TikTok slang is pretty much its own language at this point. In 2022, I couldn’t go through a single TikTok doom scroll without seeing the word “rizz” in the caption of a video. Other Gen Z terms like “cuffing season” and “Borg” may seem like second nature to us digital natives, but to your parent, grandparent, or Victorian child, social media slang is tough to understand and even tougher to keep up with. Even I, as a media-savvy elder Gen Z, struggle to stay current on the TikTok slang nowadays.
The most recent slang on the app? Munch. And no, I’m not talking about eating your lunch (or the Alix Earle omelette). TikTok’s new slang term has a pretty *dirty* meaning, is connected to the popular artist Ice Spice, and is only growing in popularity.
But first, some background on Ice Spice — she’s the anchor to the TikTok phenomenon. Ice Spice, real name Isis Gaston, is a 22-year-old musician from New York City. Prior to her career as a rapper, Gaston studied at State University of New York at Purchase (or SUNY Purchase) on a full athletic scholarship for volleyball.
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After being discovered by RiotUSA, a record label, Gaston began making music and rising in popularity through Soundcloud and TikTok before hitting the mainstream in 2022 with her song, “Munch (Feelin’ U).” Her debut EP was released on Jan. 20, 2023 and received positive reviews from critics and fans alike. Currently, Gaston is all over TikTok due to her collaboration with PinkPantheress on the viral song “Boy’s a Liar Pt.2.” As of March 7, almost 2 million videos have been made using the official sound.
Because of Gaston’s booming popularity, new fans of her music have been discovering her work prior to TikTok fame, including “Munch (Feelin’ U).” On TikTok, #munch has over 1.9 billion views and is only growing by the day.
What does “munch” on TikTok mean?
Luckily, Gaston actually let the whole world know what a munch is. In an October 2022 interview with Genius, Gaston explained that a “munch” is “a[n] eater or somebody that’s, like, obsessed with you.” And if you’re curious about what an “eater” is, I’m sure the lyrics of the song could clue you in. But in Gaston’s own words, it’s simply “somebody that likes to eat.” Wink.
In another, shorter video, Gaston sums it up in a less vague way. In short, a munch is one of two things: a hater, or someone who is so obsessed with you, they’re fiending to give you oral sex. I told you the meaning is dirty.
So, I guess, the more you know. With Ice Spice rising in popularity, I wonder if we’ll continue to see new slang coming from the new superstar. Until then, you can catch me attempting to stay hip and possibly incorporating “munch” into my everyday vocab.