Hey, check this out – we Gen X’ers are getting older all the time, every year it seems!
And as per the yuge, we get increasingly out of touch with the younger generations. In particular, their slang.
Here is an actual quote via text from my middle child – who is actually Gen Z, but still young and hip to the freshest lingo.
"That's so skibidi of you. Gonna fanum tax my rizz jargon? I didn't know you watched Kai Cenat down in Ohio. That's mogging."
Like, say what now?
It’s easy to roll your eyes and yell, “Get off my lawn, dopey kid!”
But that’s not the Gen X way. We can master this youngest generation’s dope freestyle like we have all the others. By the end of this post, you will be able to translate that gibberish from Planet Melmac to sweet Gen X jazz, nothing to it. (My personal translation can be found below.)
Gen X rules!
| Generation Alpha Term | Generation X Translation |
| “That ate” | “That rocked” |
| “Delulu” | “Whack” |
| “And I oop” | “Say what?!” |
| “Blud” | “Homie” |
| “Fanum tax” | “Mooch off” |
| “Lore” | “The 411” |
| “It’s dogwater” | “It blows” |
| “That’s from Ohio” | “That’s cheesy” |
| “Mewing” | “Striking a pose” |
| “Looksmaxxing” | “All dolled up” |
| “Sigma male” | “Loner” |
| “Gyatt” | “Phat” |
| “He’s a munch” | “He’s a scrub” |
| “Unt unt” | “Hell to the no” |
| “Cold” | “Rad” |
| “Sweat” | “Wannabe” |
| “Straight” | “Chillin'” |
| “Pookie” | “Shawty” |
| “Baka” | “Lame-o” |
| “Rizz up” | “Put the moves on” |
| “Rizzler” | “All that and a bag of chips” |
| “Mogger” | “Hottie” |
| “Skibidi” | “Chumbawumba” |
Now, that you’ve studied the chart, take a look back at that skibidi text from before. Does it make any more sense?
Here is my Generation X translation:
"That's utter nonsense. You're gonna try to rip off my fresh lingo? I bet you watch Pee Wee Herman surrounded by Hello Kitty plushies, ya dork. You're trying to one-up me."
See? Easy peasy, lemon squeezy. That may or may not be right, but whatever.
So, here’s the actual 411 – or the “lore”, if you will….most Gen Alpha slang is heavily based on streaming and online content, and therefore, it doesn’t translate all that well to a generation that “streamed” mixed tapes on their walkmans.
Therefore, I have added a companion piece that explains Generation Alpha slang without the Generation X translation. Less fun, but perhaps more useful.
Find the companion piece here.
Also, don’t miss my Generation Z to Generation X Translation Guide. It’s cheugy, but still highkey slaps, no cap.
There’s lots more Gen X stuff, both informative and silly, all over this site. Try this whole category.