Khia

Khia is slang for a person, especially a pop artist, who is considered irrelevant, obscure, or past their prime. The term is usually meant as playful but pointed shade, suggesting that an artist has lost their cultural relevance or never became as successful as expected. For example, a fan might jokingly call an artist a "khia" after a failed comeback or disappointing release.

The slang use of khia comes from American rapper Khia, best known for her 2002 hit "My Neck, My Back (Lick It)." The meme behind the slang dates to at least 2014, when social-media users joked about a fan becoming emotional while meeting Khia. The name later became a Twitter insult and spread more widely around 2022–2023, particularly among K-pop and other pop-music fandoms.

Today, Gen Z Internet users, pop-music fans, and stan communities use "khia" mostly online, often alongside the related phrase "Khia asylum," a joking imaginary place for artists considered to have fallen out of the spotlight. People may also use the term more broadly for someone or something that seems forgotten or unimportant.