“Wait, That Means What?! — 10 Gen Z Lingos You’d Never Guess”

Gen Z has taken slang to a whole new level — remixing words, twisting meanings, and creating inside jokes that leave other generations scratching their heads. Here are 10 phrases you probably wouldn’t guess the meaning of at first glance, plus how to use them.

1. “Delulu”

• Meaning: Short for delusional. It’s used when someone is being overly optimistic or unrealistic — but in a playful, not insulting way.

• How to use:
  “I know he hasn’t texted me back in two weeks, but I still think we’ll get married. I’m in my delulu era.”

2. “NPC”

• Meaning: Borrowed from gaming (Non-Playable Character). It’s used to describe someone who seems boring, predictable, or just going through life on autopilot.

• How to use:
  “That guy just orders black coffee and stares at the wall. Total NPC vibes.”

3. “Rizz”

• Meaning: Short for charisma. If you’ve got “rizz,” you know how to charm and flirt.

• How to use:
  “He pulled her number in five minutes — dude’s got insane rizz.”

4. “Beige Flag”

• Meaning: A quirky, mildly odd trait in someone you’re dating. Not a deal-breaker (like a red flag), but something unusual.

• How to use:
  “She eats pizza with a knife and fork. Total beige flag.”

5. “Touch Grass”

• Meaning: A call to go outside, disconnect, and live in the real world (often said to someone too online).

• How to use:
  “You’ve been arguing about pineapple on pizza for two hours. Go touch grass.”

6. “Main Character Energy”

• Meaning: Acting like the world revolves around you — in a confident, cinematic way.

• How to use:
  “She walked into the party with slow-motion confidence. Main character energy.”

7. “It’s Giving”

• Meaning: A way to describe the vibe or essence of something — often unfinished, like “It’s giving…” followed by a feeling.

• How to use:
  “This outfit? It’s giving CEO at brunch.”

8. “Gyat”

• Meaning: An exaggerated way of saying “gosh” or “damn,” often shouted online in reaction to something surprising.

• How to use:
  “GYAT, that was a crazy jump scare!”

9. “No Cap”

• Meaning: Means no lie or I’m serious.

• How to use:
  “That was the best burger I’ve ever had, no cap.”

10. “Bet”

• Meaning: A one-word way of saying okay, cool, I’m down.

• How to use:
  “Wanna hit the new sushi spot tonight?”
  “Bet.”

Bonus: Gen Z loves stacking these together. You might hear:
“No cap, his beige flag is kinda cute but my delulu says he’s got rizz. It’s giving main character.”