Internet slang terms have always proved to be an important tool to strengthen a feeling of belonging and collective identity, as is the case for the amount of new slang words coined by the Gen-Z in the 2020s. In some instances, however, Generation Z grabs popular Millenial slang terms and offers them a new meaning, like the ASL abbreviation, and no, we're not referring to the American Sign Language.

If you're curious about what the "ASL" slang means on TikTok, we got it covered in this article.

What Does ASL Mean?

Originally, when used in messages and texts, the "ASL" slang stood for “Age/Sex/Location” in terms of chatting with someone over the internet. For TikTokers, the "ASL" slang functions as a shortened way to say "as hell." But how did that sudden change in meaning occur?

No one knows exactly who and how this happened, however, the slang started to get recontextualized in 2018, as X ser @PipeDownYo posted the first-known instance of not only someone linking "ASL" to "as hell," but also complaining about it, saying that he was confused about it "for a while now" and calling it "stupid" on June 20th, 2018 (shown below).

How Did ASL Become A Viral Internet Slang?

Instigated by a mix of enraged Millenials and Gen Z's desperate need for uniqueness, discussion towards the right usage of the "ASL" slang continued to grow in the following years, eventually becoming more widespread on TikTok in the early 2020s.

TikToker @jxma4xuploaded posted a video about the meaning to the platform on July 17th, 2022, in which he expressed his displeasure at the information. (shown below, left) On October 12th, 2023, TikToker @zhangsta explained to her audience how she found out about the ASL slang meaning.

@jxma4x #fyp ##foryou #relatable #facts ♬ Doja – Central Cee

@zhangsta TIL the real meaning of asl 😄#genzslang #todayilearned ♬ original sound – zhangsta

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For the full history of ASL in slang, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.