Scrolling In The Deep is a weekly column that defines internet slang you need to know to operate online. It runs on Wednesdays in the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter—but only our most dedicated readers get it.
If you want to get this column a week before we publish it, subscribe to web_crawlr, where you’ll get the daily scoop of internet culture delivered straight to your inbox.
It’s quite easy in today’s online spaces for certain viral clips or memes to careen into full-blown day-to-day brainrot lexicon. Take simple memes like “mewing” or “skibidi toilet,” which evolved from things that actually meant something into absurdist humor used for no reason at all. These are just a few examples of the slang overload that teens love to weaponize on the internet and in the classroom.
And PMO is just another tally on the TikTokification slang leaderboard.
What is PMO?
PMO is an acronym that used to mean “put me on,” but is more often used to abbreviate the phrase “pissed me off” or “pissing me off.”
Often used in X posts or TikTok comments, PMO is just a way to show folks how fired up you are about something. Whether that’s a celebrity’s outfit, cringey behavior from a friend, or downright rage bait, these all justify typing ‘this sh*t just pmo.’
Not only is it easier to just use the acronym, but ‘pmo’ is also an example of algospeak. Typing ‘pmo’ as a comment instead of ‘pissed me off’ won’t trigger any profanity sensors on platforms like TikTok. So now it’s joined the ranks of (according to some, infuriating) words like unalive, sh, SA, and more.
TS PMO ICL
As I pointed out, PMO is part of slang overload where Gen Zalpha adds as many brainrot phrases as they can just for the heck of it, or to be satirical about the slangs themselves. We’ve talked about Gen Zalpha and their love of absurdist humor, so it’s no surprise they produced their own copypasta, including brainrot words like PMO.
PMO is often used in the now-turned-meme phrase TS PMO ICL. Which translates to “this shit pissed me off, I can’t lie.”
In its full iteration, the copypasta is:
“icl ts pmo sm n sb rn ngl, r u srsly srs n fr rn vro? Smh lol atp js go… b fr vro, idek nm, brb gng gtg atm lmao, bt ts pmo 2 js lmk lol onb fr, ac nvm b wt istg ts vro keys ts pmo.”
Translation: “I can’t lie this shit pissing me off so much and so bad right now not gonna lie, are you seriously serious and for real right now bro? Shake my head laughing out loud at this point just go … be for real bro, I don’t even know no more, be right back gang gotta go at the moment laugh my ass off, but this shit piss me off too just let me know laugh out loud on bro for real, actually never mind be what I swear to god this shit bro kill yourself this shit piss me off.”
While that wall of text may send a Victorian child into a coma, it’s not without the same issues that many Gen Zalpha slang suffer from. Many Black creators online criticize folks for taking another AAVE phrase and morphing it just for some convoluted, ironic punchline.
To answer polls and pop quizzes, and get this column a week before we publish it, subscribe to web_crawlr, where you’ll get the daily scoop of internet culture delivered straight to your inbox.
Want more Scrolling in the Deep?
Check out our previous explainers:
1) Scrolling In The Deep: Are you fluent in yapping?
2) Scrolling In The Deep: R.I.P LOL. IJBOL is the new LMAO
3) Scrolling in the Deep: Are you a good boy?
