Fortnite dance
/ˈfɔːrtnaɪt dæns/
CommonAn emote animation from the game Fortnite that became so culturally widespread kids perform them in real life.
Often a mild insult when used about an adult. As in: someone did a Fortnite dance at a wedding, which is embarrassing. Among kids it was genuinely cool for a period.
Real-world examples4 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | My son scored his first soccer goal and immediately did a Fortnite dance. Parents on the other team were confused. | The child celebrated a real-world achievement with an in-game emote without hesitation. | x, 2018 |
| 02 | Someone did the floss at a wedding reception. Fortnite dances never died, they just moved to formal events. | A Fortnite-era dance is being performed in a completely incongruous adult setting. | reddit, 2023 |
| 03 | Kids in 2018 doing Fortnite dances was the gen Z equivalent of kids doing the Macarena. Same energy. | Drawing a cultural parallel between how kids adopt and publicly perform dances from popular media. | x, 2024 |
| 04 | Bro hit a Fortnite dance after finishing his presentation. 2018 never left him. | An adult used an emote-style celebratory move, signaling that Fortnite shaped his formative years. | x, 2024 |
Use it when
- A kid is doing a recognizable emote from Fortnite in real life.
- Describing the cultural peak of Fortnite's influence on youth behavior.
- Someone does a short repetitive celebratory dance that looks like an emote.
Do not use it when
- You mean TikTok dances specifically.
- You mean a dance that has no connection to Fortnite.
Origin and context
Fortnite launched in 2017 and quickly became a cultural phenomenon among kids and teenagers. Its emote system popularized short dances that players purchased and performed in-game, which then spread into real life. The floss in particular became one of the most recognized dance moves of the late 2010s.
- First seen
- 2018
- Confidence
- high
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/fortnite-danceUpdated: 2026-08-28License: CC BY 4.0