Explore the top 200 Gen Z slang terms of 2024. Unlock the ultimate guide to modern expressions, phrases, and internet lingo for better communication.

In today’s digital age, language evolves at the speed of light, with Generation Z (Gen Z) leading the charge in linguistic innovation.

This dynamic cohort, born between the mid-1990s and early 2010s, has ushered in a new era of slang that often perplexes older generations.

Understanding Gen Z slang is not just about keeping up with the latest trends but bridging communication gaps and fostering intergenerational dialogue.

Gen Z Slang Terms

This blog post delves into Gen Z slang, offering ten captions under each to illuminate the vibrant lexicon of this influential generation.

Expressions of Approval

“Lit” – Exceptionally good or exciting.
“Fire” – High quality or impressive.
“Snatched” – Looking exceptionally stylish.

“Facts” – Agreement with a stated truth.
“Bet” – Confirmation or acknowledgement.
“Slay” – Excelling at something.

“Fleek” – Flawlessly styled or groomed.
“Gucci” – Good or cool.
“Hype” – Excitement or buzz around something.

“Dope” – Cool.

Expressions of Disapproval

“Cringe” – Awkward or embarrassing.
“Sus” – Suspicious or untrustworthy.

“L” – A loss or failure.
“Ghost” – To suddenly cut off all communication.
“Cancelled” – Publicly rejecting or boycotting someone.

“Basic” – Lacking originality or being overly mainstream.
“Salty” – Being upset or bitter.
“Thirsty” – Desperately seeking attention.

“Trash” – Of very poor quality.
“Cheugy” – Trying too hard to be trendy or in style.

Emotional States

“Vibing” – Enjoying and relaxing.

“Lowkey” – To a small extent, subtly.
“Highkey” – Very much or openly.
“Shook” – Shocked.

“Dead” – Overwhelmed by amusement.
“Mood” – Relatable or embodying a specific feeling.
“Simp” – Someone overly submissive to someone they are attracted to.

“Soft” – Showing a tender or sentimental side.
“Toxic” – Harmful or destructive behaviour.
“Triggered” – Upset or activated emotionally.

Friendship and Relationships

“BFF” – Best Friends Forever.
“No cap” – No lie or genuine.
“Ghosting” – Disappearing without explanation.

“Squad” – A close group of friends.
“Ship” – To endorse a romantic relationship.
“Bromance” – Close non-sexual friendship between men.

“Sis” – Close female friend.
“Frenemy” – Someone who is both a friend and a rival.
“GOAT” – Greatest Of All Time, showing deep admiration.

“Catch feels” – Developing romantic feelings.

Online and Digital Life

“Troll” – Someone who intentionally stirs up trouble online.
“DM” – Direct Message.

“Dox” – Publishing private information about someone online.
“Meme” – A humorous image or video spread online.
“Viral” – Becoming very popular online quickly.

“Swipe right/left” – Approve or disapprove, derived from dating apps.
“Catfish” – To pretend to be someone else online.
“Clout” – Influence or fame on social media.

“Stan” – An overzealous or obsessive fan.
“Savage” – Ruthless but impressive.

Fashion and Style

“On fleek” – Perfectly executed style.

“Aesthetic” – About a particular beauty or style.
“Haul” – A large purchase of goods, especially clothing.
“OOTD” – Outfit Of The Day.

“Thrifting” – Shopping at thrift stores.
“Drop” – A release of new merchandise.
“Sneakerhead” – A person who collects, trades, or admires sneakers.

“Capsule wardrobe” – A small collection of versatile clothing items.
“Fast fashion” – Cheap, trendy clothing.
“Fit” – Outfit or clothing ensemble.

Work and Career

“Side hustle” is a job besides one’s main job.
“Gig economy” – A labour market characterized by short-term contracts.
“LinkedIn lemons” – People who exaggerate their qualifications on LinkedIn.

“Remote” – Working from a non-office location.
“Startup” – A newly established business.
“Entrepreneur” – Someone who starts their own business.

“Networking” – Interacting to exchange information and develop professional contacts.
“Freelance” – Working for different companies at different times.
“Collab” – Short for collaboration, working together on a project.

“Pitch” – A presentation of a business idea to potential investors.

Education and Learning

“MOOC” – Massive Open Online Course.
“E-learning” – Learning conducted via electronic media, typically online.

“Studyblr” – A blogging community focused on study habits and academic aesthetics.
“Gap year” – A year spent taking time off between life stages.
“Internship” – A temporary position with an emphasis on on-the-job training.

“Webinar” – A seminar conducted over the Internet.
“Scholarship” – A grant or payment to support a student’s education.
“Major” – The primary focus of study at a university.

“Minor” – A secondary concentration of courses at a university.
“Dean’s list” – A recognition of academic achievement at a college or university.

Health and Wellness

“Self-care” – The practice of taking action to preserve or improve one’s own health.

“Mental health day” – A day off to focus on psychological well-being.
“Detox” – A period in which one abstains from unhealthy substances.
“Mindfulness” – Maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, and environment.

“Fitbit” – A brand of fitness tracker.
“Keto” – A high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet.
“Vegan” – A person who does not eat or use animal products.

“Pilates” – A physical fitness system developed in the early 20th century.
“Yoga” – A Hindu spiritual and ascetic discipline.
“Burnout” – Physical or mental collapse caused by overwork or stress.

Food and Drink

“Foodie” – A person with a particular interest in food.
“Brunch” – A late morning meal eaten instead of breakfast and lunch.
“Avocado toast” – Toasted bread with avocado spread.

“Craft beer” – Beer made in a traditional or non-mechanized way by a small brewery.
“Farm-to-table” – Referring to the direct relationship between a farm and a restaurant.
“Superfood” – A nutrient-rich food considered especially beneficial for health and well-being.

“Food truck” – A large vehicle equipped to cook and sell food.
“Matcha” – Finely ground powder of specially grown and processed green tea leaves.
“Veganism” – The practice of abstaining from animal products.

“Smoothie bowl” – A thick smoothie served in a bowl and eaten with a spoon, often topped with fruit, nuts, seeds, etc.

Technology and Gadgets

“Smartphone” – A mobile phone with advanced features.
“App” – Short for application, a software program.

“Streaming” – Transmitting or receiving live video and audio coverage over the Internet.
“Podcast” – A digital audio file available for downloading.
“VR” – Virtual reality, a simulated experience.

“AI” – Artificial intelligence, the simulation of human intelligence in machines.
“Wearable” – Technology devices that can be worn on the body.
“Cloud” – Internet-based computing that provides shared processing resources and data.

“Coding” – The process of writing instructions for computers.
“Hack” – To use a computer to gain unauthorized access to data.

Entertainment and Media

“Binge-watch” – To watch multiple television series episodes in rapid succession.

“Fanfic” – Fiction written by a fan of, and featuring characters from, a particular TV series, movie, etc.
“Playlist” – A list of songs or pieces of music.
“Spoiler” – A description of an important plot development.

“Streaming service” – A subscription-based service offering online streaming of films and television programs.
“Box office” – The office where tickets of admission are sold.
“Cosplay” – The practice of dressing up as a character from a movie, book, or video game.

“Fanbase” – The fans of a particular object or person regarded collectively.
“Vlog” – A blog in which the postings are primarily in video form.
“Meme culture” is built around the viral transmission of humorous images, videos, and text.

Travel and Adventure

“Staycation” – A vacation spent at home.
“Backpacking” – Travel or hike carrying one’s belongings in a backpack.
“Digital nomad” – Individuals who use telecommunications technologies to earn a living and, more generally, conduct their lives nomadically.

“Eco-tourism” – Tourism directed towards exotic, often threatened, natural environments.
“Glamping” – A form of camping involving accommodation and facilities more luxurious than those associated with traditional camping.
“Road trip” – A journey taken by car.

“Bucket list” – A list of things to do before you die.
“Solo travel” – Traveling alone.
“Voluntourism” – A form of tourism in which travellers participate in voluntary work.

“Wanderlust” – A strong desire to travel.

“Woke” – Being aware of social injustices.
“Cancel culture” – The practice of withdrawing support for public figures after they have done or said something considered objectionable or offensive.
“Virtue signalling” – The action or practice of publicly expressing opinions or sentiments intended to demonstrate one’s good character or the moral correctness of one’s position on a particular issue.
“Echo chamber” – An environment where people only encounter information or opinions that reflect and reinforce their own.
“Hashtag activism” – Using hashtags on social media to advocate for social issues.
“Social justice warrior” – A person who expresses or promotes socially progressive views.
“Microaggression” – A statement, action, or incident regarded as an instance of indirect, subtle, or unintentional discrimination against members of a marginalized group.
“Intersectionality” – The interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender as they apply to a given individual or group, regarded as creating overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage.
“Climate strike” is a protest in which people absent themselves from education or work to join demonstrations demanding action to counter climate change.
“Body positivity” – The assertion that all people deserve a positive body image, regardless of how society and popular culture view ideal shape, size, and appearance.

Gaming and Esports

“GG” – Good game, used to express sportsmanship.
“PvP” – Player versus Player, referring to games in which players compete against each other.
“Noob” – A new or inexperienced player.
“RPG” – Role-playing game, a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting.
“Esports” – Competitive tournaments of video games.
“Streaming” – Broadcasting gameplay live to an audience online.
“Speedrun” – Completing a game as fast as possible.
“Loot box” – A virtual item in games that can be redeemed to receive a randomized selection of further virtual items.
“DLC” – Downloadable content, additional content created for an already released video game.
“AFK” – Away from the keyboard, indicating a player is temporarily not playing.

Sustainability and Environment

“Green” – Environmentally friendly.
“Carbon footprint” – The total amount of greenhouse gases produced to directly and indirectly support human activities.
“Renewable energy” – Energy from a source that is not depleted.
“Upcycling” – Reusing discarded objects or material in such a way as to create a product of higher quality or value than the original.
“Sustainable living” – A lifestyle that attempts to reduce an individual’s or society’s use of the Earth’s natural resources.
“Zero waste” – A philosophy that encourages redesigning resource life cycles so that all products are reused.
“Eco-friendly” – Not harmful to the environment.
“Conservation” – The action of conserving something, in particular, preservation, protection, or restoration of the natural environment.
“Biodegradable” – Capable of being decomposed by bacteria or other living organisms.
“Climate change” – A change in global or regional climate patterns.

Personal Finance and Investment

“Cryptocurrency” – A digital currency in which transactions are verified and records maintained by a decentralized system using cryptography.
“Stocks” – Shares of ownership in a company.
“Budgeting” – Creating a plan to spend your money.
“Savings” – The portion of income not spent on current expenditures.
“Investing” – The action or process of investing money for profit.
“Fintech” – Financial technology, new tech that seeks to improve and automate the delivery and use of financial services.
“Retirement plan” – A financial arrangement designed to replace employment income upon retirement.
“Debt” – Money owed by one party to another.
“Credit score” – A numerical expression based on a level analysis of a person’s credit files to represent the creditworthiness of an individual.
“Real estate” – Property consisting of land and its buildings.

Language and Communication

“Emoji” – A small digital image or icon used to express an idea or emotion.
“Meme” – An element of culture or system of behaviour passed from one individual to another by imitation or other non-genetic means.
“Slang” – A type of language consisting of words and phrases regarded as very informal.
“Text speaks” – Language regarded as characteristic of text messages, consisting of abbreviations, acronyms, initials, and emoticons.
“Vernacular” – The language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particular country or region.
“Bilingual” – Speaking two languages fluently.
“Polyglot” – Knowing or using several languages.
“Linguistics” – The scientific study of language and its structure.
“Code-switching” – The practice of alternating between two or more languages or varieties of language in conversation.
“Pidgin” – A grammatically simplified form of a language used for communication between people not sharing a common language.

Health and Fitness

“HIIT” – High-Intensity Interval Training.
“Macro” – Referring to macronutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.
“Calisthenics” – Gymnastic exercises to achieve bodily fitness and grace of movement.
“Cardio” – Cardiovascular exercise intended to increase heart rate.
“Personal trainer” – A person who coaches others in fitness and exercise.
“Supplements” – Something that completes or enhances something else when added to it, especially regarding nutrition.
“Bodybuilding” – The practice of strengthening and enlarging the body’s muscles through exercise.
“Yoga” – A Hindu spiritual and ascetic discipline, including breath control, simple meditation, and the adoption of specific bodily postures, is widely practised for health and relaxation.
“Mindfulness” – The quality or state of being conscious or aware of something.
“Wellness” – The state of being in good health, especially as an actively pursued goal.

Music and Culture

“Drop” – The release of a new music track.
“Cover” – A new performance or recording of a previously recorded song.
“Playlist” – A list of songs set to play in a specific order.
“Genre” – A category of artistic composition, as in music or literature, characterized by similarities in form, style, or subject matter.
“Collab” – A collaboration between two or more artists.
“Mixtape” – A compilation of favourite pieces of music, typically by different artists, recorded onto a cassette tape or other medium by an individual.
“Sample” – A portion of a sound recording used as an instrumental segment in a new piece of music.
“Beat” – The basic rhythmic unit in a piece of music.
“Acoustic” – Music produced by instruments, as opposed to electric or electronic means.
“Remix” – A piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item.

Understanding and using Gen Z slang can seem daunting. However, it is a vibrant and integral part of contemporary culture, reflecting an increasingly influential generation’s values, humour, and interests.

Whether you are a marketer trying to connect with a younger audience, a parent trying to understand your teenager, or simply someone curious about the evolution of language, grasping these terms can offer valuable insights into the world of Gen Z.