About

Slime, often used in phrases such as "got slimed out" or similar, is an internet slang term derived from African American Vernacular English (AAVE). Most commonly, "slime" or "slimed out" refers to being backstabbed or killed, typically by being shot.

The term, which initially spread among Black communities in the late 2010s, saw a significant increase in use across various social media platforms, especially TikTok, around 2021 as it became increasingly appropriated and adopted online. Once menacing, the terms "slime" and "slimed" are now often associated with young kids on online voice chats and Gen Z, as well as Gen Alpha.

The slang was further popularized on the internet throughout the 2020s with trends and memes like the February 26th Slime Ya HB event and SlimeTok, a genre of Hood Irony memes.

Origin

Though the original source of "slime" as a slang term and the timeframe in which it was conceived are unverifiable, the term is derived from AAVE and spread organically throughout various Black communities in the late 2010s.

The term "slimed out," per Urban Dictionary,^[1] essentially describes killing someone for acting nefariously (or the inverse). The earliest definition for the slang was added to the site on January 15th, 2021, with another being added a month later.

Spread

As AAVE began to be rapidly adopted in the early 2020s by internet users, particularly members of Generation Z and Gen Alpha, "slime" as a slang term began to proliferate various social media platforms and online voice chats in 2021.

Over the following years, the term became increasingly prevalent online, especially as it was incorporated into viral phenomena like National Backdoor Day, also known as February 26th Slime Ya HB.

For example, on February 17th, 2025, TikToker^[7] @hendorunit posted a video referencing the event, which included the slang term, garnering over 24,100 likes and 470 comments in roughly a year and a half.

As it entered the mainstream online lexicon, slime also became featured in various memes during the mid-2020s.

For instance, on March 11th, 2025, a since-deleted Redditor posted a "Gen Z gangbanger" Starter Pack meme to the /r/starterpacks^[8] subreddit that included the term, garnering over 1,100 upvotes and 110 comments before it was deleted.

On October 8th, 2025, TikTok^[2] user @itsmystic3264 uploaded a video using the term "slime" that received 807,700 views and 154,400 likes in over nine months.

On January 8th, 2026, TikTok^[3] user @fidelitty uploaded a video captioned, "when you genuinely get slimed…" that received 2 million views and 447,300 likes in over six months.

On February 2nd, 2026, TikTok^[4] user @shud.up3 uploaded a video with pictures of "hipster" men and the caption, "The last thing you see before getting slimed out in portland," referring to Portland, Oregon, which received over 2.1 million views and 376,700 likes in just over five months.

On April 1st, 2026, TikTok^[5] user @shujinclips uploaded a video with the term used in the caption that received over 1.2 million views and 277,900 likes in over three months.

On July 12th, 2026, TikTok^[6] user @user094243522 uploaded a video using the term and reminiscing about 2021. The video received 1.1 million views and 173,700 likes in eight days.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References