In the blink-and-you‘ll-miss-it world of TikTok trends and viral content, few things have captured the zeitgeist of Gen Z humor quite like the phrase "Sticking Out Your Gyat for the Rizzler." This nonsensical string of words, sung to the tune of a slowed-down version of the song "Ecstasy" by Suicidal Idol, has become an inescapable earworm and inside joke for millions of terminally online youth. But for the uninitiated, it can seem like pure gibberish. So what does it actually mean, and why has it struck such a chord with Zoomers?
Breaking Down the Slang
First, let‘s decode the meaning of each Gen Z slang term used in the song‘s lyrics:
- Gyat: Can mean "girl you ate that," "get your act together," or "goddamn," often used to describe a woman with a large bottom
- Rizzler: Refers to someone who has game or skill in attracting the opposite sex
- Skibidi: References the "Skibidi Toilet" series of Source Filmmaker videos by YouTuber DaFuqBoom
- Fanum tax: The idea that when someone eats food near popular streamer Fanum, they owe him a portion
- Sigma: Slang for an introverted alpha male
- Ohio: Often joked about as the most unusual or memeable U.S. state
Put together, the full lyrics of the parody song by TikTok creator @ovp.9 go: "Sticking out your gyat for the Rizzler / You‘re so Skibidi, you‘re so Fanum Tax / I just want to be your Sigma / Freaking come here / Give me your Ohio."
Ridiculous as it may sound to the uninitiated, this type of random, absurdist humor is right up Gen Z‘s alley. Raised on the Internet and bombarded with information from all angles, Zoomers have developed a taste for ironic, self-referential comedy that often makes little sense to outsiders. Memes and in-jokes spread at lightning speed on apps like TikTok, Twitch, Instagram, and Twitter, racking up millions of views and shares.
The Power of the Slowed Song
In the case of "Sticking Out Your Gyat," the original sound came from slowing down the already-viral song "Ecstasy" by Suicidal Idol. Released on Spotify in 2022, the catchy electronic tune didn‘t really explode until popular creators on TikTok started using a slowed-down version in their videos in early 2023.
According to data from TikTok, the slowed "Ecstasy" sound has been used in over 500,000 videos to date, accumulating over 1 billion views. The original track has also seen a massive boost, with over 40 million Spotify streams and counting.
Building on that viral momentum, TikToker @ovp.9 posted their parody cover in April 2023, featuring the now-iconic misheard lyrics. It quickly inspired a wave of memes, lip-syncs, and skits as the "Gyatstacy" trend took over For You pages everywhere.
Popular creators like @Snitchery and @Lance.Tsosie hopped on the trend, while rapper bbno$ even released an official remix sampling the parody lyrics. To date, videos tagged with #gyatstacy have over 300 million collective views on TikTok.
Why So Random?
So why did this particular meme strike such a chord? For one, the lyrics are just the right amount of stupid-funny, stringing together hyper-niche references that only chronically online Zoomers would catch. There‘s also an element of absurdity in parodying a song that already went viral for sounding like gibberish when slowed down.
But on a deeper level, the "Gyatstacy" phenomenon taps into Gen Z‘s love of layered irony and meme-based humor. Unlike previous generations who relied more on traditional setups and punchlines, Zoomers have developed a comedic language all their own, full of ever-evolving slang, in-jokes, and deep cut references.
The more absurd, surreal, and hyperspecific, the better. From the "Jiggle Jiggle" Louis Theroux rap to the "It‘s Corn!" kid on Recess Therapy, Gen Z are constantly mining obscure sources to flip into highly sharable, remix-friendly meme formats.
As digital anthropologist Crystal Abidin told VICE, Gen Z‘s humor revolves around "a shared language and argot that may appear like complete nonsense to outsiders but hold much meaning for participants." By riffing on the same random references, Zoomers carve out their own digital niches and forge connections with like-minded peers around the globe.
Seen through this lens, meme culture begins to resemble an absurdist art movement as much as a comedic one. Just as Dadaism arose from the irrationality of post-WWI society, and punk nihilism emerged from the malaise of the ‘70s, Gen Z‘s mastery of meme semiotics is a fittingly satirical response to coming of age in an era defined by fake news, Internet irreality, and geopolitical chaos.
Keeping Up With the Zoomers
For older generations, keeping pace with Gen Z‘s rapid-fire meme cycles can feel downright impossible. These trends move at breakneck speed, mutating and spreading through a complex online ecosystem before fizzling out just as quickly.
As soon as Millennials have cracked the meaning of "cheugy" or identified the Backyardigans‘ "Into the Thick of It," their feeds have already moved on to "yassify," "Horace," and the "Lucky Girl Syndrome" trend. It‘s an apt illustration of what some researchers have dubbed "cultural acceleration" – the idea that culture and trends are evolving at an exponential rate thanks to digital technologies and globalization.
A 2019 study published in Nature Human Behaviour found that the "collective attention span" has dramatically shrunk in the Internet age, with topics rising to cultural prominence and falling off within increasingly shorter timeframes. Analyzing a massive dataset of hashtags, Google searches, and Reddit comments, the researchers concluded that "content is increasing in volume and is being consumed more rapidly than ever before."
In practical terms, this means that even the most in-touch Millennial or Gen Xer can quickly find themselves out of the loop when it comes to the latest TikTok trend or Twitter meme. So what‘s an "old" to do?
For one, don‘t stress too much about understanding every new slang term or reference. These trends are ephemeral by nature, and trying to keep up can quickly become exhausting. Instead, focus on maintaining an open mind and a sense of humor. If you stumble upon a meme that makes no sense, do a quick Urban Dictionary search or ask a trusted Zoomer to explain it.
More broadly, it‘s important to approach meme culture with empathy and nuance. While it‘s easy to write off Gen Z humor as frivolous or even incomprehensible, these trends offer a unique window into the experiences, anxieties, and coping mechanisms of a generation coming of age in chaotic times.
By taking the time to learn their language and understand their perspective, older generations can foster much-needed connection and solidarity with the youth. After all, beneath the fifteen layers of irony and Fanum tax references, Zoomers are grappling with the same timeless issues as everyone else – identity, belonging, and making sense of an uncertain world.
The Serious Side of Silly Memes
That said, it‘s also crucial to acknowledge the potential downsides and dangers of meme culture. While most viral trends are relatively benign, we‘ve seen time and again how memes can be weaponized to spread misinformation, hate speech, and extremist ideologies at unprecedented speeds.
From the alt-right‘s co-opting of Pepe the Frog to COVID conspiracy theories running rampant on TikTok, bad actors are increasingly leveraging meme magic to normalize prejudice and erode shared truth. The same ambiguity and in-group signaling that makes memes so appealing to disaffected youth can also make them a powerful radicalizing tool.
Additionally, the hyper-adrenalized pace of meme culture can contribute to shorter attention spans, information overload, and a kind of collective amnesia. In an ecosystem where the shelf life of a given trend is often just days or even hours, it becomes harder to pause and reflect on the deeper societal issues behind the jokes.
As media theorist Douglass Rushkoff writes in Present Shock, we run the risk of getting stuck in an endless cycle of "narrative collapse" – jumping from one disconnected story to another without fully processing or contextualizing anything.
Finding Meaning in the Memeplex
So where does this leave us with "Sticking Out Your Gyat for the Rizzler"? Is it just another fleeting viral trend, doomed to fade into obscurity as surely as it blew up in the first place? Or could it represent something more meaningful – a shared cultural touchstone for a generation hungry for connection and levity in absurd times?
The answer, as with most things on the Internet, is a bit of both. There‘s no denying that the "Gyatstacy" phenomenon is emblematic of Gen Z‘s fragmented, hyper-referential approach to humor and meaning-making. Its mashup of slang terms, inside jokes, and remix culture is a microcosm of how Zoomers navigate an increasingly saturated and chaotic media landscape.
At the same time, the fact that so many young people were drawn to such a specific and silly meme points to a deeper desire for community and belonging. By collectively riffing on the same absurdist joke, Gen Zers created their own digital gathering space – a place to commiserate, connect, and find joy amidst the doom-scrolling.
In the end, maybe the real Sigma move is not reading too much into any one shitpost or TikTok trend, but appreciating the broader cultural currents they represent. Gen Z‘s memetic language may seem impenetrable to outsiders, but it‘s really just a different manifestation of the age-old desire to express oneself, find one‘s people, and make sense of a world that often feels stranger than fiction.
So the next time you find yourself scratching your head at the latest nonsensical copypasta or clapback meme, just remember: the kids are alright, even if their references are not. They‘re carving out their own digital realities and coping mechanisms, one Fanum tax Gyat-stick at a time. And that‘s pretty Skibidi-wibidi-wooing beautiful, when you think about it.
