Commonly used in Generation Z and Generation Alpha | |
Popularized in 2016. | |
Popularized again in 2022. |
Ohio, also referred to as Only in Ohio or Ohio vs. the World, [1] [2] [3] is an Internet slang and meme first popularized in 2016. The term refers to obviously surreal and random phenomena that supposedly occur in the U.S. state with the same name. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] The term is one of many slang words associated with Generation Z and Generation Alpha. [6] [7] [8] [9] It is often associated with brain rot.
In 2016, a Tumblr user posted a photo of a Chicago Transit Authority bus stop with the announcement displaying "Ohio will be eliminated." [10] The message was intended to inform riders about a bus stop removal at the intersection of Ohio Street and Michigan Avenue; [10] however, the photo became viral over the message being misconstrued to refer to the state instead of the street. [2] [5] [7] In the years after the photo was published, absurdist memes related to Ohio were published on social media.
Starting in 2022, videos that attribute Ohio with bizarre and sometimes disturbing situations ("Only in Ohio" videos) became viral. They were often coupled with a song "Swag Like Ohio" by Lil B. [1] [2] [6] The term Ohio was later coupled with newly popular Internet slang terms like sigma, "rizz" and "skibidi". [6] [8] [11]