Cover All you need to know about Gen Z and Gen Alpha slangs and what they mean (Photo: Unsplash)
All you need to know about Gen Z and Gen Alpha slangs and what they mean (Photo: Unsplash)
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Fear not Gen X-ers and Millennials, because Tatler’s resident Gen Z is here to explain all those strange terms (aka slangs) that kids these days are always throwing around
Gen X had ‘gag me with a spoon’, and Millennials had ‘adulting’ and ‘smol bean’, but what on earth does ‘skibidi rizz’ mean? With increased internet consumption and trends changing faster than the average person can keep up, jokes and references are becoming all the more esoteric. The average adult with a full-time job and bills to worry about will not have the time to keep up with all of them.
Here’s a little bit of context before we begin: Gen Z is generally used to refer to people born between 1997 and 2012, and Gen Alpha are all the children born from 2013 and onwards. Since Gen Z’s presence is much more prevalent on social media, they determine most of the slang that goes into fashion.
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Contrary to popular belief, much of Gen Alpha slang came from Gen Z. In the specific case of ‘skibidi (toilet)’, the term was occasionally thrown around by Gen Alpha kids who had watched the source material, and their older Gen Z siblings picked up on it, leading to its widespread usage. Most Gen Alpha slang, however, is the opposite–they are mainly used by Gen Z and have been moderately picked up by Gen Alpha, but are considered Gen Alpha-centric terms.
Gen Z
Mid
Of all the Gen Z terms, this one is probably the simplest one to understand. It is used to refer to something mediocre and not special, often in a rude way. While it can be used quite casually (“That sandwich was so mid.”), many use it to insult others’ appearances (“Don’t go on a date with her, she’s so mid!”).
Based
What was initially African-American vernacular for being addicted to crack cocaine, the term has grown to indicate agreement with an opinion (“Penang has great food.” “Based.”) It is often used as a positive antonym for ‘cringe’.
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Brainrot
The very fact that I can write this guide is proof that I have brainrot. Used to describe the degradation of mental faculties and common sense, it is most commonly used to refer to people who are losing touch with the real world as a result of the consumption of meaningless, chronically online, hyperstimulating content.
An example of ‘brainrot content’ would be family guy clips that play right next to Subway Surfers gameplay to preserve audience retention. Brainrot is also used to refer to meaningless buzzwords associated with Gen Alpha (“He keeps saying he’s the skibidi sigma rizzler. It’s literal brainrot.”)
Let Him Cook
With origins in African-American vernacular, cooking refers to someone who is doing something well to create a result. “Let him cook”, in particular, is used to tell others to allow someone the space to do something they are good at or work towards something positive (“Hold on, she’s good at gymnastics. Let her cook.”)
Similarly, ‘someone cooked here’ is used to compliment the end product of cooking. This should not be confused with being cooked, which carries the same meaning as being doomed (“I didn’t study for the test. I’m cooked.”)
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Mother
With deep ties to the LGBTQ+ ballroom community, mother, without an article at the front, is used to compliment women who are iconic and fabulous (“Look at her outfit! It’s giving mother.”) This term is quite similar to other words like ‘girlboss’ and ‘baddie’, which are also used to compliment fierce and fashionable women.
Gen Alpha
Skibidi
The big, bad term that’s been puzzling parents and teachers for ages now. In its current iteration, it has lost all genuine meaning, often just used for comedic effect (“I feel so skibidi today.”) The term was first used in a Russian rave song, which was then remixed. Its popularity mushroomed in 2023 with the creation of Skibidi Toilet, an animated web series.
First used by Gen Alpha kids who watched the web series on their iPads, skibidi was eventually picked up by their Gen Z siblings who sought to mock them, and it eventually became a Gen Z term as well.
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Gyatt
Gyatt/Gyat, rather incorrectly, is used to refer to a voluptuous behind. It began as a part of “God damn”, with God being pronounced as Gyatt in African-American vernacular English. In its original context, one is supposed to go “Gyatt damn!” when seeing someone with a voluptuous behind, but only the first half of the entire phrase is used now, and refers to the behind itself.
Rizz
Short for charisma, the term originated from the African-American community in Baltimore, Maryland. It was popularised in 2021 by Twitch streamed Kai Cenat, and is used to refer to an individual’s charm and flirting skills (“I’m gonna rizz her up.”/”She gets so many dates. She is the ultimate rizzler.”)
Aura
Used incredibly ironically, aura is a quantifiable unit used to refer to how cool (an aura gain) or uncool (an aura loss) a person is. For example, if a person were to trip in public, it would be ‘negative 1,000 aura points’. If a person was wearing an incredibly fashionable outfit, they could say, “I have aura”.
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Sigma
This traces its origins to the disproven idea of the Alpha in wolf packs, as well as Betas and Omegas. Recently, biologists have largely dropped the term Alpha, as most wolf packs are simply families, led by a breeding pair, and bloody duels for supremacy are rare.
However, this archaic hierarchy has made its way into human society, with young men beginning to call themselves Alpha Males, and referring to men they see as lesser as Betas. Then came the idea of a Sigma Male, supposedly one rank higher than an Alpha because he is independent. Because of the frat boy nature of the term, it has been largely mocked by Gen Z, who have begun using it ironically (“Um, what the sigma?”)
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