What Does Gen Alpha Have Against Ohio? A Complete Guide to a New Generation of Slang, From 'Skibidi Toilet' to 'Rizz'

Gen Alpha, or those born after 2010, have developed their own terminology from 'skibidi' to 'fanum tax'

Gen Alpha have their own grasp on vocabulary that elder generations may call "sus," but they would likely consider it "sigma."

The age group is marked by those born after 2010, following Gen Z, whose cut off is the early 2010s. Despite their young age, Gen Alpha already have their own command of their unique vernacular — and aren't afraid to share it on social media platforms like TikTok.

While the kids communicate easily amongst themselves, older generations from millennials to Gen Z have called their slang out for being "brain rot" and incomprehensible. With terms from "skibidi" to "fanum tax," the majority of the words are made up and started from TikTok trends.

The slang even reached the Kardashians when Kim Kardashian's daughter North West gifted her mom a $20,000 necklace that said "skibidi toilet" for her 44th birthday.

Many Gen Z influencers have made TikTok videos with their younger siblings or someone from Gen Alpha going through the slang and trying to guess what it means while being teased for not knowing it. In response to the trend, one TikToker, Haley Jo Klein, made a video explaining the terms and comparing them to Gen Z vernacular.

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"I am 23, but apparently, I am now too old to the point that I am no longer with the times," she said. "I'm not up with the slang that is being used!"

From "fanum tax" to "Ohio," here's everything you need to know to understand Gen Alpha slang.

What is Gen Alpha?

Gen Alpha is defined as the group of people born between 2010 and 2024, succeeding Gen Z, who were born between the late 1990s and early 2010s, following millennials.

The difference between the different generations mainly comes down to how each were raised and the political, social and economic climate at the time, with world events like the coronavirus pandemic being an influence.

The term "Gen Alpha" was coined by social researcher Mark McCrindle, who told The New York Times in September 2015 that he didn't think it made sense to return to the letter A after ending with Gen Z.

"They are the first generation wholly born in the 21st century, and so they are the start of something new, not a return to the old," he said.

McCrindle noted that the biggest difference between this young generation and their older counterparts is how greatly they were raised on technology, many even since birth.

"They began being born in 2010, the year the iPad was introduced, Instagram was created and 'app' was the word of the year, so they have been raised as 'screenagers' to a greater extent than the fixed screens of the past could facilitate," McCrindle explained.

What are some common Gen Alpha slang terms and what do they mean?

Skibidi

Generally, skibidi means something is cool, bad or dumb and is pronounced like "skippity." Its meaning depends on the word its paired with, such as "skibidi rizz," which means someone who is good at flirting, or "skibidi Ohio" which refers to something that is weird or eccentric.

Looksmaxxing/mogging

To "mog" someone means to look better than someone else when standing next to them, hence outshining them. The term goes with "looksmaxxing," which is a word used to describe when someone does something to make themselves look as attractive as possible, whether that be a surgery or diet.

Together, someone who is a "looksmax mogger" is a person who has reached their full attractiveness potential.

Mewing

Mewing refers to a technique in which one flattens their tongue against the roof of their mouth to try to define their jawline, per the American Association of Orthodontists. However, according to the AAO, this method has not been proven to work nor does it have any long term effects.

Fanum Tax

A "Fanum tax" refers to the stealing of food, specifically. The term was made popular by Twitch streamer Fanum who has over 2.6 million followers and is part of Kai Cenat's group.

"So the tax is pretty much ... feed your friends," he told GQ in November 2023. "People confuse it like you gotta take food from your friend. But I'm just saying, feed your friend, bro. Sometimes 5 percent, sometimes 10."

In context, it can be used like, "You already Fanum taxed me, get your own food."

Gyatt

Gyatt, put simply, refers to someone's butt. In one viral TikTok explainer of a daughter, Olivia, explaining Gen Alpha slang to her mom, Ebony, the daughter used the word in a sentence to paint the image for her mother, who was trying to guess the meaning.

"That girl over there has a huge gyatt," she said, while her mom replied, "Oh my gosh!" before adding, "I feel old right now."

Sigma

Sigma means to be the alpha, or a strong presence, while the opposite is beta, which means to be weak.

Ohio

If something is referred to as "Ohio," that means it is cringe or weird, going off the Gen Alpha consensus that odd things occur in the state of Ohio. In her TikTok video with her mom, Olivia described it as "something that's very, very strange and it's like weird."

According to TikTok creator and middle school teacher Mr. Lindsay, who defines words that he's learned from his students, the term started in 2021 or 2022 as a meme when people started posting "crazy things" that occurred in Ohio.

"The essence of the meme was all the weird, cringy, wild stuff happens in Ohio," he explained. "Over time, the meme itself spread and Ohio became synonymous with weird."

Rizzler

A "rizzler" is someone who is good at picking up people and flirting, the noun version of someone who has "rizz," which is a nickname for charisma.

Meanwhile, the phrase, "skibidi Ohio rizz" refers to someone who has bad "rizz," or is bad at flirting.

Negative aura

To have negative aura means that something is bad or "not cool," according to one June 2024 TikTok. Mr. Lindsay explains in another June TikTok that Gen Alpha describe things as having "aura points," which refers to someone's aura not as their vibe necessarily, but "how cool" they are.

"You can lose aura points by doing weird or cringy things in front of people," he explained. "If you're walking down the hallway and your backpack's unzipped and your stuff is falling out, negative aura points."

What does skibidi toilet mean?

Skibidi has a versatile meaning, but when paired with toilet, it means something that's especially bad. The term comes from the viral YouTube series, Skibidi Toilet, which was created by Alexey Gerasimov on his channel DaFuq!?Boom!. The internet show features toilets with animated human heads in a war with humanoids with electronic devices for heads.

The trend has reached celebrity status as North gifted her mother a $20,000 necklace that read "skibidi toilet" for her birthday.

“North got me this diamond necklace that says ‘Skibidi Toilet.’ Wow,” Kardashian said in a video on her Instagram Stories showing off the jewelry.

“Because you love Skibidi Toilet," North said, explaining the gift.

“I do?” Kardashian laughed. “Yes!” North replied.

What are some examples of Gen Alpha using their slang?

In one May 2024 TikTok video, a mother, Jen, attempts to "decipher" her 10-year-old daughter's slang.

"You got that Ohio skibidi rizz?" she said in one example, which means a person has bad or no "rizz."

In another example, the preteen said, "I'm sigma," telling her mom that meant she's popular and cool.

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