What is "dabbing"?

The story behind the answer

Dabbing is a dance move: you drop your head into the bent crook of one arm while extending the other arm out, as if sneezing into your elbow. It emerged from the Atlanta hip-hop scene around 2015 and exploded in popularity through social media and sports celebrations, with figures like rapper Migos and NFL quarterback Cam Newton helping to spread it.

To remember it, think “victory sneeze”—a quick, celebratory gesture after a score or a beat drop. While “dab” can also refer to a cannabis concentrate, “dabbing” in mainstream pop culture almost always means the dance. It’s not a language, medical procedure, or sport; it’s a simple, iconic piece of modern dance culture.