Meaning
What does Dudebro mean?
The term Dudebro is a humorous, often an offensive slang stereotyping, usually a young white male.
A “dudebro” kind of man is usually in his twenties, characterized by drinking heavy drinking, privileged upbringing, a preppy look and basically being a douchebag towards everyone.
If someone is called a “dudebro”, most of the time it isn’t meant to be a compliment in any way.
Origin
What's the origin of Dudebro?
The comical combination of the slang terms “dude” and “bro” are to intensify the stereotypical qualities of a young white male.
In the 19th century, the term “dude” was referring to a vain and/or foppish person, usually a male. By the early 1980s, “dude” became a more popular slang for any “guy”.
“Bro” has been around for a more drawn out time as a slang, since it is an abbreviated variant of “brother”. It has been around since the 18th century in Black English and was used by fellow black men to allude to one another’s.
However, it wasn’t until the early 2000s when people started using it as an actual compound.
Spread & Usage
How did Dudebro spread?
In 2005 the term already earned an entry on Urban Dictionary, and since then 35 more were submitted about it.
In October 2012, a video game came out inspired by a post that was mocking first-person shooter games as, Dudebro, My Shit is f***** Up So I Got to Shoot/Slice You II: It’s Straight-Up Dawg Time.
The video game, Dudebro II, was meant to parody the types of games stereotypical white males, also known as “dudebros” tend to enjoy.
