Move over, Gen Z — there’s a new It Generation in town.
Gen Alpha, born after 2012, finally has access to the internet and they’re already slamming commonplace slang that has been etched into Gen Z and Millennial lexicon for years.
Among the terminology that is “out” are the words “slay” and “bet,” two Gen Alpha girls dished on TikTok.
In a viral clip, which scored 4.5 million views, Hoboken native Nicole Pellegrino, the director of TikTok content and strategy for Betches Media, quizzed the youngsters on emojis, acronyms and lingo, and was floored when the pair recoiled at her use of the laughing emoticon and her use of the word “slay.”
“It’s not even funny how out ‘slay’ is,” Pellegrino’s younger sister schooled her.
When Pellegrino, 31, used it in a sentence — “That’s a slay” — the duo scream, “No!”
In response to the term “bet,” the girls pursed their lips and made a disapproving noise, and when Pellegrino revealed she still used the laughing emoji, the girls were shocked.
“You still use that?” the other Gen Alpha junior responded.
“When you laugh, if it’s something funny, you do [the] crying [emoji], because no one laughs by using the laughing [emoji],” Pellegrino’s sister explained.
While educating the elder — err, Millennial — about the do’s and don’ts of staying on-trend linguistically, the pair used the term “GYAT,” which they defined as an acronym for “girl your a– thick.”
However, others would disagree, arguing in the video’s comments that it’s an abbreviation for “goddamn.”
When asked to define a “preppy” aesthetic — what many Zoomers and Millennials might identify as Blair Waldorf-esque style — the youngsters shocked Pellegrino when they said a “preppy” person would wear Lululemon attire and use Summer Friday’s Lip Butter Balm.
Someone who might wear Ralph Lauren Polo would be considered a “vanilla girl,” someone who is more buttoned-up than a “clean girl,” and tends to wear timeless basics in neutral colors — think: Millennial beige.
In a second installation of the Gen Alpha slang series, the two youngsters explained that they only use lowercase letters when texting to appear more casual, since proper grammar is more of a “school thing.”
They only “text normal” — read: in complete sentences with proper punctuation — when they’re angry, and refuse to send voice memos to each other, unlike Pellegrino who regularly uses the feature to communicate with her friends.
“You gotta stop doing that,” scolded her young sister. “It’s not that hard to type.”
TikTokers couldn’t believe their ears, lamenting feeling “ancient” despite some viewers being only in their early 20s.
“This AGED me and i’m 25,” one gobsmacked person wrote.
“I feel like I’m getting gaslit by toddlers I’m 22 and all these words are still in circulation,” commented another.
“I’m 22 and this just called me ancient,” joked one person.
“My jaw dropped at them pointing at a RALPH LAUREN hat and saying that’s not preppy… RL is the epitome of prep,” argued one viewer.
“Pls educate them on what preppy actually means I want the reaction,” begged another.
“Y’all will have to pry the laughing emoji out of my cold dead millennial hands,” one viewer stated.
“Watching Gen Alpha come for Gen z is gonna be the highlight of my Millennial life,” quipped someone else.
“Can they teach a masterclass or something,” one confused user chimed in.