«Unc», «chopped», «Group 7» and every man for himself The new internet terminology makes no sense

The social debut of Gen Alpha is causing quite a bit of confusion, especially among those – like the person writing this – who used to feel young and up to date with every linguistic variation born from the internet. Suddenly, TikTok seems to have been taken over by increasingly incomprehensible terms or, at least in appearance, completely meaningless ones. After the mysterious “Six Seven” meme – which no one has truly figured out yet – words like «unc», «chopped» and «group 7» have now taken over the platform’s comment sections.

For anyone over sixteen, however, keeping up with this new vocabulary has become an impossible mission. Even one of the internet’s longest-standing figures, Tana Mongeau (born in ’98), has voiced her frustration at Gen Alpha’s bizarre lexicon: «Six-seven, group 7, is this where we’re at? All of these things just mean nothing», complains the influencer in a TikTok video. But really, what do all these words mean?

What does «Chopped and Unc» mean?

If someone calls you «chopped and unc», it’s not a compliment — in fact, it’s a double insult. In English, «chopped» means ugly, while «unc» is short for «uncle,» used to describe someone who seems old or out of place. The term began circulating after a viral video by user Riley Hardwick, posted in mid-July 2025, in which he recounted being called «chopped» and «unc» while chaperoning a school prom. The clip, which quickly turned into a viral audio, was then used by thousands of other TikTokers to poke fun at their age or appearance, cementing yet another generational meme.

From there, the spread of the term «chopped» intertwined with another viral moment: a video of a student named Angel Wiley, known for his «chopped» jawline – sharp and uneven features that quickly became a meme. What started as a tongue-in-cheek description of one boy’s face evolved into a synonym for unattractive or off-standard looks, in that uniquely cruel way TikTok has of redefining beauty norms.

As for «unc», the term has deeper roots. It originates from African American Vernacular English (AAVE), where «unc» was simply a casual and affectionate way to say uncle or refer to a trusted older man. Today, however, «unc» is used ironically to describe men who try too hard to act young — maybe through outfits or attitudes that scream «boomer in identity crisis,» except now the «boomer» in question isn’t fifty but a Gen Z trying desperately to keep up with the times.

What is «Group 7»?

If «chopped» and «unc» at least have linguistic roots that hint at their meaning, «Group 7» is a whole other story. No one really knows what it means — and that’s probably why it became one of TikTok’s most viral phrases this fall. Behind the apparent nonsense, however, lies a very deliberate experiment by independent artist Sophia James, who decided to play with TikTok’s algorithm to promote her new song. The idea was to upload a series of numbered videos – «Group 1, Group 2, Group 3,» and so on – and see which one would get the most views.

The first few attempts didn’t spark much interest. But then came Group 7, and everything blew up. Within weeks, the video surpassed 76 million views and nearly 9 million likes. The list of celebrities claiming their spot in Group 7 starts with Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, followed by Outer Banks actress Madelyn Cline, and even extends to the Empire State Building and Netflix.

According to James herself in an interview with WIRED, the experiment had just one goal: to figure out which video format could best boost the visibility of her track. That’s how «Group 7» turned into a kind of digital badge of belonging — basically an inside joke. Commenting «Group 7» now means «I was there,» or simply «I’m part of the trend,» even if most of the time the comments are completely random and have nothing to do with the original phenomenon (at this point, people even write «Group 7» under cooking videos). Who knows what they’ll come up with next month.