kiki
/KEE-kee/noun · verb
Meaning
As a noun, kiki means a casual gathering of friends, especially one involving lively gossip, personal stories, or candid conversation. It can also mean the chat itself. As a verb, to kiki means to have that kind of conversation or spend relaxed social time together.[1][2]
- 1. A fun, informal gathering of friends for gossip, storytelling, or frank conversation.
- 2. A lively chat, especially one involving personal news or candid gossip.
- 3. In ballroom contexts, a kiki or kiki scene can refer to a relaxed, community-centered gathering or event connected with queer youth and ballroom culture.
- 4. To kiki means to chat, gossip, or socialize in a relaxed and playful way.
Examples
“We need a kiki after work.”
“The group chat turned into a full kiki.”
“Come over tonight—we're having a kiki and ordering pizza.”
“I was supposed to leave, but we started kikiing about dating apps.”
“That brunch was less a meal and more a kiki.”
Origin and spread
The exact origin of kiki is uncertain. The social-gathering sense is associated with Black and Latinx queer culture and New York ballroom communities, where kiki-ing described communal conversation, joy, and support. A distinct kiki scene developed in New York during the 2000s as a noncompetitive, youth-centered branch of ballroom culture. The term reached a much broader audience through the Scissor Sisters' 2012 song “Let's Have a Kiki,” though that song did not create the expression. Merriam-Webster dates its first known use in the modern gathering-and-chat sense to circa 2012, while community use clearly predates that dictionary record.[1][2]
How to use it
Kiki is informal, upbeat, and often carries queer or ballroom-cultural associations, although it is now used more broadly for any friendly gossip session or lively hangout. “Have a kiki” is the most familiar phrase, while “kikiing” and “let's kiki” use the verb. In a ballroom or Black queer context, using the word casually without understanding its cultural history can flatten a term connected to community, identity, and mutual support.
Sources
- 1. University of Illinois Spurlock Museum — Let’s have a Kiki!Supports: meaning, origin.
- 2. Nexus Radio — Ana Matronic Explains “Let’s Have A Kiki” [Interview]Supports: origin, meaning.
