--- title: "Decoding Teen Slang: 10 Words Parents Should Know" url: https://stacklist.com/card/bfb48c1d-ff47-478c-8494-18c4c0078132 source_url: "https://www.bark.us/blog/10-slang-words-parent-should-know/" stack: https://stacklist.com/stack/e99428d9-4477-4f13-9bdf-20fe262438aa summary: "This guide explains 10 modern slang words that parents should understand to better communicate with their teens, including terms like 'slay,' 'glow up,' and 'era.' The article focuses on positive and upbeat slang expressions while encouraging parents to recognize these phrases in their children's everyday conversations." tags: "teen-slang, parenting, digital-communication, youth-culture, language-guide" key_entities: "Bark (organization), Titania Jordan (person), Taylor Swift (person), teen-slang (concept), digital-citizenship (concept), internet-safety (concept)" classification: "reference" content_hash: "sha256:8dfc5fc801327e43f702e2bc46799962933e2973dd58d9c9c069590ab11f4522" acp_version: "0.2" token_counts_approximate: 1363 visibility: public agent_accessible: true status: "final" --- # Decoding Teen Slang: 10 Words Parents Should Know The Bark Blog                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Browse by category: All Bark Buyer Guides Child & Teen Depression Culture & Media Cyberbullying Digital Citizenship Digital Wellbeing Internet Safety Tips Kids and Technology LGBTQ+ Culture & Media Decoding Teen Slang: 10 Words Parents Should Know But Never Use Titania Jordan  |  November 19, 2024 Need to update your rizz factor a little bit? Good. Because this post is all about keeping you from being cringe, no cap.  If you’re like most parents, you hear a ton of new words from your kids these days — and you have absolutely no clue what they mean.  But rather than focusing on the potentially problematic teen slang that you might hear kids using with each other, let’s instead focus on the upbeat, positive, or dare we even say, nice things you might catch them saying. Who knows? You could even use them in a super-cringe way just to mess with them!  1. Do it for the plot Said to encourage oneself to take a chance on something — similar to YOLO. Example: "I'm going to try out for the basketball team. Even if I don't make it, I'll do it for the plot." 2. Crash out Kids are using this to describe an overreaction or tantrum because of something small — it doesn’t mean just fall asleep instantly after staying up all night like you might think.  Example: “I missed this bus AND forgot my homework, I’m about to crash out.” 3. Glow Up  Think “grow up” but with a bit more rizz aka charisma or swagger. Usually people experience “glow ups” when there’s some sort of positive change that makes them appear more attractive, older, more fashionable or overall more confident in their life. Example: “I haven’t seen Sophie since you two were in pre-school together. She’s had quite the glow up!” 4. Slay Slay does not mean what you think it does — it’s actually a good thing and not something you’d find in a slasher film. When someone “slays" or “is slaying,” then they are performing at a very high level — they’re crushing it.  Example: “Jackson totally slayed his piano recital yesterday.” 5. Let them cook This teen slang is a tricky one. When you let someone cook, you’re allowing them to do their thing. It can apply to something traditional (like playing soccer) or something more nuanced (like going off on a rant about how much better Wicked is than W izard of Oz ). Example: “No, I want to hear Olivia’s complicated story about the origin of Glinda. Let. Her. Cook!”  6. Era You can thank Taylor Swift for this one. When you’re in a particular “era”, you are in a particular phase of life— no matter how small or fleeting it could be. It could be a fashion style, hair style, series of food choices or team sports support. Which era would you be in right now?  Example: “Aiden is currently in his hot Cheetos era, and he brings them for lunch every single day. Last month, it was Takis.” 7. Stan  Simply put, stans are fans of someone, sometimes some things. It connotes rapid or undying faithfulness often in some sort of kitschy name of the person who is being followed or celebrated. Like Swifties or Beehive members. Fun fact: the origin of this word comes from an old Eminem song about an obsessed fan whose name was — you guessed it —  Stan . Example: “Our whole family are stans of the New England Patriots. Massive stans, really.”  8. Rizz  Rizz is short for charisma, but it also means swagger, or some sort of unattainable “it factor” that just permeates a person’s entire being.  Example: “Your teacher, Mr. Carinallo, has mad rizz.”  9. Main character This teen slang is perhaps the most obvious of all, but when someone is the main character of a particular story or movie, they’re the most important person involved.  Example: “Emma’s mom thought she was the main character at the PTO meeting last night, and talked the whole time.” 10. Bet Bet is a positive exclamation point that suggests that the speaker responding is in agreement. It’s a simple response akin to “you bet” that just quickly affirms or confirms a suggestion, question, or statement.  Example: “Do I want to go to the pool later? Bet.” Read more Culture & Media There Are Families Who Lost Everything to Social Media. This Day Is for Them. June 23, 2026 Culture & Media The Bark 2025 Meme Hall of Fame January 7, 2026 Culture & Media So, Your Kid Wants to be a YouTuber? Here’s What Parents Should Know January 5, 2026 Bark helps families manage and protect their children’s digital lives. Get started