Origin

Fruit (derogatory) is a meme originating on tumblr.com, from a post by tumblr user thosmoser, posted on November 13, 2020 at 3:27 PM (PST).

Variations

Following this post’s popularity, other tumblr posts were made following the same format, either:
- replacing the word “fruit” with “fruit (derogatory)” in a sentence,
- following an otherwise unassuming word or phrase in a post with “(derogatory)”, or
- following a word or phrase with a different adjective, such as “(affectionate)” or “(complimentary)”

Examples of the first:
“yeah I’m afab. Assigned fruit (derogatory) at birth” – tumblr user titsandtibias, November 16, 2020
“Gay polycule call that an aggregate fruit (derogatory)” – tumblr user zanariz, November 15, 2020

Examples of the second:
“supernatural finale (derogatory)” – tumblr user lesbianaglaya, November 19, 2020 (note: the popularity of this meme on tumblr coincided with the airing of the CW show Supernatural finale, which many agreed was wholly unsatisfying, badly written, and homophobic)
“french (derogatory)” – tumblr user rododaktvlos, November 18, 2020

Examples of the third:
“whore (complimentary)” – tumblr user dakotajohnsongf, November 18, 2020

Explanation

This meme refers to the word ”fruit” in the context of it’s history as derogatory reference to gay men. The humor comes from the specification that the subject of the post, an otherwise inconsequential fruit store, is being used in a way that reflects the slang definition of the word.