The word “slay” has taken on new meaning in recent years thanks to Gen Z. Originally meaning “to kill or destroy”, slay is now used as a compliment among teenagers and young adults to mean doing something extremely well or being awesome at something. Slay has become a popular slang term and meme on social media and in youth culture. Keep reading to learn more about what it means to slay, how it became popular, and how Gen Zers use it in everyday language.
Origin and History
The exact origin of using “slay” as a slang term is unclear, but its usage in mainstream culture is often credited to LGBTQ ballroom culture in the 1980s. “Slay” was used within the community to mean succeeding spectacularly and being better than others in a competition. The term was likely popularized from usages like “slaying the children”, which meant severely outdoing or outperforming competitors who were younger or less experienced in the ballroom scene.
This positive usage of slay slowly disseminated into wider slang through the 1990s and 2000s, especially through urban and Black communities. It was further popularized online and in memes throughout the 2010s, leading to its widespread adoption among Gen Zers on social media today. While its exact evolution over the decades is murky, the positive meaning of excelling and succeeding remains intact.
Early Usages and Spread Online
Some key events tracing the evolving slang usage of slay include:
- The 1988 documentary “Paris is Burning” prominently featured slay in the context of LGBTQ ball culture.
- Rapper Lil’ Kim released her debut album “Hard Core” in 1996, featuring extensive use of slay as a bragging term.
- Mariah Carey famously ended acceptance speeches with “I don’t have to slay you” in the late 90s and 2000s.
- Beyonce used slay on her albums throughout the 2000s, exposing it to wider and younger audiences.
- Nicki Minaj’s verse “Gotta slay/Slay all day” on Kanye West’s “Monster” spread the term further in 2010.
- Pop singers like Lady Gaga and Katy Perry helped normalize it through the early 2010s.
- Memes, Vines, and tweets pushed slay into the vernacular of Gen Z starting around 2015.
So while originally niche, slay gained mainstream cultural presence through decades of music and eventually became a wildly popular Gen Z slang term online.
Meaning and Usage
So what does it mean when modern teenagers and young adults say “slay”? Here are some common definitions:
- To do something extremely well, often in a bold or dramatic fashion.
- To have an incredible, head-turning look because you look so good.
- To thoroughly succeed at an impressive task; to totally dominate in a competition.
- To be amazing, fierce, brilliant, or talented in any context.
Slay is used flexibly across situations from performances to competitions to everyday life. Here are some examples of usage:
- “Girl, your makeup is slaying today!”
- “When Beyonce hit that high note, she was slaying.”
- “I’m gonna slay this job interview by being confident.”
- “He slayed the dance-off with those smooth moves.”
It’s often used as an exclamation during or towards any impressive display of talent, skill, or personality. Slay is mostly used positively, but can be used sarcastically in some contexts.
Variations and Slang Combinations
Like any popular slang, slay has spawned many variations and combinations with other Gen Z lingo. Here are some examples:
- Slayage – A great accomplishment at slaying. “That dance performance was pure slayage.”
- Slay queen – A woman or girl who slays constantly. “You’re such a slay queen in those heels!”
- Slayt – A short, impactful slay. “She slayt that test with a perfect score.”
- Be slayin – To continually do great at something. “He’s been slayin on the basketball court all season.”
Gen Z also uses slay in various hilarious and over-the-top combinations, like “Slay it slayyyy hunty mama house down boots yass queen!” Such strings of slang terms are common on stan twitter and other youth corners of social media.
Slay in Memes and Social Media
While slay has been around for decades, its ubiquity in memes and social media propelled it into the slang stratosphere.
Reaction GIFs and Images
Slay is constantly used in reaction GIFs and images responding to someone doing something impressive or amazing. These animated GIFs often contain phrases like “Get it!”, “Queen!”, “Yaass!”, and of course “Slay!” superimposed on images of people dancing, posing, or generally celebrating.
The immense popularity of such reaction GIFs connects slay firmly to youth culture and social media engagement. People can instantly show support and praise for viral moments by commenting with aptly chosen slay GIFs.
Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok
It’s impossible to browse platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok without seeing slay pop up regularly. People use it to caption photos and videos showing off outfits, dance skills, sports highlights, and any other shareable talents.
Tweets like “Slay of the day” with photos showing off an impressive new look are a common sight. Comments like “Slay queen!” and “Ur slaying!” are ubiquitous responses to influencers’ content. Beyond captions, slay is highly prominent in hashtags indexing flattering selfies, makeup tutorials, dances/skits, and more – a search of “#slay” turns up billions of results.
Through these platforms, Gen Zers constantly reinforce slay as a touchstone of affirmation and validation within their online communities.
Examples in Memes
Many recent memes imagine exaggerated “levels” of slaying something, often escalating to fictional extremes. Some popular examples include:
- Various versions of the “You think you can hurt me?” meme joking about getting through difficult situations by “slaying.”
- Memes about Beyonce embodying peak levels of slaying in concert performances.
- “Slay hierarchy” memes ranking people’s abilities to slay different scenarios.
- Absurd situations impaired by wigs, heels, nails, lashes etc. described as “Things that would stop me from slaying.”
This meme flair allows Gen Z to signal in-group connections and humor around shared slang understandings of slaying.
Significance and Analysis
The slang prominence of slay among Gen Z reveals several interesting aspects of their culture:
- A motivation for bold self-expression and identity performance instead of hiding imperfections.
- An appetite for competition and having opportunities to dramatically succeed.
- A desire for constant hype and affirmation between peers, which social media enables.
- A creativity in meme culture and humorously exaggerating common slang terms.
Slay empowers Gen Zers to confidently embrace their talents and passions without being humbled. It celebrates audaciousness and chasing viral attention on social media. Ultimately, slay represents Gen Z carving out their own carefree, irreverent youth culture on the internet.
Conclusion
In summary, slay originally referred to competing and winning in 1980s ballroom culture. As mainstream music artists introduced the term to younger generations, it evolved into a popular Gen Z slang expression for excellence. On social media, slay fuels an ecosystem of memes, reactions, and captions celebrating audacious and viral-worthy displays of talent or style. It represents Generation Z’s appetite for hype, competition, and identity performance. While slay may seem like a fleeting slang fad, it insightfully embodies many of Gen Z’s cultural aspirations.