Gen Alpha slang · Verb
larping
Meaning
Larping is Gen Alpha slang for pretending to be someone you are not, such as faking being rich or tough online, used mainly by ages 11–25.
Where it came from
From LARP, live-action role-playing. As a put-down meaning "fake", it ranked seventh in the 2026 search study reported by Euronews.
Tone check
A put-down meaning fake or try-hard. Not crude.
Used in a sentence
"He's larping as a gangster but he lives in the suburbs."
Peak: 2023–2026
Age range: 11–25
Safe for adults to use
Related words
Keep decoding
gooning
wasting large amounts of time online
kys
an extremely serious abusive abbreviation
afk
away from keyboard — not paying attention
ragebait
content designed to make you angry enough to engage
long
tedious, more effort than it is worth
npc
someone behaving without independent thought
unserious
ridiculous, not to be taken seriously
valid
reasonable, fair enough, acceptable