griddy
The griddy is a celebration dance of quick alternating heel taps with swinging arms. To hit the griddy is to do it, usually after a score, a win or a big moment.
By Cal Hewitt, Gen X · Researched from public sources ·
What it means
The footwork is the dance: a rhythmic heel tap, one foot then the other, in place or moving forward, while the arms swing. Justin Jefferson often adds a circle made with his thumb and finger held up near his eyes, and that flourish is his own addition. Merriam-Webster defines the griddy as a dance move of quick rhythmic heel taps and swinging arms. The word nearly always names the dance. "Hit the griddy" is asking someone to do it, usually as a joke or a dare, and "he hit the griddy" reports that someone just did, after a touchdown, a goal or a win in a game. The spelling is griddy, from its creator's nickname, which is why "gritty", meaning tough and determined, is a different word. The usual tone is celebration. Timing changes it: done right in an opponent's face after beating them, it reads as a taunt, which is why soccer and gaming players on Reddit argue about whether it is toxic. The move is the same; who it is aimed at is what changes.
See the quick definition in the griddy dictionary entry.
How to use it
“he scored and hit the griddy in the end zone”
The main use: doing the dance after a score.
“if we win this round i'm hitting the griddy”
In a game or group chat. A promise to celebrate.
“bro griddied on me after one goal”
A complaint. Done at an opponent, it reads as a taunt.
“grandpa just hit the griddy at the watch party”
Played for laughs now that the dance is famous.
Where it came from
Allen Davis created the dance as a freshman at Landry-Walker High School in New Orleans in 2017. ESPN reports that a friend posted a video of him doing it on Snapchat, and he woke up the next day to several hundred videos of people copying it. He went by "Lil' Griddy" before settling on "The Griddy". The earliest copy found online is a June 8, 2018 upload to his YouTube channel, which Know Your Meme describes as screen recordings of Snapchat stories most likely from 2017.
Davis's friend Ja'Marr Chase showed the videos to his LSU teammates, and Justin Jefferson made it his touchdown celebration, including in the second game of his 2019 junior season against Texas. ESPN says the first NFL griddy belongs to Clyde Edwards-Helaire, on the opening Thursday night of the 2020 season, before Jefferson's rookie year made it famous. Fortnite released the "Get Griddy" emote on April 28, 2021 in Jefferson's Locker Bundle, describing it as "this dance created by Allen Davis". TikTok users picked it up from October 2020, and it surged again in early 2022 as the Cincinnati Bengals, Chase's team, won playoff games.
Commonly credited to Allen Davis (2017), well-documented.
Where it's popular
American football at every level, soccer celebrations, Fortnite and other games, and TikTok. It started in New Orleans.
How it caught on
- 2017Allen Davis creates the dance at Landry-Walker High School in New Orleans; a Snapchat video of it spreads overnight.
- June 8, 2018Davis uploads "The griddy dance" to YouTube, the earliest copy found online.
- 2019Justin Jefferson does it at LSU, including in his big game against Texas early in his junior season.
- 2020Clyde Edwards-Helaire does the first NFL griddy on the season's opening night; Jefferson's rookie touchdowns follow, and TikTok users pick it up from October.
- April 28, 2021Fortnite releases the Get Griddy emote in Jefferson's Locker Bundle, crediting Allen Davis.
- Early 2022The dance surges on TikTok again as the Cincinnati Bengals, with Ja'Marr Chase, win playoff games.
Test yourself
Can you hit the griddy?
0/21. Who created the griddy?
2. A player hits the griddy right in front of the team they just beat. How does that usually land?
Related slang
Questions people ask
What does griddy mean in slang?
It is the name of a dance of quick alternating heel taps with swinging arms. To hit the griddy is to do it, usually to celebrate.
Is it gritty or griddy?
Griddy, for the dance. It comes from Allen Davis's nickname. Gritty is a separate word meaning tough or determined.
Why is it called the Griddy?
It is named after its creator, Allen Davis, who went by "Lil' Griddy" before shortening it to "The Griddy", according to ESPN.
Who made the griddy famous?
Justin Jefferson, first at LSU and then with the Minnesota Vikings. Allen Davis created it, and Fortnite's emote credits Davis by name.
Why is the griddy seen as offensive?
Done right at an opponent after scoring or winning, it rubs the win in, like any victory dance aimed at someone. Done as a plain celebration, it is not offensive.
Is the griddy still popular?
Its biggest viral run was 2020 to 2022. Players and fans still use it as a celebration, and doing it now can also carry a knowing, throwback feel.
When the griddy became a Fortnite emote in 2021, the game's announcement named Allen Davis, the high schooler who made it up four years earlier, as its creator.
- https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/griddy
- https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/32395532/how-griddy-swept-nfl-minnesota-vikings-wr-justin-jefferson-td-dance-step-step
- https://www.complex.com/sports/a/mike-destefano/justin-jefferson-griddy-interview
- https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/griddy
- https://www.fortnite.com/news/celebrate-like-nfl-receiver-justin-jefferson-with-the-get-griddy-emote
- https://www.reddit.com/r/EASportsFC/comments/13pho79/this_is_why_you_dont_hit_the_griddy/
- https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/griddy
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