Why Are Kids Now Suddenly Saying 'City Boy'?

We’ve recently explained the meanings behind choppelganger and lowkenuinely – some newer words entering teen vocabulary. 

Now there’s another catchphrase you might hear uttered (or should I say, yelled) from your child’s lips. 

“City boy, city boy” is the call of Gen Alpha currently, with TikTok creator and teacher Philip Lindsay noting kids in his class have been saying it for a few weeks now.

“It’s a meme from an old video clip that they’re just repeating,” explained the teacher, who is based in the US. The memes actually first did the rounds in 2022 and appear to be popular again – such is the bizarre nature of the internet. 

In the comments section for Mr Lindsay’s latest video, people noted the catchphrase had spread to New Zealand too.

But what does it even mean?

The City Boy meme originates from a clip from the animated series, Gravity Falls. 

In one early episode, from 2012, a police officer character named Deputy Durland makes fun of the main character who comes from the city and thinks he can solve a local crime.

Cue, Durland and his colleague mocking him and shouting: “City boyyyy, city boyyyyy.”

But the context in which it’s being used online and shared is sometimes tied to the slang term “city boy”, according to YouTuber MrToucan Explains Memes. In this instance, a city boy is “a man who prioritises his success and goals over relationships”.

And here’s where it gets a bit weird. The YouTuber explained: “People started using it as a reaction clip whenever they see a guy doing something savage or acting coldly towards women in the name of self-improvement.” It’s giving red pill.

One person noted in the comments section: “So, its like sigma with another name?” For context, sigma was a popular term in 2025 when it was used to describe a certain type of guy – a lone wolf who doesn’t follow the pack and is considered successful and cool, but on their own terms.

From a Gen Alpha perspective though, Mr Lindsay suggested the phrase “city boy” doesn’t really mean anything and kids are just shouting it out at all opportunities – a bit like six-seven.