storytime
/ˈstɔːriˌtaɪm/
Very CommonA video format where a creator tells a personal story directly to camera, usually dramatic, embarrassing, or shocking.
Usually announced with 'storytime' as the first word of the title. The format rewards emotional performance as much as the story itself. Can be sincere or performatively dramatic.
Real-world examples4 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | omg storytime about the worst first date I've ever been on | The person is about to tell an entertaining or bad first date story. | tiktok, 2024 |
| 02 | I need to post a storytime about what happened at work last week because I cannot keep this to myself | A recent experience was dramatic enough to warrant its own video. | x, 2023 |
| 03 | my storytime about getting fired got 4 million views and now my old boss knows | A viral personal narrative video reached the person being discussed. | youtube, 2023 |
| 04 | every storytime sounds unhinged but they all turn out to be real somehow | The format consistently produces stories that seem implausible but are presented as genuine. | x, 2024 |
Use it when
- A creator is telling a personal story in a direct-to-camera video.
- Referring to the format as a video category.
- Announcing that you are about to tell a story in a casual or social context.
Do not use it when
- You mean a scripted or fictional story.
- You mean a children's read-aloud.
Origin and context
A YouTube format that became a genre around 2015 to 2017 when creators began titling personal narrative videos with 'storytime' as a searchable category. Migrated to TikTok as short-form storytelling.
- First seen
- mid-2010s
- Confidence
- medium
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/storytimeUpdated: 2026-08-28License: CC BY 4.0