Rizz

Rizz is a popular slang expression, that has taken the internet by storm in 2023.

Originally, the term referred to The Game of men, especially their seductive prowess. When a guy is soaking with Rizz, you know, The Game is Afoot, and you’re about to be taken off your feet. “Rizz” May be used sincerely, referring to the charisma and mysteriousness of a guy, while it is also frequently used ironically, especially with animal image macros, where pets seem to taken on their seductive faces.

While the word comes from New York slang, it was popularized on Twitch by Kai Cenat and others, and it took over the internet through the countless TikTok trends it inspired.

Dog Rizz

Although the exact origin of the word “Rizz” is not known, it is presumed to come from the shortening of “charisma.” It comes from New York slang, however, it was introduced to the masses online in May 2021, when Twitch streamers Silky and Kai Cenat began live streaming their online dates.

During these streams, they rated each other’s performances, and if the date went well, they dropped the word “Rizz”, referring to the smooth game, that was presented. The streamers slowly spread the slang term, and it grew to be an indispensable part of their brand.

The first Urban Dictionary entry on “Rizz” was uploaded on June 1st, 2021, referencing one of the streams of Kai Cenat.

By July 2021, more and more attention came to Kai Cenat and Silky, as well as their creation, “Rizz.” One of the most notable development to the slang term came on Twitter, when on July 9th, 2023, Kai tweeted “W RIZZ”, referring to a joint stream with iShowSpeed.

They also started making jokes on the “Rizz Academy”, a fictional institution, aiming to teach men about the art of seduction. Over time, new memes began surfacing online, like the Unspoken Rizz expression, which first appeared in a tweet, shared by @ImDukeDennis on September 1st, 2021. Following this, the phrase was adopted by both the streamers, and their fans, as well as the broader online community, appearing in memes.

These memes began taking over TikTok in April 2022, as more and more pickup line, and seduction videos were uploaded to the platform, revolving around the keyword “Rizz,” or Unspoken Rizz. These memes continued to grow in popularity and more and more variations were created over time.

By the end of 2022, several popular variations were created to the “Rizz” meme on TikTok. One of the most prominent of these was the Negative Rizz meme, where unappealing nature of real life or fictional characters were deemed so Cringe, that their “Rizz” was valued below zero.

Another format from the same era was the Rizz God or Rizz Nicknames/Puns, which revolved around creating puns, using the word “Rizz”, referring to friends, both ironically and sincerely. Popular version of these puns include Rizzard of Oz, Nightmare Before Rizzmas, or Rizzly Bear.

Various other trends also surfaced on TikTok, including the Rizz Hand to Chin, where people approached random strangers, placing their hands to their chins romantically, causing an awkward scenario. Another popular meme, derived from the “Rizz” format is the Unspoken Rizz vs Sexual Harassment format, which highlights the double standards between attractive and unattractive people.

Overall, “Rizz” became a highly popular meme, both on TikTok, as well as on YouTube and even Twitter, inspiring countless videos and memes, and as of August 2023, the meme doesn’t seem to die down, just yet.

• KnowYourMeme – Rizz / Unspoken Rizz
• Dictionary.com – Rizz