Saturday Night Live’s recent “Snack Homiez” skit perfectly captured the baffling, yet strangely coherent, world of modern teen slang. Featuring celebrities playing hyper-online 12-year-olds, the sketch is packed with terms that leave older audiences scratching their heads. This isn’t just comedy; it’s a snapshot of how language evolves faster than ever before, and how much cultural distance now exists between generations.
The “Unc” Disconnect
The skit opens with a character labeled “unc” (short for “uncle”) – a term used to mock someone as hopelessly out of touch. This highlights the brutal efficiency of Gen Z humor: age is instantly weaponized. The joke lands because it’s painfully true; teenagers do see adults as relics, and they have the vocabulary to say so.
Extreme Self-Improvement: Looksmaxxing and the Gigachad
One particularly unsettling exchange involves “looksmaxxing” and the “Gigachad.” The skit’s exaggerated description (jaw surgery, “mogging”) satirizes the extreme lengths some young men will go to in pursuit of hyper-masculine ideals. This isn’t just vanity; it reflects the pressure to perform desirability online, where appearance is currency.
“Gooning”: When Snacks Get… Weird
The most jarring term is “gooning,” which the skit uses to describe a lustful obsession with a snack. The underlying meaning (referencing male sexual arousal) is jarringly out of place, yet perfectly illustrates how Gen Z repurposes vulgar terms for ironic humor. This boundary-breaking approach is core to their online culture: nothing is sacred, and shock value is currency.
Raw, Gas, Valid: The New Cool
The sketch also showcases the endless stream of ever-changing slang for approval. “Raw,” “gas,” and “valid” are just a few examples of terms meaning “cool” or “awesome.” These words are disposable; they’ll be replaced within months, forcing parents to constantly play catch-up.
The Zesty Burn
Finally, the use of “zesty” as a derogatory term for flamboyance (or worse) underscores the harshness of online subcultures. The skit doesn’t shy away from the fact that Gen Z slang can be brutally dismissive. This is why context matters: these words aren’t just random gibberish; they carry weight and intent.
The takeaway? Gen Z slang is more than just random words: it’s a cultural code, a weaponized form of humor, and a constant reminder that the internet is moving faster than most of us can follow. This isn’t just about understanding your kids; it’s about recognizing a generational shift in how language itself functions.
