Talking Gen Z: How young people today use slang
Update: 2025-08-19
Description
If you’ve heard a young person say someone has “rizz” or something is “mid,” you might’ve nodded along — all while secretly wondering … what on earth were they talking about?
Every generation has its own way of speaking, but Gen Z slang is unique. Influenced heavily by social media trends, it’s shaped by internet culture and can spread at lightning speed.
MPR News host Angela Davis and her guests break it all down. Where does this generation’s slang come from? What does it say about how young people connect, express themselves and even challenge the way we use language?
Guests:
- Tish Jones is a poet, emcee and hip-hop theater artist from St. Paul. She’s the founder and executive director of TruArtSpeaks, a St. Paul arts and culture organization that provides mentorships, workshops and other opportunities for artists and art leaders.
- Alayo Tripp is a linguist and cognitive scientist studying language development. They are also an assistant professor of computational language science at the University of Florida.
Was there any slang you’re curious about that we missed in the show? Check out the list below for more words and phrases.
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