It's giving incel: The evolution of internet slang

2026-05-27 · 24 min · 5 entities

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It's giving incel: The evolution of internet slang
discusses Society & Culture concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Society & Culture

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evidence rules-v5
Feed author/publisher: NPR
hosted by NPR company

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evidence rules-v5
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How have recommendation algorithms affected language? Linguist Adam Aleksic — aka the Etymology Nerd — says most “Gen-Z slang” is either appropriated from Black people or incels. This week, we trace how -maxxing went from the eugenicist looksmaxxing subculture to trending TikToks to the Pentagon tweeting about “lethality maxxing.” And we ask what’s actually at stake when we use words without knowing where they come from. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy