Slang time machine
Every English slang term has a moment it first showed up in print or on someone's lips. We've tagged 1,000 terms with a first attested decade — from 18th-century thieves’ cant through to 2020s internet vocabulary. Pick a decade below.
1990s — 88 terms
Showing top 88 by views90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
13th stepper
1990🗺️ Regional & Other
🔊tech debt
1992⚡ Tech, Dev & AI
🔊nerf
1997🎮 Gaming
discord
🔊serve
1990?? Drugs & Substances
tiktok
🔊meta
1990🎮 Gaming
discord
🔊love language
1992🌐 Internet & Memes
tiktok
🔊rubber ducking
1999⚡ Tech, Dev & AI
🔊clap
1990🎮 Gaming
discord
🔊smurf
1996🎮 Gaming
discord
🔊camper
1996🎮 Gaming
discord
🔊bikeshedding
1999⚡ Tech, Dev & AI
🔊actioning
1990💼 Corporate & Work
🔊yak shaving
1990⚡ Tech, Dev & AI
🔊boom bap
1990🎵 Music & Lyrics
🔊mental load
1996🌱 Lifestyle & Wellness
🔊wha gwan
1990🎤 Black culture & AAVE
🔊OKR
1999💼 Corporate & Work
🔊spill the tea
1990🔥 Gen Z & TikTok
tiktok
🔊friend zone
1994💘 Relationships & Dating
🔊oat milk
1995🍔 Food & Drink
🔊standup
1990💼 Corporate & Work
bluesky
🔊tea
1990🔥 Gen Z & TikTok
tiktok
🔊yass
1990🔥 Gen Z & TikTok
tiktok
🔊pilled
1999🌐 Internet & Memes
tiktok
🔊speedrun
1994🎮 Gaming
discord
🔊neo-soul
1990🎵 Music & Lyrics
🔊cross-functional
1990💼 Corporate & Work
🔊morning pages
1992🌱 Lifestyle & Wellness
🔊DPS
1990🎮 Gaming
discord
🔊scrum
1995💼 Corporate & Work
🔊capacity
1990💼 Corporate & Work
bluesky
🔊hitbox
1990🎮 Gaming
discord
🔊ship
1990💘 Relationships & Dating
🔊kit
1995🎮 Gaming
discord
🔊stakeholder alignment
1990💼 Corporate & Work
🔊scrub
1990🎮 Gaming
discord
🔊cheeky pint
1990🇬🇧 British & Irish slang
🔊ammo humper
1990🗺️ Regional & Other
🔊beezy
1990🎤 Black culture & AAVE
🔊mandem
1990🎤 Black culture & AAVE
🔊ABM
1990🍔 Food & Drink
🔊buay tahan
1990🗺️ Regional & Other
🔊aggy
1990🎤 Black culture & AAVE
🔊dude-bro
1990🗺️ Regional & Other
🔊ditsoon
1990🗺️ Regional & Other
🔊fibbie
1990🗺️ Regional & Other
🔊babyfather
1990⚡ Tech, Dev & AI
🔊cuzzo
1990🎤 Black culture & AAVE
🔊young boul
1990🎤 Black culture & AAVE
🔊dick muncher
1990🗺️ Regional & Other
🔊addy
1990🌐 Internet & Memes
🔊heroin chic
1990👗 Fashion & Lifestyle
🔊Ah Beng
1990🗺️ Regional & Other
🔊spenny
1990🇬🇧 British & Irish slang
🔊backread
1990🌐 Internet & Memes
🔊lookee-likee
1990🇬🇧 British & Irish slang
🔊Casper
1995🗺️ Regional & Other
bluesky
🔊ab off
1990⚡ Tech, Dev & AI
🔊concept
1990🎵 Music & Lyrics
🔊shiesty
1990🎤 Black culture & AAVE
bluesky
🔊ACE
1997⚡ Tech, Dev & AI
🔊wagwan
1990🎤 Black culture & AAVE
🔊chio
1990🗺️ Regional & Other
🔊dolo
1995🎵 Music & Lyrics
🔊get jiggy
1997🗺️ Regional & Other
🔊beat one's face
1990🎤 Black culture & AAVE
🔊blokess
1990🇬🇧 British & Irish slang
🔊red-pilled
1999🌐 Internet & Memes
🔊beasting
1990⚡ Tech, Dev & AI
🔊fanny rat
1990🗺️ Regional & Other
🔊kwaito
1990🎵 Music & Lyrics
🔊2gether
1995🌐 Internet & Memes
🔊rent-a-gob
1990🇬🇧 British & Irish slang
🔊black don't crack
1990🎤 Black culture & AAVE
🔊aight
1990🎤 Black culture & AAVE
bluesky
🔊Usenetard
1995🌐 Internet & Memes
🔊jake
1990🌐 Internet & Memes
🔊desmond
1990🇬🇧 British & Irish slang
bluesky
🔊Jewfucker
1990🗺️ Regional & Other
🔊4eva
1995🌐 Internet & Memes
🔊kine bud
1990?? Drugs & Substances
🔊chubbs
1990🗺️ Regional & Other
🔊carpet kisser
1990🗺️ Regional & Other
🔊keep it real
1990🎤 Black culture & AAVE
bluesky
🔊netdead
1995🌐 Internet & Memes
🔊n00b
1995🌐 Internet & Memes
irc
🔊sigging
1990🎤 Black culture & AAVE
🔊iced out
1990🎵 Music & Lyrics
🔊Juggalette
1995🗺️ Regional & Other
🔊fagette
1990🗺️ Regional & Other
🔊mad respect
1990🎤 Black culture & AAVE
bluesky
🔊Cheena
1990⚡ Tech, Dev & AI
🔊academentia
1990🗺️ Regional & Other
🔊grimy
1990🎤 Black culture & AAVE
bluesky
🔊air out
1990⚡ Tech, Dev & AI
bluesky
🔊chocolate starfish
1990🇬🇧 British & Irish slang
🔊jog on
1990🇬🇧 British & Irish slang
bluesky
🔊and shit
1990🎤 Black culture & AAVE
bluesky
🔊jazillion
1990🗺️ Regional & Other
🔊(c)rapper
1990🎤 Black culture & AAVE
🔊crapacious
1990🎤 Black culture & AAVE
🔊nastyass
1990🗺️ Regional & Other
🔊math rock
1990🎵 Music & Lyrics
bluesky
🔊Indy
1990🇬🇧 British & Irish slang
bluesky
🔊booze cruise
1990🍔 Food & Drink
🔊ain't nothing but a thang
1990🎤 Black culture & AAVE
🔊kiff
1990🗺️ Regional & Other
🔊dealy
1990🗺️ Regional & Other
🔊pack shit
1990🇦🇺 Australian & NZ slang
🔊kak on
1990🗺️ Regional & Other
🔊flanno
1990🇦🇺 Australian & NZ slang
🔊18C
1995⚡ Tech, Dev & AI
🔊10-20-Life
1999🗺️ Regional & Other
🔊4ever
1995🌐 Internet & Memes
🔊1024th note
1990🗺️ Regional & Other
🔊brown bottle flu
1990🗺️ Regional & Other
🔊link up
1990🎤 Black culture & AAVE
bluesky
🔊y'allself
1990🎤 Black culture & AAVE
🔊pek chek
1990🗺️ Regional & Other
🔊chur
1990🇦🇺 Australian & NZ slang
🔊More on how slang travels through time
The lifecycle of a slang word
Mint, scale, ironize, retire — how every viral term moves through the same five stages.
Where slang is born now
The platforms and subcultures that mint vocabulary in 2026 — and why TikTok shifted everything.
AAVE and internet slang
The single biggest source of new mainstream English vocabulary, and why most of the words you used today started here.
Attestation dates come from etymologies originally sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0) and editorial expansion authored on Slangora. They reflect the earliest documented use we found for each term, not necessarily the moment it was coined.