Means: Someone imitating a scene they're not part of.

Wannabe — came from?

Came from: The Madonna wannabes of 1985, the girls in lace gloves; Spike Lee's School Daze used it in 1988.

Peak: 1985–1990; the Spice Girls' song gave it a second life in 1996.

G33Z3R Slang Files · 1985–1999

Where did "wannabe" come from?

Wannabe

Means: Someone imitating a scene they're not part of
Came from: The Madonna wannabes of 1985, the girls in lace gloves; Spike Lee's School Daze used it in 1988
Peak: 1985–1990; the Spice Girls' song gave it a second life in 1996
Still around?: Yes

🗳️ Did you say it?

Be one of the first to weigh in. No account needed.

In 1985 the malls filled with girls in lace gloves and rosaries, and the press called them Madonna wannabes. The word stuck to anyone copying anyone.

It's a word about authenticity, which is the thing Gen X cared about most, so it never left.

The drive, the dance, the heartbreak, the summer. Add a memory of Wannabe.