This 30-Year-Old Teacher Revealed The Latest Slang Gen Z Is Using To Describe How "Cool" You Are, And I've Never Felt So Old

Even as a Gen Z'er (albeit an older one), I still find myself confused by all the new slang that pops up — and most recently, it's "aura points."

"Aura" has existed for a long time and is defined, in simple and modern terms, as someone's vibes and the energy a person or place exudes. Although younger folks definitely didn't invent the word, the aura "point system" has become a way for Gen Z'ers and Gen Alpha to describe when something is cringe and embarrassing or cool and vibey.

X: @messy_mustarqd / Via Twitter: @messy_mustard

The first time I heard the term was when I was crossing the street with my Gen A cousin. He said the cars stopped because of how many "aura points" he had.

If you're a parent or teacher or work with younger people, then you just might have heard about aura points from one of them. And if you're just as confused as I was, TikToker Philip Lindsay (@mr_lindsay_sped), a 30-year-old teacher from Arizona, made a video explaining what exactly aura points are and how you can "earn" and "lose" them.

TikTok: @mr_lindsay_sped / Via tiktok.com

In the video, which has nearly 800k views, Philip starts off by saying, "The meaning of [aura] is actually what it means in the trend. But there is an additional aspect to it that's important to understand."

"So somebody's aura is their essence, right? It's the energy they put off. That's a word we all know," Philip says. "But with the way that the kids are using it, they're specifically talking about how cool somebody is. What is the cool energy that they put off, and what are the things that you could do or not do that's either going to 'add' or 'take away' from your aura?" And that's where the (imaginary) "point system" comes in.

According to Philip, gaining and having positive aura points is considered a good thing because, essentially, it means you did something people would generally deem as cool. Say, for example, that you send something funny in a group chat, and everybody responds to it. Because your humor and energy are well-received, it results in gaining positive aura.

On the flip side, you can also "lose" aura points whenever you do something people consider embarrassing, weird, or cringey. As part of Philip's example in the TikTok: "You see somebody waving at you, and you wave back, only to discover that it's the person behind you that they're waving at. Negative aura points."

All in all, Philip explains that someone's overall aura is the sum of their aura points — practically a different way to determine whether or not someone is cool or has "good" vibes. Of course, though it's said you can "gain" and "lose" aura points, the "scale" is often imagined and used hyperbolically among Gen Z'ers and Gen Alpha.

For example, in one TikTok, a person tries to open a door by pushing instead of pulling. The result is "negative 1000 aura points."

Meanwhile, other people on social media will reveal embarrassing or cringeworthy memories or facts about themselves and then ask how many aura points they lost. On X (formerly Twitter), a user wrote, "how many aura points did i lose when i found out there was another girl and i still stayed."

X: @ciggs4breakfast / Via Twitter: @ciggs4breakfast

Another X user stated, "you lose a hefty amount of aura points every time you add a note on an instagram post."

X: @kyayaarpriii / Via Twitter: @kyayaarpriii

(TBH, they're not wrong.)

Even big brands and companies, like Porsche, have caught on to the trend, posting on X: "Pronouncing Porsche the correct way +1000 aura points."

X: @Porsche / Via Twitter: @Porsche

In Philip's explainer video, some comments expressed their excitement about finally having some clarification on what "aura points" mean, with one TikTok user saying, "My Aura points are dropping once I use this with my kids."

Another user pointed out that aura points are just "'cool points' with a new name."

Overall, someone's aura is the new way younger folks are playfully judging a person's — or their own! — vibes in a specific moment, and I honestly fear I'm going to start using the phrase ironically and then somehow start saying it unironically. (Unfortunately, that's what happened to me with the word 'fam.')

X: @pbanjelly26 / Via Twitter: @pbanjelly26

If you're a parent, teacher, or work with Gen Z'ers, have you ever heard about aura points? What do you think about this new trend? If you want to gain 500 aura points, comment below!

Follow Philip on TikTok for more content.