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What started out as a lighthearted class presentation quickly turned into a fabulous humanities lesson for all.

A teacher under the pseudonym Larry Lexicon has 1.8 million followers on TikTok, where they tune in to catch the funny-yet-inspirational interactions Lexicon has with his students.

Recently, Lexicon had his class rolling with his meticulously crafted PowerPoint explaining what certain Gen Z words mean.

“All year long I’ve been listening to you and making a list, which I’ve compiled here for you — the Gen Z Term Dictionary,” he told the class, saying that they should speak up if anything was inaccurate.

Here’s what he came up with.

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He took “bruh,” (aka the “staple of their generation”) to simply be the alternative for “bro,” except that “bruh!” can also be used as an exclamation. That was correct.

Although the word “Rizz,” was fairly new to him, he also correctly guessed that this was short for “charisma,” and thus refers to someone who has the ability to charm.

“You can use it in all kinds of ways. Like I’m the Rizzard of Oz!” he joked.

“Bussin” he took to mean that something was good, particularly food. Also correct. He even knew that “bussin’ bussin’” meant that something was really good. Clearly, Lexicon had done his homework.

@larrylexicon Let me know if there are more terms I need to add to my list! #larrylexicon #doyourbuckingvocab #genzterms #teacherlife #highschool #teachersoftiktok #school ♬ original sound – Larry Lexicon

However, a few people pointed out in the comments that many terms have roots in African-American Vernacular English (AAVE). So in his third TikTok, Lexicon chose to make some revisions, and explained to the class why those revisions were important.

“I know you think you came up with a lot of these words, but you didn’t, and they’ve been around for a long time,” Lexicon said, noting how parts of AAVE language are at first “looked down upon by society as uneducated or thuggish” yet nonetheless sneak into daily vocabulary through pop culture.

“What happens is it makes its way into like, white suburbia, and you get a middle-aged dorky white dude mislabeling it just for a whole generation as a term dictionary,” he said. “And it ends up erasing the importance of it.”

@larrylexicon Food smacks, music slaps. Got it. #larrylexicon #aave #genzterms #teacherlife #teachersoftiktok #school #revisions #slaps ♬ original sound – Larry Lexicon

Lexicon then admitted that it was a mistake made by his own ignorance, which was okay, because he was able to take feedback, learn and act on it to grow.

“Being ignorant’s OK, but being willfully ignorant and not doing anything about it — not so OK.”

Viewers who have been following Lexicon’s series applauded him for taking the time to make even a silly little powerpoint into an important conversation for everyone involved.

“I love how you’re learning it and then teaching it! This is education!” one person wrote.

“The fact that you came back and showed HOW TO LEARN and that it’s OK NOT TO KNOW but not ok to be willfully ignorant,” added another.

“This is a hell of an example for your students,” read the top comment.

In case you’re curious, here are all the words gathered so far for the newly re-titled “AAVE-inspired Gen Z term dictionary.”

• “Delulu”— delusional.
• “Eepy”— really sleepy.
• “Be so for real”— “Are you serious?”
• “Witerawy”— “Literally,” but with emphasis.
• “Baddie” — “A pretty girl, typically very curvy and independent.” But can also be a guy.
• “Gyatt” — A substitute for “gosh darn!” typically used in response to seeing a baddie.
• “Getting sturdy” — A dance usually used when winning, kind of like a touchdown dance.
• “Bet” — Another way of saying “OK” or “alright.” Likely a shortened version of “you bet.”
• “Slaps” — a verb for when a song is really good. Or food. Maybe? Debate’s still out on that one
• “Cap” — A lie.
• “No cap” — The truth.
• “On god”— undeniable truth.

Lexicon plans to add new words each week throughout the remaining weeks of school. If you’d like to follow along, he can be found on TikTok.

This article originally appeared on 5.19.23

There’s a fine line between a unique name and one that sets kids up for a lifetime of ridicule.

On the one hand, maybe it shouldn’t matter what other people think, and parents should pick a name that suits their preferences, consequences be damned. On the other hand, their kid might not appreciate that kind of bravery after enduring years of bullying during childhood, followed constant confusion at Starbucks and truly unenviable work emails once they’re adults.

And this chapter of parenting can be a little stressful—even more stressful if neither partner can agree on a name they both like.

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This was the case for a husband who absolutely hated a name his wife so eagerly wished to give their unborn son. But rather than follow the popular “one no, two yeses” rule of baby-naming, where both parents must agree on the name chosen for a child, the wife instead went full steam ahead with her idea.

According to the husband’s account on Reddit, here’s what happened:

“Me (25m) and my wife (23f) are having our first child together. She is currently 9 months pregnant and could give birth anytime in the next couple of weeks. The only major fight we have had throughout her pregnancy happened a couple days ago, and it was about what we were going to name our kid.”

AITA for refusing to let my wife name our kid something stupid?
byu/Public-Praline-3691 inAmItheAsshole

“It all started when we found out the gender of the baby,” he continued. “After we found out we were having a boy we sat down together and made a list. Almost all of the names she suggested were normal, until the one that caused me to write this post. She suggested we name our son Mune.”

Mune. Like…dune an “m?” Or like “mun?” “Moon?” “Money?” “Mew-nay?” So many questions.

“She told me the name was from this movie she watched when she was younger and that it always stuck with her,” the husband explained, saying that when he told her it felt a “little out there” and was worried their son might get made fun of.

After a little back and forth, the couple agreed to take the name Mune off the list. Or so the dad-to-be thought.

“Later on in her pregnancy her mom decided to throw a baby shower as it was her first grandchild. It was fine for the most part until we started to open the gifts. Most of them were normal baby things like diapers and bottles, until we got to her mom’s gift. My wife opened the gift bag and pulled out a blue handmade blanket. It seemed normal enough at first until my wife unfolded it and low and behold there was the name Mune written on the blanket,” he wrote.

The man had tried to keep cool until after the party was over. However, when he confronted his wife about it, all hell seemed to break loose.

“She got defensive and told me that it was a good name and that I was overreacting about it,” he concluded. “I brought up the earlier points and told her it was a stupid name for a kid and if she wanted to name something Mune so bad she could use the name for a dog. She got upset and called her mom to come get her. After she left she called me and told me she wouldn’t be coming back for a while. Everyone I’ve talked to about this has said I’m not the asshole, but now that my wife has been gone and I’ve been thinking about it I feel like I could have handled the situation better.”

Yikes.

While the husband might have regretted his actions, public opinion overwhelmingly sided with him.

One mom wrote, “Naming a baby is a 2 yes or 1 no situation. You do not name a child something your partner does not agree with. You find a compromise. This is the start of many necessary compromises in life and it is a total AH move to unilaterally decide on a child’s name despite your partner’s misgivings…She is absolutely not mature enough for motherhood if she can not find a reasonable compromise on this.”

Another added “this is a child, not a goldfish. There are consequences and repercussions to choosing a name that is very unusual to begin with…. To go behind the other parent’s back and tell a grandparent what the name is going to be, that is unacceptable.”

Others noted how the wife and her mom “pulled a power play,” which “in itself is an a**hole move.” In addition, many pointed out that running away from the conflict (leaving to go to mom’s house) might have not been the best way to handle the situation.

“Leaving so she doesn’t have to face the argument is actually a form of abuse if it happens a lot,” one person commented. “She may just have baby brain and be overreacting due to hormones, but that is red flag behavior of it can’t be dismissed for reasons beyond her control.

And if there’s any doubt as to just how damaging weird name can be, take it from this person:

“My name has prevented me from doing anything that would have my name called out in a crowd of people. Never tried sports. Military was a no go. I don’t even want to apply for higher positions at work because I don’t want to have meetings in closed rooms where people might call my name.

“…Being forced to grow up with a weird name discouraged me from a lot of things and I began resenting my parents for thinking they were being creative. I had to live with it through grade school and high school. The ridicule didn’t end until the damage was already done.”

Raising a kid together is full of making compromises, prioritizing healthy communication, and honoring commitments, none of which are easy 100 percent of the time. But if couples can’t learn how to navigate these issues, then disagreeing on names is the least of their problems. We can all agree that parenting as true partners means men often need to step up their games. But it takes two for parenting to truly flourish and that includes respect your partner and making choices that are good for the entire family. Together.

This article originally appeared on 10.19.23

Every generation is different from the one that came before. It makes sense. Every group grows up in different economic, cultural, and technological circumstances, so of course they’re going to have different tastes and values.

It’s also natural for younger generations to rebel against their parents and create their own unique identities.

However, these days, with the rapid changes in technology and culture spurned on by the internet, for some older people (Baby Boomers, Gen X), the younger generations (Millenials, Gen Z, Gen Alpha) are downright confusing.

Further, Gen Z and Gen Alpha were raised during the pandemic, the #MeToo movement, and the murder of George Floyd, which have had an enormous impact on how they see the world.

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To help the older folks who may be confused by “kids these days” feel less alone, a Redditor named 5h0gKur4C4ndl posed a question to the AskReddit subforum, “What is something about the newer generations that you can’t seem to understand?” A lot of the responses were centered around the younger generations’ relationship to technology.

The older generations also seem concerned that younger kids are a lot more prudish than their parents and should learn how to lighten up and have some fun — a big role reversal from previous generational wars.

Here are 15 things about the younger generations that older people don’t understand.

​1. Recording yourself crying

“THIS IS THE ONE. I do not know how intense your desire for external validation has to be for you to be in the midst of crying and think ‘Lights, camera, action baby let’s make sure as many people see this as possible.'” — Thrillmouse

“People who record themselves crying are already weird but posting it on the internet is weirder. imagine clicking ‘post’ to every social media they have. do they seriously not look at what they’re posting online?” — TryContent4093

2. Poor grammar

“The emails I get from my students aged 18-25 are such a mess of incoherent garbage, I can’t tell if they are lazy or if it’s an actual literacy issue. And I’m barely older than they are so if this is a generational gap, it happened quickly!” — NefariousSalmander

“It’s a block of text with no capitalization or punctuation. Imagine receiving 6 consecutive one-line texts at once. If you can figure out where the periods should go then you can make sense of it, but it’s all texting abbreviations and slang. Something like, ‘yo mr y u slow fixin my grade I trned in the lab last class my dad gonna take my phone lmk.'” — Ceesa

3. Learned helplessness

“I’m a middle school teacher. My kids will routinely claim they can’t do anything and then shut down and do nothing. And then… It’s easy and they do it. So basically it’s the degree of learned helplessness. They know to ask when I go over, but if there are twenty kids and I get to them last, they will do nothing (no phones, nothing!) for twenty minutes and act surprised I’m irritated they didn’t grab a damn pencil from the freeeee pencils on my desk. And then act surprised they’re behind on the assignment!” — Scarletuba

4. The internet is forever

“The lack of understanding that things put on the internet are public forever.” — Leading_Screen_4216

5. No self-confidence

“37-year-old attending college for the first time here. They have negative confidence. They barely speak above a mumble, especially when answering a question from the teacher. Most of them would rather die than talk to someone they’re interested in. It’s like 90% of them are cripplingly introverted.” — Intelligent-Mud1437

6. They need attention

“We were saying what we would do if we won the big lottery jackpot. The new 22-year-old hire said he’d become an influencer. Can you imagine winning a billion at 22 and that’s what you would do? Not start a business, travel the world, charity, sports, property… Learn something… but become an influencer… with a billion dollars. I mean, like, he’s gonna hire a marketing company to fabricate interest in his social media? He’s gonna spend money on stupid things to make people cringe or rage comment? With a billion dollars.” — Covercall

7. Put your phone down

“Why do you want to watch 100% of a concert, that you paid good money for, through your phone lens?” — LeluWater

“I was yesterday in a Linkin Park cover band concert, a fuckin blast. There was that one guy, that spent every song recording HIS FACE ‘singing’ along. Not the band, his face. Please wake me up in 1995.” — pls_tell_me

8. Phone at the movies

“Why do they go to the movies only to scroll through their phone the entire time?” — IAmASurgeonDoctorHan

“My wife does this. Not at the theater, but we’ll be watching a movie or TV show, and she’ll be glued to her phone. Then when she looks up she doesn’t get what’s going on and we have to pause while I explain what just happened and why.” — Project2R

9. Paranoia

“I’m in my forties and I manage a small group of people who are in their 20s to early thirties. What I notice most is how anxious and fearful they seem to be. Everyone is out to get them. I often get approached by subordinates who want me to do something about a colleague who is doing them wrong in some way. After I gather more information, it almost always is a case of poor assumption about someone else’s intentions, coupled with a desire to jump to the worst-case scenario. If I ask them a series of probing questions about other possible interpretations they often admit they didn’t consider those possibilities.” — Reasonable_Human55

10. Putting on heirs

“I don’t understand why most of them want to look rich with expensive s**t and most of them act like they run businesses or something.They take pictures with cars that are not theirs for example. Dude chill, you’re 16.” — Honest_Math7760

“Because they are indoctrinated by social media that tells them they are a failed human if they don’t become a multi-millionaire entrepreneur.” — Outrageous_Glove_467

11. The new Puritans

“This weird new Puritan wave they are riding on. We struggled for generations to free ourselves from oppressive dogmas, and now they are all-in on the whole: ‘if you like anything even remotely non-wholesome, you should be arrested and burn in hell.’ … Constantly calling for bans on anything that upsets them, instead of learning how to avoid the things that upset them.” — SleepyCera

“The prudishness is so weird to me. Hearing young people talk about body counts’ and how you should be married with kids by the age of 25, or you’re past your prime is absolutely insane. Even my Christian grandparents weren’t as sexually conservative as this generation. The complete demonization of partying, drinking, and going out is weird too—like I can see being traumatized by fentanyl and the general lack of safety around drugs, but I did most of my socializing as a young person by going to concerts and nightlife events and meeting people, and they seem to just…not do anything social?” — Counterboudd

12. Can’t handle stress

“The absolute lack of capacity to deal with any emotional stress or upheaval without turning into a gibbering mess. …I had someone messing around in a lecture, playing with their phone and being disruptive. I stopped the lecture and told them to put it away and pay attention or leave. They looked SHOCKED to have been called out and sat there quietly for the next 10-15 minutes until suddenly going all ‘deer in the headlights’ when asked a question in relation to the topic and then running the full length of the lecture hall and out the room. I was informed the following day that the student had went to counseling services to complain that I had ‘put unreasonable pressure on him by asking him questions in class, and set off his anxiety.'” — Indiana_Harris

13. White socks with sneakers

“How pulling up white socks with sneakers was the most unfashionable middle-aged American dad clothing in the entire world. To being fashionable.” — Awkward_Moments

“Socks with sandals too. And mustaches. Kids today think dressing like a dorky dad thirty years ago is cool. I laugh at them all the time.” — IDigRollingRockBeer

14. Watching video games

“Why they’d rather watch someone else play a video game than play it themselves. That was a punishment when I was a kid, not entertainment.” — DeadDevilMonkey

15. External stimulation

“Will never understand the constant need for external stimulation. I’m quite happy just to ponder my own thoughts. I love flying, because it gives me several hours to think on shit without distraction. Ask young people to put down their phone? It’s as if you asked them to chop off their left hand.” — Midnight_Poet

With Jensen Ackles already appearing on The Boys with a fan-favorite performance as Soldier Boy and Jeffrey Dean Morgan set to make his presence felt in season 4, the big question is when will the final Winchester boy please show up. Turns out, The Boys and Supernatural creator Eric Kripke has already been asking Jared Padalecki exactly that.

While promoting the new season of Walker, Padalecki revealed that Kripke has been trying to get him on the hit Amazon series. However, Padalecki has some very understandable concerns before agreeing to a role that will no doubt involve lots of nudity.

Via Collider:

“And my response to him 90% of the time is, ‘Dude, I’m 41 now with three kids. I’m not 25 and working out three hours a day. I know you’re going to f*cking make me get naked, so give me a heads-up. I’m in, but let me get a nutritionist and a trainer and get in the hyperbaric chamber for eight months before you make me show up.’ But yeah, it would obviously be a lot of fun to see Kripke again and to work on that show, which is a great show that I’m a fan of.”

On top of getting in shape for The Boys and its well-known penchant for raunchy scenes, Padalecki has one last concern: Making sure his family doesn’t see him naked and doing whatever the heck he’d be doing on the show.

“My mom and dad are still alive,” Padalecki quipped. “I’ve got grandparents that are alive. I don’t know how to just unplug their electricity when the show airs.”

The Boys season 4 premieres on June 13 on Amazon Prime Video.

(Via Collider)

Willow might just have some new music on the way for fans. The youngest Smith child took to Twitter today, where she posted a teaser. “< e m p a t h o g e n >,” she wrote. “a new musical compilation by WILLOW coming soon… keep your third eyes peeled.”

This follows Willow’s previously released singles, including one from last December called “Alone,” which Rolling Stone pointed out as her first preview from a forthcoming sixth album. It’s unclear if this is the same project, but seems more than likely. She has since dropped “Symptom Of Life.”

“For Coping Mechanism I was almost never sober in the studio,” Willow told the outlet about the difference between her last record and the new one. “And for this new album, I was sober for every single recording session. I feel like my mind state was extremely different.”

“This next project is me taking my first step through that door,” she added. “The amount of gratitude I have and the amount of excitement that I have for really studying and absorbing parts of music that I didn’t even think were possible — it makes me feel connected to this amazing lineage of so many beautiful musicians that have come before me and that will come after me that are holding this torch of service, and gratitude, and dedication to the craft.”

Check out Willow’s new music teaser post below.

Everybody has a default theme song that rings through their head whenever the HBO intro appears on the screen, and the answer varies from person to person. But for most people (the right ones) that seven-second intro perfectly feeds into “Woke Up This Morning” by Alabama 3, the theme from The Sopranos.

While the song might be iconic for TV lovers and people who are too lazy to fast-forward through the credits, the song’s co-writer has never seen actually an episode of the beloved mafia drama.

Alabama 3 frontman Larry Love told BBC that he has been “too scared” to watch the series, but not because of he’s terrified of New Jersey. He clarified, “Not because of anything in the show itself, more due to the fact I hate listening to my own records. I’m too much of a perfectionist and always end up thinking, ‘Oh, I should have done that part differently.’”

Love also revealed that showrunner David Chase discovered the song while he was driving on the New Jersey Turnpike, years before the James Gandolfini Rest Stop was added.

Chase was “driving along the New Jersey turnpike when [the song] came on his car radio,” Love began. “He thought the lyrics, ‘Woke up this morning, got yourself a gun / Mamma always said you’d be the chosen one,’ were perfect for the dynamic between Tony Soprano and his mother.”

The frontman also revealed that Chase was unaware that they weren’t Americans. “Funny thing is, David originally thought we were a bunch of black kids from the Bronx, as opposed to some Welsh fella pretending to be American,” he said. “And when he found out the truth he loved it, saying that it was so daft it somehow made perfect sense.” It also makes sense that a Welsh band would not be particularly interested in the inner workings of the New Jersey mob, so maybe it’s for the best that they haven’t seen the show. They still sing a remixed version of the track on tour, though.

(Via BBC)

Coachella 2024 is just a few days away, and to celebrate, the video game Fortnite is getting in on the festivities. Players will get to experience a virtual rendering of the festival in the game, allowing them to participate even if they can’t physically go.

This year, Fortnite is introducing some new outfit options as well for players. Here’s what to know.

What Are The New Fortnite Coachella Skins?

Two new outfits, Horizon and Cosma, will be available in the Fortnite shop starting Thursday, April 11 at 8 p.m. ET until Saturday, April 20 at the same time. Both are astronaut suits — a reference to Coachella’s mascot. The Fortnite site also notes that players can get an Interstellar Butterfly Back Bling, a Coachella Pulse Pickaxe, and a Soft Synth Wrap. These items are all reactive to music. (Fortnite is also offering LEGO versions, but these would not be music-connected.)

Doja Cat and Sabrina Carpenter’s songs will be joining Fortnite, which fans can use as danceable emotes.

Last, but certainly not least, J Balvin will be back on Fortnite. In honor of his Coachella performance, his Inferno Skeleton Balvin Outfit will be available on the game’s store starting on Thursday, April 18 at 8 p.m. ET.

More information about the Coachella 2024 items on Fortnite can be found here.

After an April Fool’s Day tease, Smiling Friends actually returns next month.

Adult Swim has released the season two trailer of the animated series, which follows the employees of a company, including Pim (voiced by co-creator Michael Cusack) and Charlie (co-creator Zach Hadel), who try to help people find happiness in their lives. Yes, fan favorite Gwimbly is in the trailer, but so is “You Make My Dreams (Come True),” a tunnel-dwelling professor named Professor Psychotic, Bigfoot, alien abductions, and our good friend Glep.

You can watch it above.

“HELLOOO EVERYONE HOPE YOU WATCH THE NEW SEASON OF ‘SMILING FRIENDS’ AND THE SMILING FRIENDS PUPPET SHOW,” Cusack and Hadel wrote in a statement. “IT’S GOING TO BE SOOOOO COOL AND FUN AND HOPE YOU WATCH!!!!!!!” Here’s the official plot synopsis:

In season two of SMILING FRIENDS, Pim, Charlie, Zongo, Allan and Glep continue their mission to bring happiness to the world, whether it’s a washed-up retro video game character, a troubled marriage, or even the president of the United States.

Smiling Friends season two premieres on Adult Swim on Sunday, May 12, at midnight and streams the next day on Max. You can watch season one on Max or Adult Swim’s website.

We’re less than two months away from the premiere of The Acolyte, the new live-action Star Wars series from Russian Doll creator Leslye Headland. It marks the first project to take place during the High Republic, a period of time that saw the Jedi at the height of their power before The Phantom Menace laid the groundwork for their downfall.

Speaking of The Phantom Menace, The Acolyte reportedly has an ambitious goal in mind regarding the classic film. Dafne Keen, who plays Jedi Jecki Lon, recently revealed to Entertainment Weekly that the martial arts-based series is hoping to top the iconic lightsaber duel between Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Darth Maul. It’s arguably one of the best lightsaber fights across the nine-film Skywalker Saga, so The Acolyte is writing one pretty huge check.

“That was a very frequent conversation we had,” Keene said. “It was very much: We want to top the Darth Maul fight — the most iconic fight, I think, in the Star Wars cinematic universe. It’s such an amazing fight and we were all so excited about the saber fights. There’s such a skill and a craft to it that it feels so OG Star Wars and feels so impressive when you see it as a viewer.”

According to Keene, she and the cast went through intensive fight training for The Acolyte, but she ran into a problem when it came time to actually wield a lightsaber on set.

“I kept smiling,” Keene told EW. “I was so excited and they kept having to come up to me and be like, ‘Dafne, you need to stop smiling. You’re fighting someone.’ And I’d be like, ‘Oh yeah, I’m sorry. This is just so fun. I love this.’”

Here’s the official synopsis:

In Star Wars: The Acolyte, an investigation into a shocking crime spree pits a respected Jedi Master against a dangerous warrior from his past. As more clues emerge, they travel down a dark path where sinister forces reveal all is not what it seems….

The Acolyte premieres June 4 on Disney+.

(Via Entertainment Weekly)

This week saw the release of a ton of great new pop music. Charli XCX ushered fans back out to the nightclub with her energetic new single. Conan Gray pulled inspiration from the ’80s to shine like a star on his new album. aespa and Tokimonsta teamed up for a powerful anthem, which is featured on the soundtrack of a new film.

Check out the rest of Uproxx’s Best New Pop Music roundup below.

Conan Gray — “Found Heaven”

Conan Gray returned this week to release his new album Found Heaven, after building fan anticipation for nearly a year. Outside of the early singles, the title track is one of the highlights from Gray’s ’80s-inspired record. As Gray has explained, he used the title as a double meaning, for both dying and finding peace within yourself.

Benson Boone — “Cry”

Benson Boone’s new album Fireworks & Rollerblades features “Cry,” a track where the singer painfully yet bluntly recognizes that he’s “tired of letting someone get the best of me.” He realizes that he’s better by not having the person who causes him harm in his life. Boone co-wrote it with his producer Malay, making it one not to miss from the full record.

Lizzy McAlpine — “Drunk, Running”

“Drunk, Running” was first introduced by Lizzy McAlpine as she performed it on her The End Of The Movie Tour. Now, fans get to hear it in full, ahead of her releasing her next album titled Older. Lyrically, McAlpine struggles with dealing with a loved one, who has their own struggles with alcoholism. “What if it was all my fault? / What if I drove you to it? / I was only honest sometimes / And I think you knew it,” she asks.

Chappell Roan — “Good Luck, Babe”

After Chappell Roan joined Olivia Rodrigo as an opener on the Guts Tour, allowing new fans to discover her energetic personality and discography, she has now dropped a new single called “Good Luck, Babe.” The sassy track finds Roan pointing out that a situationship won’t do much better after leaving her behind. “When you wake up next to him in the middle of the night / With your head in your hands, you’re nothing more than his wife,” she points out on the bridge. “And when you think about me, all of those years ago / You’re standing face to face with ‘I told you so.’”

Charli XCX — “Club Classics”

Charli XCX is bringing fans even further into her Brat era, ahead of her album dropping in June and soundtracking the summer. “Club Classics” was part of a double song release alongside “B2B.” The former proves she’s here to get the party started early, dedicating the single to those who mean the most to her creatively. “I wanna dance to A.G. / I wanna dance with George / I wanna dance to SOPHIE / I wanna dance to HudMo,” Charli shares — propelled by the danceable beat.

Ava Max — “My Oh My”

“My Oh My” serves as Ava Max’s introduction to her third studio album — and it’s a fantastic first glimpse for fans at that. Even though she already released one last year, she has been hard at work in the studio. “I have been working on this record for the last six months and I couldn’t be more excited for it to finally be yours,” she shared on Instagram. Her production is as sleek as ever, proving that Max may just have another major hit on her hands.

Griff — “Pillow In My Arms”

“Pillow In My Arms” finds Griff playing pretend with the fact that a relationship still exists, even after they’ve already gone. The somber pop ballad pulls listeners into her mindset, with the haunting vocals hitting a peak in the chorus. “And it won’t bring you back, love / And it won’t make it stop,” she cries out. As the focus track from her new EP, there’s a reason this is meant to be the standout.

Omar Apollo — “Spite”

“‘Spite’ is a song about a long distance relationship and wanting to show the other person that you’re okay without them even though you feel like you need them,” Apollo revealed as the backstory behind his new track, which serves as the teaser to his upcoming sophomore album. Although not much has been revealed about it yet, the anger and emotions present in this song prove that he is putting his heart on the line — making fans excited to see what else is in store.

aespa — “Die Trying” Feat. Tokimonsta

Uproxx cover stars aespa teamed up with Tokimonsta for “Die Trying,” which is part of the tracklist of the new Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver. As each song ties to a character, aespa’s represents Nemesis, tapping into the “heroic strength, which arose from the depths of tragedy and darkness, fueled my creative process throughout the track,” according to a statement from Tokimonsta.

Tori Kelly — “Thing U Do”

“It’s me just digging into myself as an artist and thinking, How do I want to present myself?” Tori Kelly shared during a recent interview with Uproxx, tied to her new album, TORI. “What are some sounds that we’ve never heard from me? What are some things that maybe I’ve been holding back? It feels so authentically me. It’s exciting to be in this place where it’s take it or leave it. This is where I’m at right now.” On “Thing U Do” specifically, she samples Suzanne Vega’s “Tom’s Diner” to craft a catchy track.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.