The other day a Gen X mate who manages a younger team made a startling confession:
“I learned a new word from the Gen Ys: slay. It means rock.”
“Really?”, I replied. “Slay’s old school. It’s been around for years.”
Still, the exchange got me thinking. What slang is trending now? And, more importantly, how can marketers use it to resonate with younger audiences?
If you want to bring some apt (or should I say APT) vibes to your team meetings, pitches or campaigns, you need to learn the lingo.
Here’s my list of Urban Dictionary-style words every marketer could use to sound youthful, playful and “in the know”.
A word of warning: Use these sparingly. Being cool is about confidence, not overdoing it. Stay on the ground (credit Rosé) – authentic, relatable, meaningful. Do that and you’ll slay, no cap.
- Slay – To do something exceptionally well or look amazing while doing it. (“This campaign slays!”)
- Drip – Refers to style, swag, or overall coolness. (“Our branding has some serious drip.”)
- Vibes – The emotional atmosphere or feel of something. (“We’re going for fun, retro vibes in this campaign.”)
- Glow-Up – A transformation for the better, often visually. (“Our website got a major glow-up!”)
- Flex – Showing off or boasting about something impressive. (“This ROI is a flex.”)
- Lit – Exciting, amazing, or on fire (figuratively). (“The product launch event was lit.”)
- Savage – Bold or fierce, often in a humorous way. (“That clapback on Insta was savage.”)
- Extra – Over-the-top or dramatic. (“This ad is a little extra, but it works!”)
- Low-Key – Subtle or understated. (“We’re keeping the design low-key minimalist.”)
- High-Key – The opposite of low-key; very obvious or noticeable. (“This campaign is high-key brilliant.”)
- Fire – Something excellent or of high quality. (“Our latest content strategy is fire.”)
- FOMO – Fear of Missing Out. (“Use urgency in the CTA to trigger some FOMO.”)
- Clout – Influence or social standing, often tied to social media. (“That influencer has serious clout.”)
- Goals – Aspirational or ideal. (“That campaign is goals.”)
- Tea – Gossip or news. (“Here’s the tea on our competitor’s latest campaign.”)
- Stoked – Extremely excited. (“We’re stoked about the upcoming product reveal.”)
- No Cap – No lie or being truthful. (“This strategy is working, no cap.”)
- Boujee – Fancy, luxurious, or high-end. (“Our packaging design is so boujee.”)
- Mood – Something relatable or a vibe you feel strongly about. (“That customer testimonial is such a mood.”)
- Yeet – To throw something with force or excitement, often used as an exclamation. (“Let’s yeet this outdated strategy and start fresh.”)
- Bet – Used to agree, confirm, or say “okay.” (“You want us to launch on Monday? Bet.”)
- Big Mood – A phrase that means “I relate to this deeply.” (“That viral campaign is a big mood.”)
- Cheugy – Outdated or trying too hard to be trendy. (“That logo redesign is giving cheugy vibes.”)
- Snatched – On point, flawless, or looking amazing. (“Our new branding? Snatched.”)
- Shook – Surprised, amazed, or taken aback. (“When the sales numbers came in, we were shook.”)
- Slaps – Refers to something that’s excellent, especially music or creative work. (“This campaign tagline slaps.”)
- Bussin’ – Really good, usually referring to food but now applied broadly. (“That creative brief is bussin’!”)
- Sus – Suspicious or shady. (“This sudden algorithm change is sus.”)
- W – A win, victory, or something great. (“Getting that client on board is a big W for us.”)
- 24K Magic – Something extraordinary, luxurious or pure gold. (“This campaign is pure 24K Magic—polished, premium and unforgettable.”)
- Cap – A lie or exaggeration. (“Saying you didn’t see the email? That’s cap.”)
- Bop – A great song or something fun and catchy. (“This jingle is a total bop.”)
- Dank – High quality or cool. Originally for memes but now used more widely. (“That brand voice is dank.”)
- Receipts – Proof or evidence, usually used in a playful call-out. (“We’ve got receipts for our campaign’s ROI.”)
- Ghost – To suddenly disappear or stop responding, often used for someone ignoring messages. (“Let’s make sure we don’t ghost our audience during the campaign rollout.”)
- Hits Different – Something that feels more significant or impactful than usual. (“This year’s Super Bowl ad hits different.”)
- Chill – Relaxed, laid-back, or cool. (“Let’s keep this campaign vibe chill.”)
- Main Character Energy – Acting or feeling like the star of the moment. (“This rebrand is giving main character energy.”)
- Pull Up – To show up or arrive. (“If you’re not sure about the campaign, pull up to the brainstorming session.”)
- Secure the Bag – Successfully achieve or earn something valuable. (“We’re about to secure the bag with this partnership.”)
Bonus: Emojis and Gestures
To really channel your inner Bruno Mars and Rosé energy, pepper your speech or presentation with emoji-inspired phrases like these:
🔥 (“This strategy is pure fire.”)
💯 (“Our team nailed it, 100%.”)
🚀 (“This launch is about to take off.”)
🫡 (“Respect for that insight—on point.”)
👀 (“Stay tuned—we’ve got something big coming.”)
[Mike drop]
