What Does GRWM Mean?

If your latest scroll left you asking, "What does GRWM mean?" you're not alone! The trendy acronym has been making the rounds on social media platforms like TikTok, and while it sounds confusing, it's pretty straightforward.

Thanks to the popularity of social media acronyms, it’s commonplace to discover new terms you’ve never heard of. It seems there’s new internet slang every week, and whether it’s niche Gen Z slang or something created by a particular subculture, such as TikTok communities like #BookTok or #CleanTok, a moment of confusion is normal. What did they say? As sure as you’ve learned one term, there’s one that crops up like GRWM, and you’re scratching your head again.

So what does GRWM mean? Well, this latest term hitting social media platforms concerns a daily regimen.

What Does GRWM Mean?

“GRWM” is an acronym that stands for “Get Ready With Me.”

Like other social media acronyms, it’s difficult to track down who is responsible for creating “GRWM,” but its meaning goes as far back as the 2010s. Have you ever watched a video that shows a person getting ready for their day (or evening) while chatting? These videos have historically received the title or caption “Get Ready With Me.”

According to meme and internet term database Know Your Meme, the first video of this kind appears to be a January 2011 video from YouTuber Shaaanxo. Since then, the trend of posting a vlog while getting ready has exploded in popularity, and it’s a common type of content shared by beauty influencers and YouTubers. In recent months, you may have stumbled upon the term “GRWM” thanks to the rise of GRWM TikTok videos—as of publication, the social media video platform has over 76 billion videos with the #grwm hashtag.

It’s unclear when the term got its own acronym (GRWM), but it’s easy to see how it came to fruition since social media devotees create them for hashtags or shorter video titles.

Other Social Media Slang to Know

Internet slang with various acronyms on a cyber backgroundesolla/Getty Images

With no shortage of social media slang, you may want to brush up on some other popular terms. These may include acronyms, abbreviations or words used in specific ways for internet speak.

If you aren’t certain of the difference between acronyms and abbreviations, the easiest way to remember is this—an acronym is made up of letters that stand for words, such as GRWM (Get Ready With Me) and BOGO (Buy One, Get One), while an abbreviation is a word that’s shortened for brevity, such as Ave. (Avenue), St. (Street) and exam (examination).

Here’s some social media slang you should take note of before your next scroll:

  • OOTD: This acronym stands for “Outfit of the Day,” and is commonly used in social media selfies and videos to share that day’s look.
  • Haul: A reveal of products gifted to the creator or ordered by them. You’ll see vlogs with the title “Makeup Haul” or “Clothing Haul” from influencers who want to share everything they’ve recently received.
  • IFYKYK: An acronym that means “If you know, you know,” which is used to indicate an inside joke or specific knowledge on a subject.
  • Say less: A phrase that people use to indicate they understand something and don’t need further elaboration on a point.
  • IRL: An acronym that stands for “in real life,” used to indicate something offline, such as “Let’s meet IRL.”
  • Understood the assignment: When someone says they “understood the assignment,” it means that they’ve done something perfectly.
  • DM: An acronym meaning “Direct Message,” to indicate your inbox of direct messages on various social media platforms.
  • No cap: A slang term popularized by Gen Z which means “no lie” but also has some history in hip-hop culture.
  • TL;DR: An acronym that translates to “too long; didn’t read” and is used to indicate a summary of a long text or that some text is so wordy that it’s easily ignored.
  • Simp: A term that indicates someone is “obsessing” over someone or something.
  • Hits different: A phrase that means something impacts you in a big way or “feels different” than something that preceded it.
  • IMO: This means “in my opinion.”

Cianna Garrison
Cianna Garrison is a California-based freelance writer who covers everything from food news to tech to lifestyle. Her work has appeared in Elite Daily, How-To Geek, Review Geek, Truity and other publications. She received her Bachelor's degree from Arizona State University in 2018. In her free time, she likes to read, write fiction and poetry, and perform in live theater.