Gen Z now has a word for millennials who try too hard: cheugy

TikTokers have spoken, and it appears they’ve coined a new word for millennials who try too hard - “cheugy.”

Created by Gaby Rasson, a 23-year-old a software developer in Los Angeles, the term describes people who are slightly off-trend, or trying just that little bit too much. It was initially coined in 2013, but has since grown in popularity among TikTokers.

“OK TikTok, I have a new word for you that my friends and I use that you clearly are all in need of,” Hallie Cain, a 24-year-old copywriter in Los Angeles, said in a TikTok posted on March 30.

In the video, Cain breaks down a list of all the things that would fall into the category of being cheugy, including graphic t-shirts and hats, Herbal Essence shampoo and conditioner, and Instagram phrases such as “life’s a beach” and “thank you, next.”

Sorry, Ariana Grande.

In addition, Golden Goose sneakers, Gucci belts with a large double ‘G’ logo and being really into sneaker culture can also be considered cheugy.

There’s definitely some cross-over with being ‘basic’, here.

Items that are excluded from the category include thrifting, handmade products, Levi’s jeans, Birkenstocks and home decor not found at Target.

Despite the term being associated with millennials, it can be applied to anyone of any gender and any age, according to the New York Times. After Cain posted her in-depth explainer to TikTok, it quickly got thousands of views and comments, with users explaining their own experience with the word.

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“Everyone can be cheugy,” said Abby Siegel, 23, a producer and former student at the University of Colorado, Boulder. “Everyone has something cheugy in their closet. We didn’t intend for it to be a mean thing. Some people have claimed that it is. It’s just a fun word we used as a group of friends that somehow resonated with a bunch of people.”

Siegel supposedly attended the same summer camp as Rasson, which is where she initially learned the phase.

While being described as cheugy might have a depiction of being uncool, Cain mentioned things often come back in style, and those who fit the description might later grow out of it.