Weeb

What is a weeb?

A non-Japanese person obsessed with Japanese pop culture

Weebs are non-Japanese superfans of anime, manga, Japanese video games, and other articles of Japanese pop culture. This slang term is an abbreviation of weeaboo - a term that originated on 4chan.

The origin of weeb

In the 1980s and 90s, anime became popular in the United States and other Western countries. As the Internet became more accessible, Western anime superfans took to message boards and forums to share their love of their favorite shows. Some of these fans were so obsessed with anime and Japanese culture as a whole that others began calling them Wapanese (short for "white Japanese" or "wannabe Japanese").

Eventually, calling someone Wapanese became regarded as an incredibly derogatory insult. In response, the popular forum 4chan applied a moderation rule that replaced all uses of Wapanese with weeabo - a nonsense word taken from the webcomic The Perry Bible Fellowship. Over time, 4chan users and others shortened weeabo to weeb.

Wait ... should I call someone a weeb then?

Since 2011, weeb's meaning and connotation has softened to include any anime and manga superfan - not just those overly-obsessed with Japanese culture. As such, it is no longer a derogatory term. Many anime, manga, and Japanese pop culture aficionados now self-identify as weebs.

Example

She's a total weeb, but her taste in anime is fantastic. I've watched a bunch with her
Some weebs are more obsessed (and obnoxious) than others
Some weebs are more obsessed (and obnoxious) than others

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Updated May 27, 2022

Weeb definition by Slang.net

This page explains what the slang term "Weeb" means. The definition, example, and related terms listed above have been written and compiled by the Slang.net team.

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