Gen X Slang Decoder: Translate Grunge Gibberish to Plain English

Hearing “rad” or “gnarly” from your Gen X boss or uncle? Welcome to the Gen X Slang Decoder! We’ve dug up 105+ terms from the flannel-wearing, MTV-watching ‘90s slackers so you can vibe without being totally clueless. Search below—because whatever, dude, it’s all hella cool.

Slang Translator Table

Gen X Slang	Normal Talk	Example Sentence
Ace	Great	That mixtape is totally *ace*.
All that	Awesome	She’s *all that* in her Docs.
As if	No way	You think I’ll work late? *As if*.
Baggin’	Teasing	He’s *baggin’* on my hair again.
Bail	Leave	Gotta *bail* before the rents notice.
Bangin’	Cool	This party’s *bangin’* tonight!
Barf me out	Gross	That lunchroom smell? *Barf me out*.
Bitchin’	Awesome	Your skateboard is *bitchin’*.
Blah	Boring	School today was so *blah*.
Blast	Fun time	Last night was a total *blast*.
Bod	Body	Working on my *bod* at the gym.
Bogus	Fake/bad	That excuse is totally *bogus*.
Bomb	Great	This pizza joint is the *bomb*.
Bounce	Leave	Let’s *bounce* before it’s lame.
Bummer	Bad news	Rain canceled the show—*bummer*.
Buzzkill	Fun ruiner	Homework is such a *buzzkill*.
Chill	Relax	Just *chill*, we’ve got time.
Chillax	Really relax	Let’s *chillax* with some tunes.
Choice	Cool	That jacket is *choice*, dude.
Clueless	Dumb	He’s *clueless* about Nirvana.
Cool beans	Nice	You got tickets? *Cool beans*!
Crash	Sleep	I’m gonna *crash* after this movie.
Cruisin’	Driving around	We’re *cruisin’* the strip tonight.
D-bag	Jerk	That guy’s a total *D-bag*.
Dead	Done	I’m *dead* after that shift.
Dope	Cool	Your Walkman is *dope*.
Down	Agree	You wanna jam? I’m *down*.
Duh	Obviously	It’s raining? *Duh*, look outside.
Eat my shorts	Go away	Tell him to *eat my shorts*.
Epic	Amazing	That concert was *epic*.
Fierce	Intense	Her attitude is *fierce*.
Fine	Hot	He’s looking *fine* in that flannel.
Fly	Stylish	Your shades are so *fly*.
Freak out	Panic	Don’t *freak out*, we’ll fix it.
Fresh	New/cool	These kicks are *fresh*.
Gag me	Disgusting	That hair gel smell? *Gag me*.
Gnarly	Awesome	That wave was *gnarly*, dude!
Grind	Work hard	I’m *grinding* at this job.
Grunge	Messy style	Rocking that *grunge* look today.
Hella	A lot	It’s *hella* cold out there.
Hella cool	Very cool	This tape is *hella cool*.
Hella rad	Super awesome	Your bike is *hella rad*.
Homeboy	Friend	My *homeboy* lent me a CD.
Homegirl	Friend (girl)	Chillin’ with my *homegirl*.
Hooked	Addicted	I’m *hooked* on this show.
Hottie	Attractive	She’s a total *hottie*.
Ill	Cool	That riff is *ill*.
Jacked	Messed up	My car’s *jacked* again.
Jam	Song	This *jam* is on repeat.
Janky	Broken	My VCR is so *janky*.
Jock	Athlete	He’s a *jock*, always at practice.
Kick it	Hang out	Let’s *kick it* at the mall.
Killer	Great	That movie was *killer*.
Lame	Uncool	This party is *lame*.
Later	Goodbye	Catch you *later*, dude.
Legit	Real	That deal’s *legit* sweet.
Like	Filler word	It’s, *like*, totally awesome.
Mad	Very	I’m *mad* tired after work.
Mellow	Calm	Just feeling *mellow* tonight.
Mondays	Bad day	*Mondays* suck, man.
Mos def	For sure	I’m *mos def* going.
Naw	No	*Naw*, I’m staying home.
No duh	Obviously	It’s sold out? *No duh*.
No way	Nope	You won? *No way*!
Off the hook	Awesome	This club is *off the hook*.
Outta here	Leaving	I’m *outta here* before curfew.
Peaced out	Gone	He *peaced out* after the gig.
Phat	Great	These jeans are *phat*.
Pimpin’	Cool	Your ride is *pimpin’*.
Poser	Fake	He’s a *poser* with that skateboard.
Preppy	Uptight	She’s too *preppy* for grunge.
Psyche	Just kidding	Got you—*psyche*!
Psycho	Crazy	My boss went *psycho* today.
Pumped	Excited	I’m *pumped* for the concert!
Rad	Awesome	Your boombox is *rad*.
Rando	Random person	Some *rando* took my seat.
Rents	Parents	The *rents* are out tonight.
Righteous	Cool	That solo was *righteous*.
Rock	Be great	You *rock* at guitar!
Rude	Mean	That comment was *rude*.
Score	Win	I *scored* free tickets!
Shady	Sketchy	That dude seems *shady*.
Sick	Cool	Your mixtape is *sick*.
Sketch	Weird	This place feels *sketch*.
Slacker	Lazy	He’s such a *slacker*.
Slammin’	Great	This burger is *slammin’*.
Snag	Grab	Let’s *snag* some snacks.
Solid	Reliable	You’re a *solid* friend.
Spaced	Confused	I’m totally *spaced* right now.
Stoked	Excited	I’m *stoked* for the weekend.
Sucks	Bad	This weather *sucks*.
Sweet	Cool	Your ride is *sweet*.
Tight	Great	That show was *tight*.
Toasted	Tired	I’m *toasted* after skating.
Totally	Completely	I’m *totally* into this band.
Trippin’	Acting weird	You’re *trippin’* over nothing.
Tubular	Awesome	That surf move was *tubular*.
Wack	Bad	This homework is *wack*.
Wassup	What’s up	*Wassup* with you, man?
Whatever	Don’t care	You’re late? *Whatever*.
Wicked	Very	It’s *wicked* hot today.
Word	Agree	You’re right—*word*.
Y’all	You all	*Y’all* coming to the diner?
Yuppie	Rich snob	That guy’s a total *yuppie*.
Zoned	Spaced out	I *zoned* during that movie.