Slang by generation
Every generation finds its own words for the same few ideas: something is great, someone is your friend, a story is too good to be true. These pages explain one word at a time, with what it means, when it took off and how to use it.
The groups below follow the Slang-o-matic wheel: Boomers born 1946–1964, Gen X 1965–1980, Millennials 1981–1996, Gen Z 1997–2012 and Gen Alpha 2013 and later. A word’s group is the generation the translator files it under, which is not always the generation that started it. Groovy was used by jazz musicians in the 1930s; rizz was popularized by a streamer before most of Gen Alpha were teenagers. So every entry also shows its origin, taken from the dictionaries we cite.
Boomers on the wheel (born 1946–1964)
- Groovy: Excellent, pleasing or very fashionable. Origin: 1930s jazz slang; heyday in the 1960s.
- Outta sight: Fantastic, wonderful; often an exclamation of delight. Origin: 1890s New York street slang; revived in the 1960s.
- Dough: Money, in old-fashioned slang. Origin: American slang for money; Green’s earliest listed citation is from 1848.
- Drag: Something boring, tedious or annoying. Origin: slang for a bore since the 19th century; Green’s cites an 1863 example.
- Foxy: Attractive or sexy; also sly or crafty. Origin: Green’s lists an 1896 student-slang citation for the attractive sense.
- Dig: To like, enjoy or understand. Origin: 1930s jazz slang; Dictionary.com dates it to 1935–40.
Gen X on the wheel (born 1965–1980)
- Rad: Excellent, exciting. Short for radical. Origin: skateboard slang; Green’s earliest listed citation is from 1977.
- Kick it: To relax and hang out, usually with friends. Origin: Black American slang; Green’s earliest listed citation is from 1985.
- Homie: A close friend, especially one from your neighborhood. Origin: recorded in 1940s Harlem usage, per Green’s; first recorded 1940–45, per Dictionary.com.
- Benjamins: Hundred-dollar bills; by extension, money. Origin: US slang for $100 bills; Green’s cites Franklin for the bill from 1963.
- Fly: Stylish, sharp, good-looking. Origin: slang for fashionable since at least 1753, per Green’s.
- Chill: To relax; relaxed and easygoing. Origin: US slang for relaxed; Green’s cites college slang from 1983.
Millennials on the wheel (born 1981–1996)
- Bestie: Your best friend. Origin: first recorded 1990–95, per Dictionary.com.
- Lit: Exciting, excellent. Also has an older meaning: drunk. Origin: Green’s earliest listed citation for the approving sense is from 2016.
- OMG: Short for “oh my God”; an exclamation of surprise or excitement. Origin: first recorded 1915–20 in a letter to Churchill; popularized online.
- Guap: A lot of money. Origin: Black and hip-hop slang; in rap lyrics from 2004, per Green’s.
- Vibe: A mood or feeling; to vibe is to relax and enjoy yourself. Origin: 1960s shortening of vibrations; Green’s records verb uses from the 1970s.
- Fail: An embarrassing mistake or flop; epic fail is the big version. Origin: slang noun; Green’s lists citations dated 2012.
Gen Z on the wheel (born 1997–2012)
- Slay: To do something brilliantly or look amazing. Origin: 1970s–80s ball culture; spread through drag TV from 2009.
- Snatched: Looking perfectly put together. Origin: 1990s New York drag slang; took off around 2016.
- Stan: An extremely devoted fan; as a verb, to be one. Origin: from Eminem’s 2000 song “Stan”; first recorded 2005–10, per Dictionary.com.
- Fire: Excellent, amazing. Origin: US slang; Green’s earliest listed citation is from 2016.
- Yikes: An exclamation of alarm, shock or embarrassment. Origin: recorded in the early 1940s; Green’s lists a 1941 US citation.
Gen Alpha on the wheel (born 2013 and later)
- No cap: No lie, for real. Origin: Atlanta hip-hop; on Twitter by 2012, popularized in 2017.
- Rizz: Charm; the knack for attracting someone. Origin: popularized 2021–22 by streamer Kai Cenat; Oxford Word of the Year 2023.
- Valid: Good, solid, worth approving of. Origin: US slang documented in a 2014 campus collection, per Green’s.
- Clean: Sharp, stylish, well put together. Origin: recorded in US Black and prison slang; Green’s cites a related car sense from 1954.
How these pages are sourced
Each term page quotes at least one published dictionary, such as Cambridge Dictionary, Dictionary.com or Green’s Dictionary of Slang, and links to the page the quote came from. The quotes were last checked on October 31, 2026. The example sentences are our own. If you spot a mistake, write to hello@slangomatic.com.