"grimace shake" means reference to a 2023 tiktok trend involving mcdonald's grimace shake (purple, fruit-flavored) being framed in faux-horror videos as cursed. It is one of many casual words teens pick up from friends, social media, music or sport, and on its own it carries no particular warning. If you hear your teen use it, it is fair to ask what they mean by it in their friend group, since meanings drift quickly. Asking out of curiosity rather than alarm tends to keep the conversation open and useful.
grimace shake
Reference to a 2023 TikTok trend involving McDonald's Grimace Shake (purple, fruit-flavored) being framed in faux-horror videos as cursed.
ˈɡrɪm.ɪs ʃeɪkCoined ~20232020sGen AlphatrendingCurrent268 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026＋ Add a definition
Etymology timeline
Born ~2023 · 2 years of recorded useSeen in the wild
BlueskyMay 2026
sitting down head in hands over learning the fact that the grimace shake was a big milk sleeper agent
View source
Firecrawl: Grimace Shake Trend | Know Your MemeJun 2023
All Rights Reserved. # Grimace Shake Trend Updated 2 years ago by [Phillip Hamilton](https://knowyourmeme.com/users/phillip-hamilton).
View source
Firecrawl: Grimace Shake - Wikipedia
05. ^ [Jump up to: _**a**_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grimace_Shake#cite_ref-:6_5-0) [_**b**_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grimace_Shake#cite_ref-:6_5-1)Lamour, Joseph (June 15, 2023). ["McDonald's says its Grim…
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Firecrawl: Grimace Shake – Wikipédia, a enciclopédia livre
Consultado em 29 de julho de 2023 03. [1](https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grimace_Shake#cite_ref-:1_3-0) [2](https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grimace_Shake#cite_ref-:1_3-1)[«McDonald's says its Grimace Shake is berry-flavo…
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Definitions
Global
#1·Apr 26, 2026Global
Reference to a 2023 TikTok trend involving McDonald's Grimace Shake (purple, fruit-flavored) being framed in faux-horror videos as cursed. Became shorthand for any unsettling viral food.
"That looked like a grimace shake situation."
Origin: TikTok trend, June 2023; viral horror-comedy format that defined a brief cultural moment.
For parents
"grimace shake" means reference to a 2023 tiktok trend involving mcdonald's grimace shake (purple, fruit-flavored) being framed in faux-horror videos as cursed. It is one of many casual words teens pick up from friends, social media, music or sport, and on its own it carries no particular warning. If you hear your teen use it, it is fair to ask what they mean by it in their friend group, since meanings drift quickly. Asking out of curiosity rather than alarm tends to keep the conversation open and useful.
For ESL learners
"grimace shake" is informal English meaning reference to a 2023 tiktok trend involving mcdonald's grimace shake (purple, fruit-flavored) being framed in faux-horror videos as cursed. It is used widely across English varieties. A more formal or neutral equivalent would be something like "reference to a 2023 tiktok trend involving mcdonald's grimace shake (purple" expressed in standard vocabulary. A common mistake is to assume "grimace shake" can replace its standard equivalent in every register; keep it for spoken or casual situations and use the formal form in writing.
Heard in the wild
“sitting down head in hands over learning the fact that the grimace shake was a big milk sleeper agent”
— Bluesky· May 2026“All Rights Reserved. # Grimace Shake Trend Updated 2 years ago by [Phillip Hamilton](https://knowyourmeme.com/users/phillip-hamilton).”
— Firecrawl: Grimace Shake Trend | Know Your Meme· Jun 2023“05. ^ [Jump up to: _**a**_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grimace_Shake#cite_ref-:6_5-0) [_**b**_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grimace_Shake#cite_ref-:6_5-1)Lamour, Joseph (June 15, 2023). ["McDonald's says its Grimace Shake is berry-flavored.”
“Consultado em 29 de julho de 2023 03. [1](https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grimace_Shake#cite_ref-:1_3-0) [2](https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grimace_Shake#cite_ref-:1_3-1)[«McDonald's says its Grimace Shake is berry-flavored.”
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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Other words near "grimace shake" (G)
griftergrikegrilfgrillbillygrilled cheesegrilliongrimestergrim-gramgrimygrimy arcgrimy checkgrimy coded
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