25 Fantastic Slang Words from the 1990s

In Dazed and Confused, a standout masterpiece of the '90s, the character Cynthia proposes her 'every other decade theory': 'The '50s were dull. The '60s were amazing. The '70s? Honestly, they were terrible,' she remarks. 'So, maybe the '80s will be totally awesome.' And they were! But according to this theory, the '90s didn’t follow the trend.

As if! The '90s were absolutely incredible—a decade filled with amazing music, groundbreaking TV shows, and creative language. Take a look at these 25 slang terms from the '90s that were totally awesome (and then some).

1. 110 Percent

This phrase represented giving your absolute best effort. Its mathematical impossibility became the punchline of a joke in a 1992 episode of The Simpsons. Even by 1998, it remained so widely used that it earned a spot on Lake Superior State University’s yearly Banished Words List.

2. Bada-bing

Whether spelled with one D or two, and often paired with 'bada-boom,' this phrase became a casual '90s expression meaning 'Voilà!' While the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) mentions its use as early as 1965, eight of its 11 citations come from the '90s. It appeared on the Banished Words List in 1994 and was famously the name of the gentlemen's club in HBO’s The Sopranos, which premiered in 1999.

3. Buzzkill

Although it wasn’t added to the Scrabble dictionary until 2014, Merriam-Webster notes that buzzkill—meaning “someone or something that dampens the mood”—first appeared in 1992, just two years before the brief run of the MTV prank show named after it.

4. Harsh

In Clueless, when Tai calls Cher "a virgin who can't drive," Cher retorts, “That was way harsh, Tai.” The movie is a treasure trove of '90s slang, earning 74 mentions in Green’s Dictionary of Slang, where harsh is defined as "extremely unpleasant, rude, ill-mannered, or just plain bad."

5. Jiggy

While jiggy has been slang for nervous energy since the 1890s, its association with dancing, fun, and excitement came from one source: Will Smith’s 1997 hit, “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It.” Na-na, na, na, na-na-na.

6. Judgy

As per Merriam-Webster, judgy also emerged in 1997 as a critical term describing someone who judges others harshly. Ironically, one of the most judgmental figures, Judith Sheindlin, rose to fame a year earlier with the debut of Judge Judy.

7. Metrosexual

This blend of 'metropolitan' and 'heterosexual,' describing a fashion-conscious urban man, was introduced by Mark Simpson in a 1994 essay. "A well-dressed ‘metrosexual’ in his early 20s ... boasts flawless skin, perfectly styled hair, and is browsing a collection of expensive aftershaves," Simpson observed. His checklist of metrosexual essentials—Davidoff aftershave, Paul Smith blazers, corduroy shirts, chinos, and Calvin Klein underwear—captures the essence of the '90s man.

8. Majorly

The OED traces the slang use of majorly back to the '80s, but it truly exploded in popularity during the '90s. Take, for example, Clueless. Inspired by Jane Austen’s Emma, the film’s pivotal moment comes when the protagonist realizes her feelings. “It struck her like an arrow that Mr. Knightley should marry no one but herself!” writes Austen. In Clueless, Cher captures this revelation with, “I’m majorly, totally, butt-crazy in love with Josh!”

9. Noob

No '90s slang compilation would be complete without a term from the burgeoning commercial internet. This word for a novice first appeared in 1995 on a Usenet forum dedicated to the band Phish. If you were clueless about ASL on ICQ, you were probably labeled a noob.

10. Skeezy

An online newsgroup was the birthplace of this term, used to describe something unpleasant, as noted by the OED. It was famously applied to Freddie Mercury’s outfit: "If you were performing at a benefit concert for Queen’s lead singer, wouldn’t you choose something better than skeezy pants and a football jersey?" A tad harsh, don’t you think?

11. Snark

While the adjective snarky had existed for a hundred years, snark as a noun, defined as “a tone or style of mocking sarcasm,” didn’t emerge until 1999—a fitting term for much of the humor of the '90s.

12. Spousal Unit

This gender-neutral term for a romantic partner (married or not) gained traction in the '90s. However, in tax law, spousal unit refers to the couple as a whole, not an individual. It ended up on LSSU’s Banished Words List in 1992.

13. Talk to the Hand

As per the OED, this phrase is used "to dismiss or show indifference to what someone is saying" or "to demand that someone stop speaking." It reportedly originated as slang at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and is "often accompanied by an outstretched hand, palm facing the speaker." A popular variation is, "Talk to the hand, 'cause the face ain’t listening."

14. Verklempt

Talk amongst yourselves! Here’s a topic: Linda Richman wasn’t rich, nor was she a man. Discuss! She was, however, the SNL character portrayed by Mike Myers, who brought this Yiddish term meaning “overwhelmed with emotion” into the spotlight starting in October 1991.

15. Bling

This slang for flashy jewelry became widely known in 1999 when hip-hop artist B.G. released a Billboard hit titled—you guessed it—"Bling Bling." By 2003, the Oxford English Dictionary, always a bit behind the trends, added bling to its next edition. "I knew it would make history, but the dictionary—that’s next level," B.G. told the Los Angeles Times that year.

16. Yada, yada, yada

A 1997 episode of Seinfeld brought this old-fashioned phrase for summarizing a long story back into the mainstream.

17. Boo-yah

Originally an exclamation used to highlight suddenness or surprise, boo-yah became synonymous with incredible sports moments, largely due to the late Stuart Scott, a groundbreaking ESPN anchor who peppered his commentary with it and other memorable phrases. If you nailed a three-pointer, scored a touchdown, or smashed a home run in the '90s, chances are you or a teammate yelled, "boo-yah!"

18. Chillax

Chillax has enjoyed a lasting presence beyond the '90s, but as per the OED, it originated in a quintessentially '90s fashion: in an online forum discussing Quentin Tarantino’s early work. "Chillax, my friend. I mostly agree with your take on Tarantino and his use of violence as humor," someone wrote in December 1994, just two months after Pulp Fiction hit theaters.

19. Gastropub

While its peak popularity in the U.S. came after the '90s, the term gastropub actually traces back to 1991 and was widely used in the UK throughout the decade. It perfectly captures a dining spot that blends gourmet cuisine (gastronomy) with a casual, neighborhood vibe (the pub). This mix of high standards and laid-back charm has come to define modern dining—and lifestyle—thanks to the 1990s.

20. Infobahn

Chosen as the "most promising" new word in 1994 by the American Dialect Society, infobahn was one of several terms created to describe the internet. It had its advantages: it was less awkward than "information superhighway" and evoked the efficiency and speed of Germany’s Autobahn. However, not all good things endure, and after a brief period of popularity, infobahn was replaced by terms like "cyberspace" and "the net."

21. Not!

Saturday Night Live has been a source of jokes, catchphrases, and now memes for almost 50 years. One of its most iconic contributions to '90s slang was the exclamation "Not!" which first appeared in a "Wayne’s World" sketch in 1990 and was named the American Dialect Society’s “word of the year” in 1992. Adding it to the end of any statement instantly reverses its meaning in the most humorous way. Not! (Being on the receiving end of a "Not!" was, of course, far less amusing.)

22. Pomo

Similar to today, the 1990s were an era when academic debates about what to study, how to study, and who should study spilled into the mainstream. This included the catchy, rhyming shorthand "pomo" for "postmodernism," a notoriously hard-to-define term describing the arts, literature, and social structures of the late 20th century, along with the theories explaining them. Even the backlash against postmodern thinking got its own snappy term: "pomophobia."

23. Regift // Regifter // Regifted

Some slang terms catch on immediately, while others take time to gain traction. Regift, first recorded as a noun 400 years ago during Elizabeth I’s reign, didn’t achieve widespread popularity until 1995, thanks to an episode of Seinfeld. The actor who played the "regifter" in that episode, a young Bryan Cranston, later rose to fame.

24. Score!

Green’s Dictionary of Slang describes it as an expression of "satisfaction or pleasure," tracing its first use to the '90s. Anyone who experienced that decade can confirm its popularity, though it also appeared on a famous list of made-up slang terms published in The New York Times's Style Section under the headline "Lexicon of Grunge: Breaking the Code." The list was created by Megan Jasper, a receptionist at a Seattle record label, who didn’t expect the Times to take her prank seriously. Other inventive terms she included? Wack slacks for "old ripped jeans" and lamestain for "uncool person."

25. Wicked

Green’s Dictionary of Slang traces the first use of wicked as a positive term to the 19th century. However, wicked enjoyed a resurgence in the 1990s, partly due to its casual use in films like 1997’s Good Will Hunting ("My boy’s wicked smart") and TV shows like Jamie Oliver’s Naked Chef ("Wicked kebabs," anyone?), which debuted in 1999.

This article has been updated.