QUEER WORD
DEMON TWINK

What it means:

A demon twink is a young, chaotic (oh, so chaotic!), usually gay man who causes drama wherever he goes - parties, clubs, group chats, and soirees. He’s hot, possibly charming, and absolutely feral.

Think: gorgeous but destructive.

It’s not necessarily a slur (though it can be!), and it’s usually used with a healthy dose of camp and affection - depending on who’s saying it (and whether they’re the one cleaning up the mess left behind by this demonic twink).

Let's Use It In A Sentence:

I thought it was going to be a low-key birthday dinner, but then some demon twink cracked open a bottle of poppers and started a fight with the waiter.

A Little Bit of History:

The term demon twink went viral in 2021 thanks to a now-deleted Twitter thread from user Ty Sutherland. According to the tale, a twink had hijacked a gay boat party in New York by being generally obnoxious, refusing to get off the boat’s stage, and getting frisky in the VIP section.

The internet, understandably, was obsessed.

And though this was when the term first came to our collective use, it gained traction because we’ve all known a demon twink at some point in our lives. He’s the party-crasher, the drama-starter, the one who walks into the room and immediately makes it about him - intentionally or not. Demon twink just gave us the perfect language to describe the phenomenon.

Of course, it’s also an almost perfect mash-up of two gay archetypes:

• The twink — young, thin, often smooth, and generally adorable.

• The diva/disaster — fabulous, disruptive, unforgettable.

The phenomenon has spread so far that there’s even a horror film depicting the terror and wonder of these strange, unhinged creatures. Now, that’s power.

FAQ: What People Ask About Demon Twinks

Is ‘demon twink’ offensive?
It depends on how it’s used and who’s using it. Some use it playfully or even affectionately. Others might use it to call out bad behaviour. As with most queer slang, context - and tone, don’t forget tone - are everything.

Does a demon twink have to be male?
The term twink is usually associated with young, slim gay men, but some people use demon twink more broadly to describe anyone with chaotic, twink-ish energy.

Can I be a demon twink if I’m over 30?
Technically no - you age out of the twink bracket around 27. But if you’ve still got the chaotic sparkle in your eye and a flair for melodrama, we won’t stop you.

What’s the difference between a twink and a demon twink?
A regular twink might just be young and cute. A demon twink is young, cute, and terrifying. You’ll know the difference when he turns up uninvited and insists on doing coke off the DJ booth.

What about a ‘demon twunk’?
Ha ha. Whilst that particular term hasn’t quite caught on, there’s no reason why you can’t use it. After all, a twunk is technically still a twink!