Every generation has slang, but Gen Alpha’s has a particularly unhinged quality, some parents say. Still, experts say their bad rep isn’t totally deserved.
In the beginning, there was “skibidi.”
It appeared abruptly in the lexicons of kids under 14 — the first slang term unique to Generation Alpha. Parents’ ears perked up as they began to hear it around the dinner table. It could mean bad, cool, or nothing at all, their kids explained. Then a dozen more incomprehensible terms followed suit.
Gen Z’s “slay” and “tea” are officially vintage, giving way to “sigma,” “gyatt” and “fanum tax.”
Everyone’s getting whiplash.
My 14-year-old isn’t especially slangy, but occasionally she asks me if I’ve heard some term or other, and I invariably haven’t. Most recently, it was “Scene,” which is apparently some sort of fashion aesthetic.
“Scene” was around when I was in middle and high school around 10 years ago.
They were like the preppy goth kids, who listened to Avril Lavigne and such.
Edit: there’s also a Hollywood Undead song that has the lines “wake up, shave beard, grab beer, put on some scene gear”
I’m 47 years old. I have never even heard of Hollywood Undead.