Every internet niche has its archetype. E-girls have blush and chokers. VSCO girls had Hydro Flasks. But what about the crew that wears lash extensions to the gym and considers boba a love language?

Meet the "ABG," also known as the "Asian Baby Girl."

If you've seen the acronym floating around or caught wind of an ABG-inspired makeover challenge and wondered what it all means, you're not alone. ABG has evolved from a subcultural label into a lifestyle hashtag and, debatably, a personality type.

Here's a brief internet history of the slang term.

Where Did The Term ABG Come From?

The term "ABG" stands for "Asian Baby Girl" (or, occasionally, "Asian Baby Gangster"), and it didn't start on TikTok.

According to a 2020 article by Mai Train for i-D, the aesthetic traces back to the 1990s in New York's Chinatown.

Back then, it wasn't about lipliner and platform sneakers, it was about resisting the "quiet, obedient Asian girl" stereotype through alternative, edgy fashion: bleached hair, tattoos and a visible toughness.

The earliest known online definition appeared in a 2009 Urban Dictionary entry by user "Lolzercoptorzallday." It described ABGs as gang-adjacent, scantily dressed and likely to "jump other girls who talk sh--."

What Are Some Early Internet Posts And Memes About ABGs?

In 2014, YouTuber Eau de Robin uploaded a video titled "How to Look Like an Asian Baby Girl » ABG Tutorial," racking up over 66,000 views over a decade.

The video opens with an EDM dubstep soundtrack familiar to ABG ravers in the 2010s, and shows Robin doing a classic strong brow, smokey eye ABG look.

The next year, the Fung Brothers, who made a career poking fun at Asian American stereotypes, uploaded "8 Types of Asian Girls" to their YouTube channel. The video describes ABGs as attractive young girls known for showing off their navel piercings and wearing push-up bras.

According to the video, ABGs can typically be found working as import models at car shows, at coffee shops, as gogo dancers or chilling at their vape store.

What Does 'ABG' Mean To Young Asian Women in the 2020s?

By the 2020s, the ABG label became one of many 2010s fashion trends that were revitalized on TikTok.

In June 2020, TikToker @janellemyh posted an ABG transformation video in which she wore light contacts, fake dragon tattoos and a full face of makeup. Her final look even featured a boba tea, a classic ABG accessory.

@janellemyh This isn’t usually my aesthetic but I totally dig it 😳 #abg #abgchallenge ♬ I Like Him – Princess Nokia

By the 2020s, the ABG look was less about gang affiliations than it was about trendy, Westernized Asian-American girls in general.

In 2023, even BTS member Jungkook and rapper Jack Harlow gave the subculture a shoutout in their song "3D," which includes the lyric, "All my ABGs get cute for me."

What Are Some Memes About ABGs?

Most memes about ABGs joke about their visual signifiers like thick lashes, long nails and bleached hair. But other jokes revolve around stereotypes about their family, the schools and majors they tend to enroll in, and their love for nice cars and those who drive them.

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