supported
Example: “He lied about the receipts? Canceled, no comeback.”
CEO
Translation: Master of something / absolute pro
Example: “She’s the CEO of avoiding red flags and staying unbothered.”
Drip
Translation: Stylish outfit
Example: “She walked in with all the drip.”
Fit
Translation: Outfit
Example: “Your fit is fire today!”
Chat
Translation: Referring to your audience or group (like a livestream or group chat); used to get reactions or opinions
Example: “Chat, is this real? Did he actually text her ‘hey bestie’ after ghosting her for a week?”
Bop
Translation: A super catchy or good song
Example: “This new track is a bop, I’ve had it on loop all day!”
Vibe
Translation: Mood / Energy
Example: “This song is such a vibe.”
Slaps
Translation: Amazing
Example: “This song slaps hard.”
Flex
Translation: Show off
Example: “Posting that new car was such a flex.”
Snack
Translation: An attractive person / someone who looks good
Example: “Did you see his outfit today? Man’s a whole snack.”
Lit
Translation: Exciting or fun
Example: “That party was lit!”
Glow up
Translation: Major transformation in appearance, style, or confidence
Example: “She had a total glow up over summer break”
Ghosted
Translation: Ignored suddenly
Example: “We were texting every day, and now she ghosted me.”
Salty
Translation: Bitter or annoyed
Example: “He’s salty because he lost.”
Stan
Translation: Super fan / Support
Example: “I Stan her confidence.”
Main character
Translation: Someone living their best life
Example: “You’re giving main character energy today.”
W
Translation: Win
Example: “Getting free coffee today was a W.”
L
Translation: Loss / Fail
Example: “Forgetting my charger was a major L.”
Low-key
Translation: Secretly / Slightly
Example: “I low-key miss summer already.”
High-key
Translation: Definitely / Clearly
Example: “I high-key love that show.”
Sus
Translation: Suspicious
Example: “He’s acting kinda sus lately.”
Ship
Translation: Support a relationship
Example: “I totally ship them together.”
Dead
Translation: Laughing hard / Shocked
Example: “That meme got me dead.”
Mood
Translation: Relatable
Example: “Lying in bed all day? Big mood.”
Cringe
Translation: Embarrassing
Example: “That old TikTok dance is cringe now.”
Periodt
Translation: End of discussion
Example: “She’s the queen. Periodt.”
Snatched
Translation: Perfectly styled
Example: “Her makeup is snatched.”
Cheugy
Translation: Outdated / Try-hard
Example: “Skinny jeans? That’s cheugy.”
Extra
Translation: Over the top
Example: “He threw a party for his dog. So extra.”
Chad
Translation: Peak male hotness / confidence / "he gets girls"
Example: “He walked in like a total Chad and stole everyone’s hearts.”
Aura
Translation: The vibe, the energy, the presence
Example: “She doesn’t even try. Her aura just screams goddess.”
Cook
Translation: Doing amazing at something / serving excellence
Example: “She cooked that performance. No crumbs left.”
Face card
Translation: Someone’s face is stunning and never declines
Example: “No makeup, messy hair, and still, face card didn’t decline.”
Wheezing
Translation: Laughing so hard you’re gasping for air
Example: “That meme had me wheezing at 2am like a dying vacuum.”
Gagged
Translation: Shocked (in a good or messy way) / speechless
Example: “She showed up in that dress? Gagged. The room stopped breathing.”
Situationship
Translation: Emotionally confusing “not really dating but more than friends” mess
Example: “We talk every day and hold hands but he says we’re not dating. It’s giving situationship.”
Breadcrumbing
Translation: Giving someone tiny bits of attention to keep them hooked
Example: “He watched my story and liked my 3-week-old selfie. Breadcrumbing king.”
Benching
Translation: Keeping someone as a backup while you explore other options
Example: “He won’t commit but still flirts? I’m being benched.”
Understood the assignment
Translation: Absolutely nailed it / exceeded expectations
Example: “From makeup to attitude to walk, she understood the assignment.”
Yap
Translation: Talking too much / being annoying / stop talking
Example: “You still defending your toxic ex? Yap yap yap.”
Shade
Translation: Subtle insult
Example: “Did you catch that shade she threw?”
Drag
Translation: Call out or criticize
Example: “He dragged her for talking behind his back.”
It’s giving
Translation: It feels like / It reminds me of
Example: “This outfit? It’s giving fairy princess.”
Slay era
Translation: Period of personal success
Example: “I’m in my slay era now.”
Gatekeep
Translation: Keep something secret
Example: “Don’t gate keep that skincare routine.”
Main character energy
Translation: Confident, in control
Example: “She walked in like she owned the place. Main character energy.”
Ick
Translation: Turn-off
Example: “He claps when the plane lands. Major ick.”
Rizz
Translation: Charm / Flirting skill
Example: “He’s got no rizz at all.”
Touch grass
Translation: Go outside / Log off
Example: “You’ve been online for 6 hours. Touch grass.”
Say less
Translation: Understood / Got it
Example: “Wanna grab tacos?” — “Say less.”
Vibe check
Translation: Test someone’s energy
Example: “You failed the vibe check with that attitude.”
Simp
Translation: Overly nice for attention
Example: “Bro bought her three iced coffees, and a huge rose bouquet. That’s peak simp behavior.”
Yeet
Translation: To throw / excited exclamation
Example: “She yeeted her phone across the bed when she saw his text.”
TBH
Translation: To be honest
Example: “TBH, that movie was trash, but I liked the outfits.”
FR / fr fr
Translation: For real / seriously
Example: “I need a nap fr fr, like don't talk to me.”
Big brain
Translation: Super smart move
Example: “He brought snacks to the exam. That’s big brain energy.”
Brainrot
Translation: Can’t stop thinking about it
Example: “This show has me in a chokehold, it's pure brain rot.”
NPC
Translation: Background character vibes
Example: “He said 'how's the weather?' in the middle of an argument. NPC behavior.”
Pookie
Translation: Endearment
Example: “Good morning, pookie! 🥰”
Mid
Translation: Unimpressive or average
Example: “Everyone hyped that burger spot, but it was kinda mid.”
POV
Translation: Point of view
Example: “POV: you’re pretending not to see your ex at the grocery store.”
Based
Translation: Unapologetically real
Example: “She said pineapple belongs on pizza and didn’t flinch. Based.”
Unalive
Translation: Euphemism for death
Example: “That horror game made me wanna unalive fr.”
Shook
Translation: Shocked beyond belief
Example: “He actually showed up on time?? I’m shook.”
Bop
Translation: A catchy song
Example: “This track is a bop. I’ve had it on repeat all day.”
Aesthetic
Translation: Stylish or pleasing vibe
Example: “Her Pinterest board? Straight up cozy fall aesthetic.”
Pick me
Translation: Craving attention or approval
Example: “She said 'I’m not like other girls' unironically. Total pick me.”
Girl dinner
Translation: Snacky, chaotic meal
Example: “Tonight's girl dinner is chips, hummus, and a pickle. We feast.”
Internet’s boyfriend
Translation: Beloved male celeb
Example: “Pedro Pascal is the internet’s boyfriend and I support it.”
Caught in 4K
Translation: Clearly exposed
Example: “You said you were sleeping but Snapchat caught you in 4K at Taco Bell.”
On God
Translation: I swear / seriously
Example: “I’d fight for her brownies. On God.”
Delulu
Translation: Delightfully delusional
Example: “She thinks they’re soulmates because he liked her post. Girl is delulu.”
Soft launch
Translation: Subtle relationship reveal
Example: “Posted his hand in the photo? That’s a soft launch, bestie.”
Hard launch
Translation: Public relationship reveal
Example: “Tagged him in a couple's post. That’s the hard launch right there.”
Green flag
Translation: Positive trait
Example: “He uses the Oxford comma. Green flag.”
Red flag
Translation: Warning sign
Example: “Says 'my ex was crazy' on the first date. Red flag, run.”
Beige flag
Translation: Weird but harmless quirk
Example: “He claps when the plane lands. Beige flag, but kinda cute.”
Girl math
Translation: Chaotic shopping logic
Example: “If I return something I bought, I basically made money. Girl math.”
Boy math
Translation: Equally chaotic logic but masculine
Example: “He thinks 5’10” = 6 foot. That’s boy math.”
Era
Translation: Current life phase
Example: “I’m in my cozy introvert era. No parties, just blankets.”
Clout
Translation: Attention or fame
Example: “He only helped for the clout. Cameras were rolling, of course.”
Shipping
Translation: Wanting two people together
Example: “I’ve been shipping them since Season 1. The chemistry is insane.”
