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Powered by ELF bars and Flaming Hot Cheetos, Gen Z has spurned out another slang in the meal category: Reheating nachos. With previous terms like “cooked,” “ate,” and “just put the fries in the bag,” this new slang phrase fits perfectly within Gen Zalpha’s lexicon. But what does reheating someone’s nachos mean? And is there any actual nacho-eating involved?
What does ‘reheating nachos’ mean?
Unfortunately, there’s no promise of munching on crunchy, cheesy goodness when someone accuses another of “reheating nachos.” Over the past month, the phrase has been littering X, formerly known as Twitter, mostly among Stan communities. “Reheating nachos” means recreating something iconic, or of a certain style. Simply put, it means mimicry or imitation. But as with most Gen Z slang, it’s best understood through examples.
Where did it come from?
The slang so far has exclusively been used when referring to celebrities, mostly female artists. As a disclaimer, I’d like to point out that this slang appears to be nascent. However, one X user speculated it derived from this video a TikToker posted in 2023. In the clip, TV personality Natalie Nunn was eyeing rapper Stunna Girl’s nachos. The caption read, “You can tell Natalie lowkey wanted Stunna girl’s Nachos.” Still, this is only speculation and it seems the first person to use the slang hasn’t confirmed if this is where they got it.
It appears that the earliest documented use was on Jan. 9, 2025. In a tweet, X user @hyphenkordei quoted a post showing rapper Doja Cat’s “Rules” music video from 2019. They wrote, “Kinda need her to reheat these nachos for the next album.”
In other words, they want Doja Cat to recreate this energy for her new album, implying that this was her best work yet. But the tweet that really put the slang on everyone’s radar was about Tate McRae, another relatively new artist who has been slowly garnering the spotlight over the past few years. In this viral tweet from Jan. 24, an X user posted, “Tate McRae keeps on trying to reheat Nelly furtado’s nachos but the microwave keeps on breaking does that make sense.”
The tweet earned 2 million views, and the phrase “reheat nachos” became Gen Z’s newest slang when comparing artists’ works. In that viral post, the user was comparing McRae’s sound to that of iconic artist Nelly Furtado. However, the “microwave keeps breaking” metaphor implies McRae is falling short of being as influential or talented as Furtado.
The slang is so new that there don’t seem to be any other explainers online, except for this piece on Soap Central about McRae and Addison Rae being compared to Britney Spears.
“Tate McRae and Addison Rae, contemporary Gen Z performers, are being compared to Britney Spears, whose legendary impact on the pop industry is still felt today. The argument is ongoing; some fans regard Addison Rae as ‘remaking’ Britney’s fame (something innovative,) while others see McRae as a contemporary ‘reheat’ of her career (a stale remake so to speak,)” the piece states.
Even on catch-all Reddit, the only “reheat nachos” subject that got any attention was a Redditor asking how long they should reheat nachos for. That being said, while the definition still seems to be forming in real-time, most have already grasped the concept, and the slang ballooned over Grammys weekend when Lady Gaga released her new single.
Lady Gaga and an iconic nacho-reheat post-Grammys
This past weekend, the 67th Grammys had the internet buzzing even more than usual. (Some were even suspicious about how good it was.) On Sunday night, the slang “reheating nachos” was posted a lot in regard to the artists performing at the Grammys. (For instance, Benson Boone was accused of reheating Harry Styles’ nachos, while rapper Doechii, who took home Best Rap Album of the Year, was accused of wanting to steal Matilda’s nachos because of her school uniform-inspired outfit.)
However, the slang gained traction in earnest when hours after the Grammys, Lady Gaga released “Abracadabra,” along with a music video many likened to her “The Fame Monster” days from 2009.
The choreography and performance in “Abracadabra” had stans freaking out about this new Gaga, who uncannily resembled an earlier version of the pop star’s persona.
Here are a few tweets from some excited fans:
“Lady Gaga reheated her own nachos.”
“Lady Gaga air fried her own nachos and they came out so fucking good.”
“Gaga reheating her Judas nachos mixed with Alejandro chicken.”
But why nachos?
The original source of the slang still hasn’t been officially confirmed. But Gen Z choosing “nachos” as the metaphor for mimicry is no surprise. Here’s hoping for some more yummy terminology in the future.
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