The Brief: An edgelord is someone who purposefully discusses controversial content online to be perceived as edgy and cool.

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An edgelord is someone who shares controversial or taboo content online for the sole purpose of being perceived as edgy and cool.

The word is comprised of “edge” for “edgy” and “lord,” a popular term thrown around by teenagers to refer to as the ruler of said subject.

According to Dictionary.com, these individuals will go as far as deliberately discussing offensive and nihilistic subjects for clout. These people are said to spend much of their time on controversial forums and sites like Reddit and 4Chan.