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.

  • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    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.

    • Klanky@sopuli.xyz
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      3 months ago

      ‘Scene’ kids were the Hot Topic emo kids when I was a teenager 20ish years ago. As someone who was into 2nd wave emo, it always made me die a little that ‘Scene’ is what most people think of when they hear ‘emo’.

    • Zahille7@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      “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”

      • solrize@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        And Harry don’t mind if he don’t make the scene. He’s got a daytime job, he’s doing all right.

        Avril Lavigne? Of Lavigne and Shirley? ;)

        • seathru@lemmy.sdf.org
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          3 months ago

          They’ve been around for nigh on 20 years. Age doesn’t have anything to do with it, it’s musical tastes.

          • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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            3 months ago

            Cool. I was 27 in that case. Why would you expect me to be out there discovering new bands when I was trying to get my career off the ground?

            • seathru@lemmy.sdf.org
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              3 months ago

              I guess because I’m the same age and was getting my career off the ground at the same time. But everyone has different life experiences. I cannot fathom not exposing myself to new music.

              • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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                3 months ago

                But everyone has different life experiences.

                And yet you decided it was unreasonable for me to have not heard of this band.

                And there is no way you are my age and “Scene” was a thing when you were in high school. That’s just bullshit. This says that it started in the early 2000s:

                https://aesthetics.fandom.com/wiki/Scene

                • Zahille7@lemmy.world
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                  3 months ago

                  Damn you went into this thread pissed off, didn’t you? You replied to the wrong person. I’m the one who said scene was a thing 10 years ago when I was in high school and middle school.

                  Chill and fully read the comments (username and all) before replying.