Internet Slang

aura

Internet

A jokey points system for how cool or composed you are. Do something smooth and you "gain aura"; embarrass yourself and you "lose aura points".

based

Internet

Admirably true to yourself and unafraid of what others think — saying what you believe regardless of whether it's popular. The rough opposite of "cringe".

brainrot

Internet

Low-quality, hyper-addictive online content — or the mental fog and short attention span that comes from consuming too much of it.

cheugy

Internet

Outdated or trying slightly too hard — describing tastes and trends (often millennial ones) that are seen as no longer cool.

chinamaxxing

Internet

Adopting everyday Chinese lifestyle habits — hot water over iced coffee, house slippers indoors, traditional skincare — as a self-improvement trend, usually more affectionate than serious.

copium

Internet

The imaginary "drug" you're on when you cope with a disappointment through denial or wishful thinking. To "huff copium" is to refuse to accept a bad result.

doomscrolling

Internet

Compulsively scrolling through a feed of bad or distressing news, unable to stop even though it makes you feel worse.

epic fail

Internet

A spectacularly bad mistake or failure — one so complete, public, or badly timed that it loops back around to being funny. Used as a standalone reaction to a video, screenshot, or story of something going hilariously wrong.

era

Internet

A distinct phase in someone's life, style or mood — often used self-mockingly for a short-lived habit or look.

fibermaxxing

Internet

Deliberately loading up on dietary fiber — beans, oats, chia, psyllium husk — to optimize gut and metabolic health.

frictionmaxxing

Internet

Deliberately choosing the harder, less convenient option — cold showers, walking instead of driving, doing chores by hand — to build resilience and get out of your comfort zone.

gigachad

Internet

An exaggeratedly capable, confident and admirable person — usually used half-jokingly to praise someone for a strong or unbothered move.

girl math

Internet

Playful, self-aware logic used to justify a purchase or spending decision, e.g. treating something bought with cash as "free".

gymmaxxing

Internet

Treating your workout routine as an all-consuming optimization project — every set, meal, and rest day engineered for maximum results.

hardmaxxing

Internet

The extreme, invasive end of looksmaxxing — cosmetic surgery, steroid use, hair transplants — as opposed to everyday habits.

healthmaxxing

Internet

Treating overall physical health and wellbeing as something to constantly optimize — diet, supplements, checkups, recovery — not just one specific habit.

hopemaxxing

Internet

Deliberately choosing optimism — Gen Z's self-aware, often ironic take on staying hopeful in a doomscrolling-heavy internet culture.

living my best life

Internet

A cheerful way to describe being happy and fulfilled, often used a little ironically about small everyday pleasures.

lore

Internet

A person's or thing's backstory — the accumulated history and context that explains them. To "drop lore" is to reveal a surprising bit of your past.

main character energy

Internet

Carrying yourself with the confidence of someone who believes their own life is worth telling a story about.

maxxing

Internet

A suffix meaning to obsessively optimize one particular part of your life — attach it to almost anything (moneymaxxing, sleepmaxxing, gymmaxxing) to describe going all-in on improving it.

mid

Internet

Mediocre — distinctly average and not worth the hype. A dismissive rating for something overrated.

moneymaxxing

Internet

Going all-in on optimizing your finances — aggressive saving, budgeting apps, side hustles, cutting every non-essential cost — often turned into short-form video content.

ratio

Internet

On social media, when a reply to a post gets far more likes than the post itself — a sign the crowd sided against the original poster. To "ratio" someone is to bury their take this way.

rent free

Internet

Describing something that occupies your thoughts constantly, unpaid and uninvited — it "lives in your head rent free".

sending me

Internet

Making you laugh uncontrollably — something so funny it "sends" you into laughter.

sleepmaxxing

Internet

Optimizing sleep as far as it can go — mouth tape, red light glasses, magnesium, weighted blankets, white noise — to squeeze the maximum benefit out of rest.

socialmaxxing

Internet

Deliberately working to become as socially skilled and connected as possible — practicing small talk, going to more events, treating your social life like a project to optimize.

softmaxxing

Internet

The mild, low-effort end of looksmaxxing — skincare, diet, exercise, a better haircut — as opposed to anything invasive.

stan

Internet

An extremely devoted fan of a celebrity or public figure, or to support someone that intensely.

stylemaxxing

Internet

Overhauling and optimizing your personal style and wardrobe to its fullest potential, usually all at once rather than gradually.

touch grass

Internet

To step away from the internet and reconnect with the real world. Usually said to someone who has spent too long arguing or posting online.

unalive

Internet

A euphemism for "kill" or "die", used to discuss death without tripping the automatic content filters of platforms like TikTok and YouTube.

yap

Internet

To talk at length, often about not very much. A "yapper" won't stop talking, and "yapping" is going on and on.