Means: Hello; hey; also attention.

Came from: Philadelphia and Italian-American speech; Rocky (1976) and hip-hop spread it.

Peak: 1988–1995; Yo! MTV Raps put it on cable.

G33Z3R Slang Files · 1985–1999

When did "yo" become a greeting?

Means: Hello; hey; also attention
Came from: Philadelphia and Italian-American speech; Rocky (1976) and hip-hop spread it
Peak: 1988–1995; Yo! MTV Raps put it on cable
Still around?: Permanently

🗳️ Did you say it?

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Rocky yelled it up the stairs and hip-hop put it at the front of every sentence. By the time Yo! MTV Raps was on daily in 1988, yo was how a generation said hello.

It's the shortest word on this list and the one with the longest life.

Sources: Wiktionary — Yo

Who did you say "Yo" to? Tell us where and when.

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

When did "yo" become a greeting?

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Who did you say "Yo" to? Tell us where and when.

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