Gen Z Slang: A Parent’s Translator for 150+ Words and Phrases

Gen Z slang is the fast-moving vocabulary of today’s teens and young adults: words like rizz, no cap, mid, and delulu that leave many parents nodding along without a clue.

If your kid says dinner was bussin, that their teacher is glazing the new student, or that they are cooked for tomorrow’s quiz, you are not alone in needing a translator. Slang now moves at the speed of a TikTok feed.

This guide is a plain-English Gen Z slang translator for parents. It covers more than 150 words and phrases, including Gen Alpha “brain rot” terms, texting abbreviations, example sentences, the handful of terms worth a real conversation, and whether you should try using any of it yourself.

What Is Gen Z Slang?

Gen Z slang is the informal vocabulary used by people born from about 1997 to 2012, the range the Pew Research Center uses for Generation Z. Their younger siblings, Generation Alpha (born from roughly 2010 or 2013 on, depending on who is counting), have added their own layer, often called “brain rot” slang.

Every generation invents words to sound different from its parents. What is new is the speed. A phrase can go from one streamer’s joke to every middle school hallway in a week, then feel old a few months later. That is why a Gen Z slang list from two years ago already reads like a time capsule.

Much of this vocabulary did not start with Gen Z at all. Many of the most common terms, including slay, tea, shade, cap, bussin, and periodt, come from African American English and from Black and LGBTQ+ ballroom culture, and were later spread by social media. Other words come from gaming and livestreaming, where talking to “chat” and counting Ws and Ls are part of daily life.

Gen Z Slang for Praise and Good Vibes

Start here. These are the words your kid uses when something, or someone, is great.

Word or phrase	What it means
slay	To do something really well. “You slayed that solo.”
ate (and left no crumbs)	Did it perfectly. “She ate that routine.”
fire	Excellent. “This song is fire.”
bussin	Very good, usually about food.
slaps	Is really good, usually a song or a snack. “This pizza slaps.”
GOAT / goated	Greatest of all time. “Grandma’s cookies are goated.”
W	A win. The opposite of an L. “Pizza for dinner? Huge W.”
valid	Reasonable, good, or understandable.
it’s giving	It has the vibe of. “It’s giving first day of school.”
serving	Looking great or pulling off a look.
drip	A stylish outfit or accessories.
fit / fit check	Outfit. A fit check is showing off what you are wearing.
bet	Okay, deal, sounds good. “Home by nine?” “Bet.”
no cap	No lie, seriously.
facts	I agree. That is true.
based	Being yourself without caring what others think. Also “I agree.”
hits different	Is better or more meaningful than usual.
tuff	Cool or impressive. A 2025 favorite.
lit	Fun and exciting. Already a little dated.
clutch	Came through at exactly the right moment.
snatched	Looking sharp and put together.
iconic	Memorable in the best way.
understood the assignment	Did exactly what was needed, and did it well.
main character	Acting like, or being, the star of the story.
glow up	A big positive change in looks or confidence.
rizz	Charm or charisma, especially the flirting kind. Oxford’s 2023 Word of the Year.
aura	How cool someone seems. People joke about gaining or losing “aura points.”
sigma	A cool, independent person. Mostly said as a joke.
locked in	Fully focused. “I’m locked in for finals.”
let him cook	Let them keep going, they know what they are doing.
gassing up	Hyping someone up with compliments.
vibe / vibing	A mood or feeling. Vibing is relaxing and enjoying it.
periodt	End of discussion. Adds emphasis.
sheesh	Wow, said when impressed.

Gen Z Slang for Disapproval and Insults

Most of these are mild, the modern version of “lame” or “whatever.” A few can sting when aimed at a person, so tone matters.

Word or phrase	What it means
cap	A lie. “That’s cap” means “I don’t believe you.”
mid	Mediocre. Average at best.
cringe	Embarrassing or awkward.
sus	Suspicious or shady.
L	A loss or failure. “Take the L” means accept it.
salty	Bitter or upset over something small.
basic	Unoriginal, following every trend.
extra	Over the top, dramatic.
pressed	Upset or bothered.
the ick	A sudden feeling of being turned off by someone.
flop	A failure.
ratio	When a reply gets more likes than the original post. A public “you’re wrong.”
NPC	Non-player character. Someone who seems to follow the crowd without thinking.
pick-me	Someone who puts others down to win approval.
Karen	An entitled, demanding adult.
ok boomer	A dismissive reply to an out-of-touch older person.
cheugy	Out of date or trying too hard. The word itself is now dated.
touch grass	Go outside and get offline for a while.
chronically online	Spends so much time online that it shapes how they see real life.
cooked	In trouble or done for. “I’m cooked for this test.”
crash out	To lose your temper or make a reckless choice.
glazing	Overpraising someone. “Stop glazing.”
yapping	Talking too much about nothing.
delulu	Delusional, usually said playfully.
chopped	Unattractive. Usually an insult.
opp	An opponent, rival, or enemy.
ragebait	Content made to make people angry so they comment and share.
unserious	Ridiculous, not to be taken seriously.
big yikes	Very embarrassing.

Slang About Friends, Dating, and Social Life

These words describe relationships and how they play out online. If you have a tween or teen, this is the list you will hear the most at the dinner table.

Word or phrase	What it means
bestie	A close friend, or a friendly way to address anyone.
bruh / bro	Used for anyone of any gender, including you. Often a sigh in word form.
fam / gng	Close friends. Gng is short for gang, meaning the friend group.
pookie	An affectionate nickname for a friend or partner.
simp	Someone who does too much to impress a crush.
stan	A devoted fan, or to support someone strongly.
ship	To want two people to become a couple.
talking stage	The early phase before two people are officially dating.
situationship	A romantic relationship without a clear label.
soft launch / hard launch	Hinting at a new relationship online versus announcing it.
ghosting	Cutting off contact with no explanation.
left on read	A message was seen and not answered.
red flag / green flag / beige flag	A warning sign, a good sign, or a harmless odd habit.
tea	Gossip. To “spill the tea” is to share it.
shade	A subtle insult.
receipts	Proof, usually screenshots.
flex	To show off.
clout	Fame or social influence.
finsta	A second, private Instagram account for close friends.
gatekeep	To keep something good to yourself.
nepo baby	Someone whose success came from famous or connected parents.
era	A phase. “I’m in my soccer era.”
-core	An aesthetic or style, as in cottagecore.
-coded	Having the traits of. “He’s golden retriever coded.”
Roman Empire	Something you think about all the time.
living rent free	Something you cannot stop thinking about.
caught in 4K	Caught red-handed, with proof.
say less	Understood. No more explanation needed.
mood / same	That is relatable.
I’m dead / sending me	That is hilarious.
girl dinner	A plate of random snacks eaten as a meal.
menty b	A “mental breakdown,” almost always an exaggeration about stress.
bombastic side eye	A dramatic, disapproving look.

Gen Alpha and “Brain Rot” Slang (Plus Gaming Terms)

If your child is in elementary or middle school, this is their dialect. A lot of it is nonsense on purpose. The joke is that it means nothing, and that adults do not get it. You do not have to find it funny. You only have to know it is usually harmless.

Word or phrase	What it means
brain rot	Silly, low-quality internet content, and the fried feeling of watching too much of it. Oxford’s 2024 Word of the Year.
skibidi	A nonsense word from the YouTube series “Skibidi Toilet.” It can mean good, bad, or nothing at all.
6-7 (“six seven”)	A nonsense phrase kids shout for fun. It spread in 2025 from a viral song and basketball clips. It has no real meaning.
Ohio	Weird or cringe. “Only in Ohio” captions anything strange.
gyat	An exclamation of surprise or admiration, usually about someone’s body.
fanum tax	“Taxing” a friend by taking a bite of their food. Named after the streamer Fanum.
rizzler	Someone with a lot of rizz.
mewing	Pressing the tongue to the roof of the mouth to sharpen the jawline. Also a gesture that means “I can’t talk right now.”
looksmaxxing	Trying to maximize your appearance.
aura farming	Doing something just to look cool.
chat	Talking to an imaginary audience, as livestreamers do. “Chat, is this real?”
Italian brain rot	A 2025 wave of absurd AI-generated characters with Italian-sounding names.
yeet	To throw something hard. Also a shout of excitement.
oof	A reaction to something awkward or painful.
GG	Good game. Said at the end of a match, or about anything that is over.
noob / bot	A beginner, or someone playing badly.
sweaty	Trying too hard at a game.
OP	Overpowered. Too strong to be fair.
nerf / buff	To weaken or strengthen something, from game updates.
AFK	Away from keyboard.
grind	Putting in repetitive work to get better.
clip that	That moment is worth saving and sharing.

Texting Abbreviations

Texts and comments run on abbreviations. Lowercase is the norm, and a period at the end of a text can read as cold or annoyed.

Word or phrase	What it means
fr / fr fr	For real.
ngl / icl	Not gonna lie. I can’t lie.
ong	On God. “I swear.”
istg	I swear to God.
iykyk	If you know, you know.
idk / idc	I don’t know. I don’t care.
tbh	To be honest.
imo	In my opinion.
smh	Shaking my head.
wyd / hbu	What are you doing? How about you?
wsg / hru	What’s good? (hello) How are you?
rn	Right now.
atp	At this point.
mb	My bad.
nvm	Never mind.
ily	I love you.
ikr	I know, right?
ofc	Of course.
ijbol	I just burst out laughing.
pov	Point of view. Sets up a scenario in a video.
irl	In real life.
fomo	Fear of missing out.
fyp	For You page, the main TikTok feed.
dm	Direct message.
gtg / ttyl	Got to go. Talk to you later.
oomf	One of my followers, or one of my friends.
asl	As hell. “I’m tired asl.” It no longer means “age, sex, location.”
bffr	Be for real, with crude emphasis.
pmo	Annoys me. Crude. Often paired as “ts pmo.”
sybau	A crude way of telling someone to be quiet.

Emojis have shifted too. The skull means “I’m dead,” as in laughing hard. The loud crying face usually means laughing or being overwhelmed, not sadness. A blue cap means “that’s a lie.” The clown calls someone foolish. The simple smiley can read as sarcastic or passive-aggressive, which surprises a lot of parents.

Slang Worth a Conversation

Most slang is harmless wordplay. A small set of terms points to topics you would want to know about: safety, dating, bullying, or substances. Seeing one of these words is not proof of anything. It is a reason to ask a calm question.

Word or phrase	What it means
unalive	A stand-in for death or suicide, used to get around platform filters. Often said as a joke, but take it seriously if your child uses it about themselves.
kys	An abbreviation telling someone to harm themselves. Kids may call it a joke. It is bullying.
catfish	To pretend to be someone else online.
sneaky link	A secret meetup with a romantic interest.
Netflix and chill	Code for hooking up, not for watching a movie.
body count	The number of people someone has been intimate with.
thirst trap	A photo posted to get attention for how someone looks.
bop	Older meaning: a great song. Newer meaning on TikTok: an insult aimed at girls about their reputation.
mog / mogging	To outshine someone in looks. Tied to online appearance pressure.
plug	A person who supplies drugs or vapes.
cart / pen	A vape cartridge and the vape device.
zaza / gas	Marijuana. “Gas” can also simply mean “great.”

If your child talks about hurting themselves, even as a joke that does not feel like a joke, take it seriously and reach out for help. In the United States you can call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, at any hour.

Gen Z Translator: Example Sentences

Here is how the pieces fit together in real life:

• “No cap, that fit is fire. You ate.” Honestly, that outfit looks great. You nailed it.
• “The cafeteria pizza was mid, but the cookies were bussin.” The pizza was average, but the cookies were delicious.
• “I’m cooked. I forgot to lock in for the math test.” I’m in trouble. I did not focus and study for the math test.
• “He has zero rizz. It’s giving delulu.” He is not charming, and he is fooling himself.
• “She left me on read, so I’m lowkey pressed.” She saw my message and did not answer, so I’m a little upset.
• “Bruh, stop glazing. It was one goal.” Come on, stop overpraising him. He only scored once.
• “That’s so skibidi Ohio.” That is weird. (Or it means nothing. That is the point.)

Should Parents Use Gen Z Slang?

Short answer: understand it, but use it sparingly. Kids use slang partly to mark their own space. A parent who suddenly says “that’s bussin, no cap” usually gets an eye roll, and that can be a fun family joke if you lean into it. Using it to seem cool tends to backfire.

What works better:

• Ask, don’t interrogate: “What does that mean?” asked with real curiosity is one of the easiest ways to get a tween talking.
• Listen for context: the same word can be a compliment or an insult depending on tone. “Bro” can be a greeting, a complaint, or a whole sentence.
• Don’t ban nonsense: shouting “six seven” is annoying, not dangerous. Save your rules for words that hurt people.
• Hold the line on unkind words: slang that mocks someone’s looks, body, or identity is still unkind, even when it is trendy.
• Expect it to change: by the time a word reaches a parenting article, kids may have already moved on.

Slang is also a window into what your child watches. If the vocabulary changes fast, the feed probably did too. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests making a family media plan together, with agreed limits and screen-free times, instead of relying on a single hour count.

Looking for more ways to connect across the age gap? Try a round of would you rather questions, swap dad jokes, or share a few jokes for middle schoolers.

Related Betteroo Guides

• Would you rather questions for kids
• Dad jokes
• Jokes for middle schoolers
• Riddles for kids
• Trivia for kids
• Movies for 9 to 12 year olds

When Slang Is a Sign to Check In

New words alone are never a reason to worry. Changes in behavior are. Check in with your child, and with their pediatrician or school counselor if needed, when new slang comes with pulling away from friends, a sharp drop in mood, secrecy about a new online contact, talk of self-harm, or signs of vaping or substance use.

If you find a term you do not recognize, look it up before you react. Merriam-Webster and Dictionary.com both keep running slang dictionaries, and asking your child directly is often the fastest route.

Frequently Asked Questions