Cap, cooked, yap: The Gen Z slang guide to the 2024 presidential election

Gen Z-led voter outreach organization shares a helpful election slang guide, from “brat” to “cap”

Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign has wasted no time embracing the flood of Gen Z voters who have taken to social media to proclaim her the “brat” of this election cycle.

The brat concept first became tied to Harris after Charli XCX, the English pop singer, declared “Kamala IS Brat,” in an X post on Sunday shortly after President Joe Biden announced he’d be stepping down from the race. In return, Harris’s campaign has fully seized on the Gen Z attention, peppering her X account with references to Charli XCX’s “Brat” album.

As the singer’s post went viral, it left many wondering: What does brat even mean? The declaration appeared to add confusion to an already hard to keep up with Gen Z dictionary.

Vice president Kamala Harris speaks during an NCAA championship teams celebration on the South Lawn of the White House on 22 July 2024 in Washington, DC. Gen Z has declared her the “brat” of this election cycle (Getty Images)

To help, Voters of Tomorrow, a Gen Z-led organization that has already endorsed Harris and engages young Americans in politics and culture, put out this helpful breakdown of some key terms you’ll need to know this election cycle:

Brat (noun): An icon; an embrace of authenticity and confidence in oneself.

Example sentence: Artist Charlie XCX posted that “kamala IS brat,” and Gen Z agrees.

Cap (noun): A lie

Example sentence: Everything Trump said during that debate was cap.

Caught in 4k (adjective): Found engaging in a criminal, immoral, or improper act with evidence to prove it.

Example sentence: Trump was caught in 4k by the jury that convicted him of 34 felony counts.

Cooked (adjective): In a state of danger; doomed

Example sentence: If Trump wins, Gen Z is cooked, because he will kick millions of us off our parents’ health care plans and restrict abortion rights.

Let them cook (verb): To continue with the hope of succeeding, usually after revealing one’s potential

Example sentence: Kamala Harris delivered for Gen Z as vice president; we should let her cook and elect her as president.

Lock in (verb): To be focused, determined

Example sentence: Voters of Tomorrow is locking in this election to contact young voters 20 million times.

Opp (noun): An opponent whom one strongly dislikes

Example sentence: Donald Trump is the reason abortion rights are no longer protected, so he’s an opp for real.

W rizz (noun): Exceptional skills at charming; charisma

Example sentence: We know Vice President Harris has W rizz because she has helped pass monumental climate legislation through Congress.

Yap (verb): To ramble on foolishly, carelessly, or irritatingly

Example sentence: Donald Trump was just yapping during his RNC speech and said nothing about how he wants to help Gen Z.