90s Slang
90s slang — the iconic words and phrases of the nineties, explained. Throwback vocabulary that still slaps.
43 words
A sweetheart or romantic partner — your boo, the one you're into.
Your home or place — where you live and chill.
Stylish, attractive, and effortlessly cool — looking good and knowing it.
Someone who resents your success instead of getting their own.
The shortest possible 'what's up' — a one-word greeting.
To disrespect or insult someone — a put-down, often in a song.
A dismissive 'I don't care' delivered with maximum attitude.
To show off your money, style, or success — flexing for the audience.
A casual way to admit a mistake — 'that was my fault.'
An ongoing feud or grudge — in rap, a public conflict often played out through diss tracks.
Freaking out, overreacting, or acting crazy — your wires are tripping.
Very, a lot — the NorCal intensifier that went national.
What's up — the drawn-out 90s greeting Budweiser turned into a national catchphrase.
To sit down and post up somewhere — grab a spot and settle in.
A mystical 90s-witchy aesthetic — crescent moons, velvet, crystals, tarot, and a dreamy dark-romantic vibe.
Wild, exciting, and amazing — so good it's out of control.
A large dance party with electronic music, often running all night.
A stylized ballroom dance of sharp poses, lines, and angular arm movements.
Faking it, putting on a false front to seem tougher or richer.
Peace, Love, Unity, Respect — the unofficial moral code of rave and EDM culture.
To sit in one spot waiting to ambush enemies instead of moving around.
Homemade beaded bracelets ravers trade as gifts and symbols of connection.
Loud, lively, and full of energy — usually about music or a scene.
Flashy, expensive jewelry — the sparkle of chains, rings, and diamonds.
Overreacting, acting irrational, or saying something wild.
A playful spin on 'homie' — your close friend, with extra silliness.
The absolute best — something so good it's explosive.
A sassy 'I'm not listening' delivered with a palm in your face.
Excellent, attractive, or really good — especially food, music, or a body.
Money, plain and simple — the cheddar, the paper, the cash.
A glowing light stick waved at raves — and a whole performance art of doing so.
A circle of rappers taking turns freestyling, each one passing the mic and trying to outdo the last.
Really excited or thrilled about something — common in surfer and Aussie slang.
An extra-emphatic 'da bomb' — the very best, with a 90s flourish.
Money, cash, paper — a classic West Coast term for the green.
A triumphant shout of victory — boom, nailed it, in your face.
A kill in a shooter — and, as a verb, to rack them up.
To rap, especially to deliver bars with skill — 'spit a verse' means lay down some rhymes.
Cool and excellent — or, flipped, annoyed and mad.
Impressive and knowing it — often said sarcastically of someone who thinks they're hot stuff.
An all-purpose 'I agree, for real, truth' — agreement and acknowledgment in one syllable.
A dismissive 'yeah right, never gonna happen' — the ultimate 90s eye-roll in two words.
Bad, lame, or low-quality — the opposite of dope.