Dab
/dab/noun · verb
Online, a dab is a hip-hop dance pose that also serves as a playful celebration or boast.
- #internet slang
- #hip-hop dance
- #dance meme
- #pop culture
Meaning
A dab is a brief hip-hop dance pose: the performer tucks their head toward the elbow of one bent arm while raising or extending the other arm. It can be part of a dance or a standalone celebratory gesture. In “dab on them haters,” the move becomes a playful, boastful way to brush off critics. Context matters: dab can also refer to cannabis concentrate or have ordinary English meanings unrelated to the dance.[1][2]
- 1. The dance pose: head dipped toward one arm, with the other arm extended. It can be performed as a standalone gesture or as part of dancing.
- 2. A celebratory or boastful gesture. “Dab on them haters” uses the pose figuratively to suggest brushing off or silencing critics.
Examples
“We scored, so I hit a quick dab.”
“She added a dab to the end of the dance.”
“Bad review? Dab on them haters and keep going.”
Origin and spread
Earliest use not established. The dance is associated with Atlanta hip-hop and is documented in The FADER’s July 2015 report, which included social-media examples. A March 31 caption cited there contains dab-related hashtags, but does not establish the dance’s first use or naming. The FADER quotes Mike WiLL Made-It crediting Migos and Peewee Longway with making it popular. Separately, an update quotes him saying that Skippa was the one doing the most dabbing; that is not the same as identifying an inventor. DJBooth’s October 2015 explainer describes competing creator claims involving Migos, Pee-Wee Longway, Rich The Kid and Jose Guapo, and credits Skippa Da Flippa with pushing the move in videos. These accounts document its circulation in Atlanta hip-hop without settling who created it. The expression “dab on them haters” applies the gesture as a boast about silencing critics, as described by Know Your Meme.[3][4]
How to use it
Use “do a dab” or “hit the dab” for the pose, and “dab on them haters” for the joking, boastful expression. The cannabis sense is separate; the surrounding words usually make clear which one is meant.
The cannabis sense is separate
The FADER notes that “dab” already referred to a form of cannabis while distinguishing that use from the Atlanta dance. The shared word alone does not establish that the dance came from cannabis terminology.[3]
The coverage captures the dance spreading beyond Atlanta
The FADER’s report describes videos of children dabbing in Atlanta and includes examples shared on social media, while DJBooth’s explainer reflects attention to the move beyond its local hip-hop context. Those reports document circulation, not a precise point when it became widespread.[3][4]
Questions people ask
What does “dab on them haters” mean?
It uses the dance as a figurative boast: brush off or silence critics and keep going. Know Your Meme describes it as an expression advising people to perform the move to silence enemies and critics.[2]
Is there a confirmed inventor of the dance?
No single inventor is established in these accounts. DJBooth lists competing claims involving several Atlanta artists and says Skippa Da Flippa pushed the dance in videos; The FADER also records differing attributions.[3][4]
Does the March 2015 Instagram caption prove the dance began then?
No. The FADER cites a March 31 caption with dab-related hashtags, but it does not establish that this was the first use or that the caption names the dance.[3]
Sources
- 1. Know Your Meme — The DabSupports: meaning.
- 2. Know Your Meme — Dab On Them HatersSupports: meaning.
- 3. The FADER — I Can’t Stop Watching These Videos Of Kids Dabbing In AtlantaSupports: origin.
- 4. DJBooth — Answered: What is the Dab Dance?Supports: origin.
