An exclamation celebrating exceptional style, confidence, or performance—recognition that someone completely dominated a moment.
Slay is what you say when someone performs with such excellence, confidence, or style that it demands celebration. It's an exclamation of fierce approval—for a flawless outfit, a stunning performance, a moment of complete self-assurance. The intensity matters: this isn't polite praise. It's recognition of domination.
The phrase emerged from Black and Latine LGBTQ+ ballroom culture in 1970s New York City, where competitors faced off in categories judging everything from dance to fashion to attitude. In a world that devalued queer people of color, 'slay' became both armor and affirmation—a way to celebrate excellence within their community. They took an old word about killing and transformed it into celebration.
That transformation reveals something profound: marginalized communities don't just survive through language—they weaponize it. 'Slay' turned violence into power, defeat into triumph. When it spread beyond ballroom through Paris is Burning (1991), RuPaul's Drag Race (2009), and Beyoncé's 'Formation' (2016), it carried that defiant joy with it. Now it's everywhere—on TikTok, in group chats, across cultures. But its roots remain: a word forged in struggle, celebrating people who refused to be diminished.