Are you goin’ back to Honolulu just to get that “Maui Wowie”? (Jeez, I have never felt more chronically online.) If you have been on TikTok lately, or are a proud Group 7 member, I’d bet money that that silly little song is stuck in your head. How could it not be? With all the hotties tapping into this trend, those videos are on repeat on my phone. But what is a “Maui Wowie,” and why are people hanging off of street poles to get some?
But first, some background. In the “Maui Wowie” TikTok trend, creators hang on a street pole, look fine as hell, and lip-sync the lyrics, “Goin’ back to Honolulu just to get that, that ‘Maui Wowie” from Kid Cudi’s song “Maui Wowie.” The trend can be a great fit check, or a show of strength, where many participants hold on with just one arm. The trend also doesn’t require a street pole: I’ve seen people hanging onto monkey bars, tractors, basketball hoops, trees, and bathroom doors (however, that girl fell, so I wouldn’t recommend it). Just hoist yourself up, serve face, and sing along!
The song “Maui Wowie” by Kid Cudi was actually released in 2008, but only now, in October of 2025, is hitting the Billboard 100 charts. Cudi posted a celebratory statement on Instagram saying, “This is MEGA!!! Debuting #71 on the @billboard charts 17 years later. This is a true example of timeless music. To all the fans who made this happen, I LOVE YOU!! Lets keep it going yall!!!”
He even hopped on the trend for himself.
And some other big celebs have, too.
A win for the Love Island fans, TBH.
What does “Maui Wowie” mean?
Despite my initial assumption that “Maui Wowie” was a euphemism for sex, it actually is a “Positively THC-Infested weed which can be bought from dealers returning from Hawaii,” or at least that’s what someone named Skunk Nuggets on Urban Dictionary said. (My journalism professors would kill me for that sourcing, but CNN isn’t exactly reporting on the best strain.)
However, Skunk Nuggets speaks the truth, evidenced by another lyric in the song, “Man, I need ‘Maui Wowie’ / I smoke that ‘Maui Wowie.’” And there you have it, folks.