The Rise of Fake Slang: Words the Internet Invented for Laughs

Introduction (Quick Overview)

Ever wondered why the internet seems to hatch a new weird word every other day—often with no clear meaning or cultural roots? That’s fake slang in action. Users on platforms like TikTok, BeReal, or Discord cook up playful, nonsensical terms purely for laughs, group bonding, or, sometimes, just to baffle outsiders. While these words often vanish fast, they do reveal how inventive—and mischievous—online communities can be.

In this article, we’ll get to the good stuff right away: examples of fake slang, tips on spotting it, and a look at how some of these random phrases actually become real over time. We’ll also explore the role of AI, non-English communities, brand misfires, and the global gaming scene in shaping these quirky language trends.

Quick Examples: Fake Slang at a Glance

Below is a mobile-friendly table showing a handful of playful internet-coined words. These might pop up in 2024–2025 feeds, but be warned—they’re not meant to last forever.

Fake Slang	Approx. Meaning	Where/How It Spread
Sksksk	A filler exclamation (often excitement or laughter)	Originated in VSCO girl memes; resurged on TikTok & Discord
Zlorp	A random stand-in for “cool” or “wild”	Gained traction on private Discord servers in 2024
Shmooven	Suggests something flowing or moving gracefully	Began as a joke in Twitch gaming chats; scattered on Twitter/Reddit
PeepoJump	Meme phrase for a silly celebration or hype	Emote-based slang from Twitch; expanded onto BeReal “stories”
Scrimbo	Playful label for anything cute or whimsical	Hit short-lived popularity on AI-generated meme sites (2025)
Hachiba	Fake “anime-sounding” expletive or cheer	Surged on bilingual servers (English/Japanese mix) in mid-2025

Note: Meanings often shift from group to group. That’s part of the fun—and confusion—of fake slang.

Spotting Fake Slang: A Quick Checklist

Absurd or Minimal Definition
- The “meaning” is fuzzy, and no one provides a solid backstory.
Sudden Platform Explosion
- It appears everywhere overnight, often tied to a single viral post or influencer.
No Cultural Roots
- Unlike real slang, there’s no specific subculture (hip-hop, gaming, drag) truly claiming it.
Contradictory Uses
- Different users apply it in conflicting ways—some say it means “cool,” others “awkward,” or “whatever.”
Short-Lived Meme Energy
- Discussions fade once a new comedic term emerges. If you blink, you might miss it entirely.

What Is Fake Slang (and How Does It Differ from the Real Thing)?

Fake slang is internet-created “vocab” that arises for humor, pranks, or sheer randomness. While “real slang” might stem from tight-knit communities—like the way “no cap” evolved in hip-hop—fake slang lacks those deep cultural or regional ties. Instead, it’s hatched almost deliberately from an individual or small group wanting to see if they can make a phrase go viral.

Key Differences in a Nutshell

Real Slang:
- Grows organically from subcultures (hip-hop, LGBTQ+ ballroom, gaming, etc.)
- Lasts longer or becomes widespread if it meets a linguistic need
- Represents cultural identity or communal expression
Fake Slang:
- Launches abruptly, often from a viral challenge or one influencer’s joke
- Dies quickly unless it accidentally finds a broader audience
- Serves more as an internet gag than a meaningful expression

Why Fake Slang Flourishes Online

1. Viral Platform Trends (BeReal, TikTok, Discord)

BeReal: Short daily updates can spark quick inside jokes. A single user might caption a mundane moment with “Zlorp,” prompting friends to adopt it.
TikTok: Viral hashtags or short comedic clips can push a fake word to millions of viewers overnight.
Discord: Private servers let niche groups share inside jokes in real-time, making them perfect incubators for random terms.

2. Gaming Community’s Role

Gamers often experiment with voice chat or text chat language, inventing words to react faster or poke fun at each other. If a streamer with a huge following picks up one of these words, it can escape the chat and flood mainstream platforms.

3. AI-Generated Meme Culture

As AI tools become more common, people ask chatbots or meme generators to spit out random “slang.” Sometimes, these bizarre AI outputs get posted on forums like Reddit or Twitter, where they gain traction among curious users. It’s a new frontier for creating comedic chaos—the bot made me do it.

How Fake Slang Sometimes Becomes Real

While most nonsense terms vanish, a few outliers survive. Here’s how:

Accidental Community Adoption
- A fandom or subculture might find genuine use in the word. Over time, repeated usage gives it new depth, turning a joke into a staple.
Cross-Platform Evolution
- If a term transitions from a private server to mainstream social media—like Twitter to offline speech—it can linger. Each platform might tweak the meaning slightly.
Redefinition and Simplification
- Early confusion eventually stabilizes. Users agree on a single definition. At that point, it’s no longer “fake” but recognized slang. Case in point: “Yeet” started as a random exclamation but stuck around, now widely understood as meaning “to throw” or “express excitement.”

International Examples & Non-English Communities

Fake slang isn’t just an English-speaking phenomenon. Multilingual forums and chat groups also cook up their own ephemeral terms:

Spanish-speaking Discords: Users might blend comedic English-sounding nonsense into Spanish sentences, e.g., “Estuvo bien shmooven la fiesta.”
French Twitch Streams: Some streamers coin playful “Franglais” words purely for comedic flair, e.g., “On va scrimbo, mes amis!”
Japanese Meme Boards: Words like “Hachiba” or a mashup of random katakana might appear briefly, generating inside jokes that occasionally cross into English servers.

Regional Variation: Even within the same language, usage can differ. A group in Quebec might interpret “scrimbo” as something silly-cute, while a group in Paris finds it worthless. The charm of fake slang lies in those mismatched interpretations.

The Role of AI, Brands, and Language Learning

AI Tools and Bot-Generated Slang

ChatGPT & Meme Generators: People prompt bots for “funny new slang words.” Some results land in online communities as jokes.
Deepfake Audio or Video: AI-generated influencer voices might say random phrases that fans adopt momentarily.

Brands Attempting (and Failing) to Jump In

Eager to appear trendy, some companies latch onto any “viral” term—even if it’s obviously fake. While it can spark short-term attention, it often backfires, appearing out-of-touch or cringe. Think of a fast-food chain tweeting “Our new burger is TOTALLY SHMOOVEN,” only for the internet to roast them.

Impact on Language Learning & Translation

Fake slang can trip up language learners who see “sksksk” or “hachiba” in casual chats. Apps like Duolingo can’t keep up with ephemeral words, leading to confusion or incorrect assumptions about “real” vocabulary. On the flip side, advanced learners might find it entertaining—evidence that languages aren’t static.

Where Fake Slang Stands Culturally

Harmless Fun vs. Deeper Confusion
- Most fake slang is harmless—just comedic filler. But repeated nonsense can muddy the waters for older folks or non-native speakers trying to keep up.
Age Groups & Adoption
- Teens and young adults are prime creators, but ironically, older netizens sometimes spread these terms further—misusing them or proudly brandishing them to appear “in the know.”
Regional Variations
- Rural communities might adopt a term through extended family or traveling students, but usage can be patchy. Urban centers see faster turnover, as subcultures collide daily, fueling quick rise-and-fall cycles.

Diving Deeper into Fake Slang

1. Language Learning Apps & the Confusion Factor

Apps like Babbel or Rosetta Stone might inadvertently incorporate or fail to distinguish fake slang from legit words if they crowdsource data. This rarely happens at scale, but it’s a potential pitfall in user-generated translations sections.

2. How Brands Misuse Fake Slang

Over-Eagerness: A brand sees “Zlorp” trending, tosses it into an ad, and instantly looks clueless.
Tone Mismatch: Corporate voice + random slang = dissonance that alienates more than it attracts.

3. Cross-Platform Evolution

Some words get reinterpreted on each platform:

TikTok might use “Scrimbo” as a dance cue,
Twitter tries it as a comedic reaction,
Instagram uses it for aesthetics hashtags,
By the time it hits real-world convos, it may carry multiple conflicting definitions.

4. Gaming Community Creations

MMO or battle royale players spawn new terms in the heat of competition.
“PeepoJump” is a perfect example—born from an emote, then circulated in gaming memes.
Pro gamers sometimes ironically adopt these phrases, giving them more clout and a longer shelf life.

Real-Life Scenarios: Fake Slang in Action

Scenario 1: AI-Inspired Meme Frenzy

A Twitter user prompts an AI generator for “5 random hype words.” They get “krooza, vext, limberish, wappy, goatzz.” They post them under the hashtag #NewSlang. For a week, #NewSlang trends, with thousands jokingly inserting these words into daily tweets: “Feeling a bit vext today.” Then, everyone forgets them—except a small group that keeps “limberish” alive on Discord.

Scenario 2: A Classroom Craze

High schoolers begin calling anything awkward “crunge.” Teachers catch wind but can’t find “crunge” in any dictionary or slang site. A few months later, the seniors graduate, and “crunge” disappears, forever part of that class’s memory.

Scenario 3: Brand Marketing Fail

A beverage company tries to harness “PeepoJump” in a commercial for energy drinks. They style an ad with 3D frogs leaping and a tagline: “Time to PeepoJump!” The online community reacts with confusion—“That’s not how we use that word!”—and roasts the brand for its clumsy attempt.

Final Thoughts: Embrace the Chaos (With a Grain of Salt)

Fake slang is a fun window into internet creativity. While it can puzzle newcomers or annoy those who value clarity, it’s also a sign of how fast online culture evolves. Anyone can invent a silly term, watch it catch fire, and witness it fade. Occasionally, one phrase crosses into real slang territory, surprising everyone.

If you stumble upon “scrimbo,” “zlorp,” or any other cryptic phrase:

Ask around (friends, Discord channels) to confirm if it’s a joke.
Use it lightly in the right context—overuse kills the joke.
Laugh if it vanishes next week—that’s exactly how it’s meant to be.

Want more insight into slang, memes, and the internet’s fast-changing vocabulary? Drop by StreetSlang.com for new articles, interactive guides, and a look at how language truly never stops evolving.

Key Takeaways

Fake Slang is invented for laughs or pranks, lacking the cultural depth of real slang.
Short Lifespans: Most terms vanish quickly, with a few going on to become semi-legit.
Cross-Platform: Words morph as they hop from TikTok to Discord to offline chats.
AI & Brands add new layers: comedic generation vs. awkward marketing attempts.

IMAGES
Meme Collage

Description: A visually busy graphic featuring screenshots of tweets, TikTok posts, and Discord chats with nonsensical words highlighted (e.g., “Zlorp,” “Scrimbo,” “PeepoJump”).
Reason: Shows how these made-up terms often appear across various social media and gaming platforms.

Confused vs. Amused Reactions

Description: A split-screen or side-by-side image: on one side, a person looking puzzled at their phone, and on the other side, someone laughing or shrugging.
Reason: Depicts the range of reactions people have—confusion if they’re not in on the joke vs. delight if they recognize the slang.

Youthful Group Chat Setting

Description: A group of diverse teens or young adults gathered around a couch or table, each on their device, chatting or showing memes to each other. Text bubbles with fake slang terms could be layered on top.
Reason: Captures the casual, communal way these words spread in real-life social circles.

Brand Misfire

Reason: Illustrates how companies sometimes jump on the bandwagon of random viral words, often in a cringe-worthy attempt to seem trendy.

Description: A staged ad poster or billboard that awkwardly uses a made-up term (e.g., “Buy our new soda—It’s TOTALLY Zlorp!”).