LOL, who? LMAO what! IJBOL is the new way to laugh, and users can’t stop with the hilarious reactions

A fresh kid in the digital communication space has come in, making the old guard of internet slang look like ancient history. We are talking of IJBOL—"I just burst out laughing"—a new favorite among Gen-Z folks, who feel LOL (laugh out loud) does not feel the same anymore.

This isn't just a matter of replacing some of the letters that people write but finding a way to convey laughter itself in a more authentic and, let's be real, an awful lot more enjoyable way. Who's actually laughing out loud when they type LOL?

IJBOL says spontaneity and authenticity written all over: when you absolutely, utterly just burst, no filter is required.

An X user stated: “JUST SAY LMAO WHAT THE FUCW.”

Another user said: “got introduced to it and now i cant stop saying it ijbol.”

Meanwhile, a user thought: “oh i thought it was like a k pop term..”

A comment read: “What kind of acronym is that bro that's crazy.”

Another one said: ““LMAO” is 10x better cuz “IJBOL” looks ugly asf.”

An X user said: “ijbol feels like weirdly woke to me like whenever i say it i feel like a twitter user.”

“Nobody has ever said that stop gaslighting me,” a user added.

"This whole time i thought ijbol was one of those things where you find something funny so u just click random letters like SHJDJDKSKDJJS," a user commented.

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Celebrity influence and meme culture of IJBOL

Now, in case you're wondering if IJBOL really emerged from obscurity, think again. The acronym did see a kind of turbo-fueling by VP Kamala Harris. Her infectious laughter with numerous viral videos sent her popularity up as a meme star.

By associating IJBOL with an identifiable figure, the internet bestowed on the acronym a gigantic boost, not just making it relatable but also wildly accessible across digital communities.

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Origins and popularization of IJBOL

IJBOL isn't exactly new. It first surfaced way back in 2009, but it didn't exactly gain traction until around 2021.

Its second coming was largely thanks to the K-pop community, which has a knack for reviving and remixing internet slang. Fans began using IJBOL to describe their idols' funniest moments, and the term quickly spread like wildfire through mainstream social media.

As Professor Michelle McSweeney from CUNY Graduate Center said, such communities are the main drivers of innovation in online creativity. Here, K-pop fans made IJBOL mainstream once again.

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Generational humor dynamics

That brings us to why IJBOL hits differently. For Gen-Z, humor isn't just about the joke itself; it's about the way it's delivered.

Many young adults feel that LOL and even LMAO have become too tied to millennial humor, which feels outdated to them. (Sorry, millennials.)

While millennials may still be laughing with LOL, Gen-Z needs something that will better express their spontaneous and often absurd sense of humor. IJBOL does just that, capturing those unpredictable, authentic moments of hilarity.

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The history of internet laughter: LOL, LMAO, and ROFL

To appreciate IJBOL's rise, we need a brief history lesson on its precursors:

LOL: Born back when the very early days of online communication used to be invented, LOL gained widespread usage rapidly for the indication of amusement. From being the authentic expression for real amusement or merriment, it turned out to become a conversational filler or means to soften sentences.

LMAO: When LOL was not enough, there was LMAO (laughing my ass off), which added an extra layer of intensity to online laughter. Its cousin LMFAO (with an expletive for added oomph) further emphasized just how funny something could be.

ROFL: The next level of digital hilarity was ROFL (rolling on the floor laughing), used for those times when laughter felt uncontrollable, even if no one was actually rolling on the floor.