List of Generation Z slang

"If You Know You Know" redirects here. For the Pusha T song, see If You Know You Know (song).

The following is a list of slang that is used or popularized by Generation Z (Gen Z), generally those born between the late 1990s and early 2010s in the Western world. Generation Z slang differs from slang of prior generations.[1][2] Ease of communication with the internet facilitated the rapid proliferation of Gen Z slang.[2][3][4]

Many Gen Z slang terms were not originally coined by Gen Z members, and were already in usage or simply made more mainstream. Several Gen Z slang terms have been derived from African-American Vernacular English, while others were derived from drag queen/LGBTQ+ culture.[3][4] Linguist Michael Adams told Business Insider that “African Americans come up with their language and it gets appropriated away from them, so then they come up with new language, so African Americans are a never ending stream of slang input in American English.”[5]

  1. ^ "Slang makes work communication hard for Gen Z, millenials, Gen X - Fast Company". Archived from the original on 2023-11-14. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
  2. ^ a b Rett, Jessica (2023-02-17). "Op-Ed: Gen Z's lingo might be difficult to understand, but there's a reason for that". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2023-11-02. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  3. ^ a b Abril, Danielle (December 12, 2022). "Gen Z came to 'slay.' Their bosses don't know what that means". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 13, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Do You Know The Origins Of 16 Generation Z Slang Terms?". Dictionary.com. 2022-01-28. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  5. ^ Tenbarge, Kat. "From 'periodt' to 'and I oop,' the most common stan culture and VSCO girl slang is rooted in cultural appropriation". Insider. Archived from the original on 2021-01-23. Retrieved 2022-12-14.