Gen Alpha slang · Noun
performative male
Performative male is Gen Alpha slang for a man who puts on a sensitive, feminist look to impress women.
Where it came from
A 2025 meme with a recognisable kit: matcha, a tote bag, wired headphones, vinyl and novels by Sally Rooney or Joan Didion. Look-alike contests followed, starting in Seattle in August 2025 and spreading to other cities and universities.
Tone check
Teasing. Not crude.
Checked against: Wikipedia, Performative male.
Added to this dictionary 2 November 2026
Used in a sentence
"matcha and a tote bag? performative male"
Related words
Keep decoding
to make something stronger
a sudden, irreversible turn-off
thoroughly past your best
so immersed in internet culture that ordinary life is confusing
the best possible version of something
performed excellently
content designed to make you angry enough to engage
he is behaving irrationally