1990s Slang: Welcome to the Fly 90s!

The 1990s were an iconic decade, full of grunge, pop culture explosions, and the dawn of the digital age. Along with all the epic music and fashion, the 90s gave us some seriously fun slang that defined how we spoke.

While a lot of slang is built from generation to generation – the 90s had its fair share of unique words.

This slang is all about being cool, chill, and sometimes sarcastic. So, how do you know your as if from your da bomb?

Let’s dive into 90 Slang Words for the 90s and take a trip back to the days of pagers, VHS tapes, and Blockbuster rentals!

90 Slang Words for the 90s:

1. As If – Used to express disbelief or dismiss something ridiculous.
   “You think I’d wear that? As if!”

2. Bling – Flashy, expensive jewelry or accessories.
   “Check out all that bling on her wrist!”

3. Booyah – An exclamation of triumph or excitement.
   “I aced the test—booyah!”

4. Bounce – To leave or exit quickly.
   “This party’s lame, let’s bounce.”

5. Buggin’ – Freaking out or being overly concerned.
   “You’re buggin’ out over nothing.”

6. Butter – Someone or something smooth, cool, or attractive.
   “That jacket is butter!”

7. Chillax – A blend of “chill” and “relax.”
   “Just chillax, we’ve got plenty of time.”

8. Da Bomb – Something awesome or exceptional.
   “This pizza is da bomb!”

9. Dawg – A close friend, used like “bro.”
   “What’s up, dawg?”

10. Dis – To disrespect or insult someone.
    “You just dissed me in front of everyone!”

11. Dope – Something cool or impressive.
    “Those new shoes are dope.”

12. Eat My Shorts – A cheeky phrase used to tell someone off (popularized by The Simpsons).
    “You don’t like it? Eat my shorts!”

13. Faux Pas – A social blunder or mistake.
    “Wearing those shoes to the gala was a total faux pas.”

14. Fly – Stylish or attractive.
    “You’re looking fly in that outfit.”

15. Fo’ Shizzle – Playful way of saying “for sure” (popularized by Snoop Dogg).
    “We’re going out tonight, fo’ shizzle!”

16. Fresh – Cool, trendy, or new.
    “That jacket is fresh, where’d you get it?”

17. Gettin’ Jiggy – Dancing enthusiastically, made famous by Will Smith.
    “Everyone was gettin’ jiggy at the party last night.”

18. Ghetto Fabulous – Stylish but in a flashy or over-the-top way.
    “She was looking ghetto fabulous with all that gold.”

19. Grill – To stare someone down intensely.
    “Why are you grilling me like that?”

20. Homie – Close friend, often used in a neighborhood context.
    “That’s my homie from school.”

21. Hot Mess – Something or someone in a chaotic or disorganized state.
    “Her room is always a hot mess.”

22. Illin’ – Acting crazy, being rude, or getting upset.
    “Why you illin’? It’s not that serious.”

23. Janky – Something low-quality or broken.
    “This old TV is so janky.”

24. Legit – Authentic, real, or impressive.
    “That band’s performance was legit!”

25. Mac Daddy – A guy who is smooth with the ladies.
    “He thinks he’s such a mac daddy.”

26. Mad – Used to emphasize something, like “a lot of” or “very.”
    “That show was mad funny.”

27. My Bad – An apology or acknowledgment of one’s mistake.
    “Oh, I forgot the tickets—my bad!”

28. Noob – Someone who’s new or inexperienced at something.
    “You’re still such a noob at this game.”

29. Off the Hook – Something cool or exciting.
    “The party last night was off the hook!”

30. Phat – Excellent, cool, or sexy.
    “That car is phat!”

31. Pimpin’ – Someone who is stylish or impressive.
    “He’s totally pimpin’ in that suit.”

32. Props – Giving someone respect or credit.
    “I gotta give you props for pulling that off.”

33. Scrub – A person who doesn’t have much going on, often a loser (popularized by TLC’s song).
    “I don’t want no scrub.”

34. Shorty – An affectionate term for a girl or someone younger.
    “Hey shorty, what’s up?”

35. Skeezy – Someone who’s shady, untrustworthy, or gross.
    “That guy at the bar was so skeezy.”

36. Snap – Used to express surprise or shock.
    “Oh snap! I didn’t expect that to happen.”

37. Spill the Tea – To gossip or share secrets.
    “Okay, spill the tea—what happened after I left?”

38. Swerve – To avoid someone or something.
    “That guy’s trouble, you need to swerve.”

39. Throw Shade – To subtly insult or criticize someone.
    “She threw major shade at me in front of everyone.”

40. Tight – Something or someone that’s cool, good, or close-knit.
    “We’ve been tight since grade school.”

41. TLC – Short for “Tender Loving Care.”
    “That old car needs some serious TLC.”

42. Wack – Something that’s bad, lame, or doesn’t make sense.
    “That movie was so wack.”

43. Whassup – A casual greeting.
    “Whassup, man? Long time no see.”

44. Word Up – Used to show agreement or acknowledgment.
    “We’re leaving at 8? Word up.”

45. Y’all – Short for “you all,” commonly used in informal conversation.
    “Y’all going to the party later?”

46. Yolo – Acronym for “You Only Live Once,” often used to justify risky behavior.
    “Let’s go bungee jumping—YOLO!”

47. Zaddy – An attractive older man who’s stylish and fashionable.
    “That actor is such a zaddy!”

48. Whatever – A dismissive response.
    “You don’t like it? Whatever.”

49. All That – Someone who thinks highly of themselves or is truly great.
    “She’s acting like she’s all that.”

50. Boo – A term of endearment for your significant other.
    “I’m spending the night with my boo.”

51. Buggin’ – Acting irrationally or freaking out.
    “Why you buggin’? It’s not a big deal.”

52. Crib – Referring to your home.
    “Let’s head back to my crib.”

53. Fresh to Death – Looking stylish or fashionable.
    “You’re fresh to death in that outfit!”

54. Getting Played – Being fooled or taken advantage of.
    “She’s totally getting played by him.”

55. Grunge – A style of music and fashion that’s a little messy and edgy.
    “She’s into the grunge scene, flannel and all.”

56. Hoopty – An old, beat-up car.
    “I’m still driving my old hoopty.”

57. Jiggy – Dancing energetically.
    “Everyone was getting jiggy at the club last night.”

58. Legit – Something genuine, authentic, or impressive.
    “That deal was legit.”

59. Mac Daddy – A man who’s smooth with the ladies.
    “He thinks he’s a mac daddy.”

60. Off the Chain – Something wild or exciting.
    “That party was off the chain!”

61. No Scrubs – A song by TLC that led to the term for someone undesirable or with no prospects.
    “I don’t want no scrubs.”

62. Phat – Something cool, sexy, or attractive.
    “That jacket is phat!”

63. Po-po – Slang for the police.
    “Hide the stuff, the po-po is coming.”

64. Raise the Roof – A chant to hype up the crowd.
    “Come on, let’s raise the roof!”

65. Sike – Used after pretending something was true, to show you were joking.
    “I’m moving to Paris—sike!”

66. Talk to the Hand – A dismissive gesture to ignore someone.
    “I don’t care what you say—talk to the hand.”

67. The Bomb Diggity – The best of the best.
    “That restaurant is the bomb diggity.”

68. Tight – Close friends or something really great.
    “We’re tight, nothing can break us apart.”

69. Trippin’ – Overreacting or acting crazy.
    “Why you trippin’? Relax!”

70. Wassup – Casual greeting meaning “What’s up?”
    “Wassup, bro?”

71. Wazzup – The elongated, exaggerated version from the Budweiser commercial.
    “Wazzzup?!”

72. Word – Agreement or acknowledgment.
    “You’re coming? Word.”

73. Word Up – Used to show approval.
    “That’s cool, word up!”

74. Yo – A casual greeting.
    “Yo, what’s going on?”

75. Y2K – Referring to the panic about computers in the year 2000.
    “Do you remember all the Y2K madness?”

76. All That and a Bag of Chips – Used to describe someone who thinks they are the best.
    “He’s acting like he’s all that and a bag of chips.”

77. Crunk – Excited, wild, or hyped up (for a party).
    “The party is gonna get crunk tonight.”

78. Da Bomb – Something incredible.
    “These nachos are da bomb.”

79. Diss – To insult someone.
    “You just dissed me in front of everyone.”

80. Fat Laces – Wide shoelaces that were popular in sneakers.
    “Check out my new fat laces on these kicks.”

81. Flossin’ – Showing off, especially with bling or expensive items.
    “He was flossin’ with that new car.”

82. Hella – Used to describe a lot of something.
    “That’s hella cool!”

83. Home Skillet – A close friend.
    “What’s up, home skillet?”

84. I’m Outtie – A phrase meaning “I’m leaving.”
    “This party’s lame, I’m outtie.”

85. Janky – Something broken or low quality.
    “This chair is super janky.”

86. Bye, Felicia! – To dismiss something as popularized from Ice Cube’s Friday (1995) film release.
    “I’m done. Bye, Felicia!”

87. Lame – Uncool or boring.
    “That show was totally lame.”

88. Scrilla – Slang for money.
    “I need some scrilla to buy those tickets.”

89. Wicked – Really good or cool.
    “That band is wicked awesome.”

90. Yo Mama – A playful insult or joke, often starting with “Yo mama is so…”
    “Yo mama’s so big, she uses a VCR as a pager.”

90s Slang That Lives On:

1. As If – Still used today to dismiss something ridiculous.
   “You think I’d do that? As if!”

2. Da Bomb – Still occasionally used to describe something excellent.
   “That dessert is da bomb!”

3. My Bad – A common way of admitting fault or apologizing today.
   “Sorry, my bad.”

4. Props – Still used to give someone credit.
   “Props for acing that exam!”

5. Y’all – A casual way to address a group, still widely used.
   “What are y’all up to this weekend?”

Some refer to the 90s as the “last great decade”. The tech developed during this decade did change everything. But chillax, the decades to come had their fair share of lame and dope slang.