The "Teenage Dirtbag" TikTok Trend, ExplainedHome > Viral News > Influencers > TikTokSource: TikTok/@nanabea The Teenage Dirtbag Trend Is Taking Over TikTok — but You' re Doing It WrongBy Pretty HonoreAug. 17 2022, Published 7:03 p.m. ET A new TikTok trend is taking over the internet and giving us all the nostalgia. The “Teenage Dirtbag” challenge first surfaced on social media last summer. Inspired by the 2000 Wheatus single of the same name, the trend recently caught fire again online, returning to TikTok with a vengeance. Since then, celebrities like Paris Hilton, Tara Reid, and Demi Lovato have joined in on the challenge.Article continues below advertisement However, many TikTok users are confused as to what the “Teenage Dirtbag” trend is and how to participate. For those of you who are late to hop on the bandwagon, here’s an explainer.Source: TikTok/@parishiltonArticle continues below advertisement What is the Teenage Dirtbag challenge Details on the TikTok trend More than 20 years since the song was first released, the internet is using the “Teenage Dirtbag” trend as an opportunity to take a trip down memory lane. When the trend first came to be last year, users took the opportunity to show off their fashion faux pas from their past lives. Now, TikTokers have taken it up a notch with flashbacks from the early 2000s — when the world was emo. @thekatiethurston Class of #2009 teenage dirtbag. wheetus - jj Article continues below advertisement However, many users (yes, we’re looking at you, Gen Z) have mistaken the challenge as a chance to show off their prom pics. One commenter on TikTok spoke for all of us when they said, “If you weren’t on MySpace, this trend is not for you.” Another user wrote on Twitter, “Who's gonna tell TikTok that being a ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ means being a loser and not being [a] rebellious drinking monster?” So, what is the real meaning of the lyrics of Wheatus’s “Teenage Dirtbag”?Source: TikTok/@carlylawrenceArticle continues below advertisement The meaning of Wheatus s 2000 single Teenage Dirtbag explained Since the release of the “Teenage Dirtbag,” the song has been covered by artists like Ruston Kelly, One Direction, and YouTuber Alex Melton. In a 2019 interview with The Guardian, the original songwriter — Brendan B. Brown — broke down how the song came to be. "I’d had the riff in my head since college. I wrote 'Teenage Dirtbag' lying on a futon staring at the ceiling in a rented apartment on Long Island, New York. The song is fictional, but has a bit of scenery from my childhood," he said.Source: Getty Imsges WheatusArticle continues below advertisement He continued: "I wanted the chorus to be defiant. When I was 10, there was a drug-induced, satanic ritual homicide by some teenagers in my neighborhood. This guy lured his friend into the woods and stabbed him in the name of Satan. The murderer was wearing an AC/DC T-shirt, and after the murder, those letters came to mean Anti-Christ/Devil Child. I was an AC/DC fan, so I became a dirtbag in the eyes of the authorities of my little seaside town." He described his adolescent years as “intensely lonely,” much like the main character in “Teenage Dirtbag.” “When I sing, ‘I’m just a teenage dirtbag,’ I was like, “Well, what difference does it make, because you’ve made your mind up, haven’t you?”AdvertisementMore from Distractify 'Quiet Quitting' Is the Latest Workplace Trend Going Viral on TikTok The "Stop Motion" Trend Just Went Viral on TikTok –– What Is It? "This Is When the Feeling Sinks In": All About TikTok's Latest Trend Latest TikTok News and UpdatesAdvertisementABOUT DistractifyAbout UsPrivacy PolicyTerms of UseDMCASitemapCONNECT with DistractifyLink to Facebook Link to TwitterLink to InstagramContact us by Email Copyright 2022 Distractify. Distractify is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.