Millennial Slang: A Love Letter to the Words That Made Us
There was a time when saying “on fleek” actually meant something. When calling someone “bae” wasn’t ironic, and if you “couldn’t even,” everyone just knew what you meant. Life was simpler then—2007 was peak culture, Facebook pokes were a love language, and our biggest fear was getting untagged in an ugly Myspace photo.
But here we are now, fully grown, paying bills, stretching before bed like it’s a full-body workout, and trying not to cringe when a Gen Z-er side-eyes us for saying “adulting.”
So, let’s take a walk down memory lane, shall we? A nostalgic trip back to when we thought we were the main characters of the internet, armed with the absolute best (and now painfully outdated) millennial slang.
1. “Adulting” – The Word That Defined an Entire Generation’s Pain
Millennials didn’t invent responsibilities—we just branded them. And thus, adulting was born.
🔹 “Can’t go out tonight, gotta do some adulting.”
🔹 “I just paid my electricity bill on time—10/10 adulting.”
🔹 “Bought a vacuum today. Officially thriving in adulting.”
Fast forward to today, and Gen Z thinks the term is outdated (probably because they’re too busy financially recovering from the avocado toast we allegedly ruined the economy with). But back then? Saying adulting was our only coping mechanism for realizing life was just taxes, debt, and Googling how to cook chicken properly.
2. “On Fleek” – The Rise and Fall of the Sharpest Brows
It all started with a Vine (RIP) when Peaches Monroe declared that her eyebrows were “on fleek.” And just like that, an entire generation lost its mind.
Everything could be on fleek—your outfit, your makeup, your hair. You could walk into a party and someone would nod in approval, whispering “on fleek” like it was a sacred blessing.
But, much like the fate of Vine itself, on fleek didn’t survive the culture shift. Gen Z dropped it faster than we dropped low-rise jeans, and suddenly, brows were just… good again.
3. “Yas” – When One “Yes” Wasn’t Enough
We didn’t just say yes—we said YAS. Sometimes with a little extra: “Yas, queen!” Drag culture gifted us this masterpiece, and we ran with it like it was our birthright.
It was the universal response to anything exciting:
🖤 Friend gets engaged? YAS.
🖤 Beyoncé breathes? YAS QUEEN.
🖤 You finally find your size in the clearance section? YAS YAS YAS.
And while yas still makes occasional appearances, Gen Z’s new equivalent is simply “slay.” Which, honestly? We respect.
4. “Low-Key” and “High-Key” – The OG Mood Modifiers
Millennials perfected subtlety in slang. If you wanted to admit something without fully committing, you threw in a low-key.
🌚 “I low-key love pineapple on pizza.”
🌚 “This job is low-key ruining my soul.”
🌚 “I’m low-key obsessed with this Trader Joe’s candle.”
But sometimes, you had to go all in, and that’s where high-key came in.
🔥 “I high-key need that vacation.”
🔥 “She high-key snapped on that comeback.”
🔥 “This is high-key the best burrito I’ve ever had.”
Gen Z may have retired these for “delulu” (delusional) and “no cap” (no lie), but let’s be real—low-key still slaps.
5. “Shook” – Because English Wasn’t Dramatic Enough
Before we had shook, we had to describe our shock. What a waste of words.
Then one day, someone just said, “I’m shook,” and suddenly, the world had a new way to express utter disbelief.
😱 That plot twist in Game of Thrones? Shook.
😱 Beyoncé dropping an album with zero warning? Shooketh.
😱 Checking your bank account on a Monday? Beyond shook.
It was short, dramatic, and got the point across. 10/10, would bring back.
6. “Slaps” – The Ultimate Stamp of Approval
Before everything slapped, things were just good.
🎵 A song that’s a banger? It slaps.
🍕 That pizza at 2 AM? It slaps.
👟 Your friend’s new sneakers? SLAP CITY.
The best part? Slaps somehow transcended generations. Even Gen Z kept it in circulation, meaning we finally have one slang term we don’t have to be embarrassed about using in public.
7. “Big Mood” – Because Feelings Are Hard
Why describe emotions when you can just say “big mood” and call it a day?
😩 Woke up late, missed your train, and spilled coffee? Big mood.
😂 Found a meme that perfectly describes your existential crisis? Big. Mood.
🙃 Just existing in the 2020s? BIGGEST MOOD.
If there was ever a phrase that summed up millennial exhaustion, this was it.
8. “Cringe” – The Word That Came Back to Haunt Us
We thought we were cool. We thought our slang was timeless. But then Gen Z discovered the word cringe and applied it to literally everything we love.
💀 Side parts? Cringe.
💀 Skinny jeans? Cringe.
💀 Saying “I did a thing” on Instagram? Biggest cringe of all.
It’s fine. We’re fine. We’ll just be over here, sipping our oat milk lattes, accepting our fate.
Final Thoughts: Slang Might Change, But Millennials Will Always Be Iconic
Sure, our beloved phrases may be “cheugy” now (don’t get me started on that word), but millennial slang defined an era.
It was dramatic. It was extra. It was sometimes completely unnecessary.
And yet? It was ours.
So, to all my fellow millennials: Keep adulting, keep low-key thriving, and if anyone tries to tell you that on fleek is dead? Just look them straight in the eye and say:
“Yas, queen.”
