Move over Karen — Generation Z has a new name for demanding women.
Calling a woman a “Karen” has arguably been one of the biggest insults of the last decade. Since reaching peak popularity in 2020, the slang term has been used to describe a woman (typically belonging to Gen X, though occasionally applying to a young Baby Boomer or Millennial) who is considered entitled and privileged because of her behavior and the way she impacts those around her.
In 2019, a viral meme coining the term was created, based on a 61-year-old voice coach, Karen Van Hook, from Boston, Massachusetts. The photograph showed a middle-aged white woman with straw-blonde hair cropped in an asymmetric bob, alongside the text: “I would like to speak to a manager.”
A famous example of a “Karen” was Amy Cooper, a white woman who called the police on Christian Cooper, a black birder, when they got into a disagreement at Central Park over her dog being off its leash. After a video of the incident went viral, she was fired from her job at an investment firm, charged with one count of falsely reporting an incident in the third degree, and forced to surrender her dog temporarily.
Now, Gen Z has had enough of Karen and has moved onto a new name: Jessica.
The concept first went viral on TikTok in July 2025, with multiple people questioning the Millennial name equivalent for a “Karen.” In one viral clip, a woman with the username @junkmotherjess said that she learned about the name debate from another video.
“One of [the comments] said, ‘Jessica and I just know she’s a nurse,” the TikTok user joked.
In another clip shared in July, a woman named Erin sought to explore Millennial culture further. She asked her followers to help determine what to call a Millennial “Karen,” while giving name options like “Jessica,” “Ashley,” and “Tiffany.”
This sparked a heated discussion in the comments, with many agreeing that “Jessica” fit the bill.
“Hey, leave me out of it. But I’ve never met a pleasant Jessica,” one wrote, while another agreed: “Definitely Jessica.”
“I know I’m the wrong gen, but as a Gen Z with a millennial sister named Jessica... It's Jessica,” a third wrote.
However, some made a case for other names beyond those Erin suggested.
“I’ve never met an Ashley that wasn’t a Karen,” one wrote, while another added: “ASHLEY WAS THE FIRST NAME I THOUGHT OF.”
@erindieheart millennialsoftiktok karen fyp yourpage foryou 4yp millennial foryou
♬ original sound - Erin Dieheart
A third argued: “Tiffany for sure. I’ve never met a nice Tiffany, not one.”
The heated debate comes amid a period defined in many ways by Gen Z slang, including the viral “6-7” slang trend used by young students. Also popular among Gen Alpha kids, the term comes from rapper Skrilla’s song “Doot Doot (6 7),” which references a 6’7 basketball player. The phrase, spoken as “six seven,” is usually blurted out when “six” and “seven” are mentioned together.
In the song, Skrilla sings, “The way that switch, I know he dyin'. 6-7. I just bipped right on the highway.” The song went on to gain popularity through viral videos and memes featuring NBA player LaMelo Ball.
Also made popular in 2025 were the phrases “locking in,” used to describe being deeply focused, and “crashing out,” which became synonymous with having an emotional outburst.
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