Fanboys is a slang term for people who obsessively love a specific brand, franchise, or cultural object, often to the point of arguing with anyone who prefers something else[1].

Where did Fanboys come from?

It started as the title of a 1973 fanzine handed out at the Chicago Comic and Nostalgia Convention, secretly made by comix artist Jay Lynch and publisher Glenn Bray[4][3].

What does Fanboys mean?

Depending on tone, it means either a proud diehard fan or an insult accusing someone of blind, tribal loyalty to a brand or franchise[5].

How do you use Fanboys?

Fans use it as a badge of honor ("Apple fanboy") while critics use it in arguments to dismiss an opponent's opinion as biased hype rather than reasoned analysis[1].

Is Fanboys still popular?

Yes, the term is still standard vocabulary in tech, gaming, and pop culture debates online, roughly two decades after Urban Dictionary first defined it in 2003[5].

Who really created the original Fanboy zine?

Jay Lynch and Glenn Bray, who let credit sit with Alfred Judson and Bill Beasley for 35 years before Lynch revealed the truth in a July 2008 blog post[3].

When did fanboy become a tech insult?

One of the earliest pejorative uses shows up in a May 1996 Usenet thread about Windows NT, aimed at a poster defending Bill Gates and Microsoft[7].

What is the difference between a fanboy and a fangirl?

They mean the same kind of obsessive fandom, but fangirl tends to appear more often in music and celebrity spaces like K-pop or Justin Bieber circles, while fanboy dominates tech and gaming discussions[4].

Where does the word fanboy come from?

Jay Lynch said he adapted it from "funboy," a 1960s slur used by Tallahassee publisher Bill Killeen against critics of his provocative magazine The Charlatan[3].

Which fandoms are famous for fanboys?

Notable examples include Apple, SEGA, Xbox versus PlayStation, Sonic the Hedgehog, The Legend of Zelda, Minecraft, K-pop, and Justin Bieber fandoms[1].

Fanboys

Q: When was fanboy added to the dictionary?

Merriam-Webster added "fanboy" to its dictionary in 2008, a moment covered by gaming outlet Joystiq at the time[6].

1973catchphraseclassic

Fanboys (and the feminine fangirls) are labels for people who take fandom to obsessive levels, born as the title of a 1973 underground comic zine by Jay Lynch and Glenn Bray and later reborn online as a go-to insult in tech and gaming flame wars.

fandom discourse memes internet slang origin memes console war memes stan culture memes tech humor memes

Overview

Fanboy (and its feminine counterpart fangirl) are labels for people who take a fandom to obsessive levels, whether the object is comics, video games, tech brands, or pop stars1. The word cuts both ways online. Some fans use it to mark themselves as diehards, while critics use it as an insult for anyone whose enthusiasm crosses into blind loyalty1. In tech circles especially, calling someone an "Apple fanboy" or "Xbox fanboy" is standard shorthand for accusing them of tribal bias1.

The label got tied to the "console wars" and platform tribalism that took off online in the late 1990s, but the term itself is older. Merriam-Webster traces "fan boys" as two words to a 1919 baseball passage6, while the modern one-word spelling with its edge of mockery traces back to underground comix in the 1970s3.

How It Spread

The word stayed inside comics circles for about twenty years, mostly used self-mockingly by fans describing themselves3. That shifted once online discussion boards took over. In May 1996, "fanboy" was thrown as an insult in a Usenet argument about Windows NT, aimed at a poster who was defending Bill Gates and Microsoft7. From there it spread across tech forums and became a standard weapon in flame wars about operating systems, browsers, and gadget brands.

Urban Dictionary added its first entry for "fanboy" in June 2003, defining the plural as people "obsessed with one thing" and singling out SEGA superfans as an example5. A second entry that August called out fanboys who "let passion override social graces," and the site later picked "fanboy" as Urban Word of the Day on September 19, 20065. Merriam-Webster then added "fanboy" to its dictionary in 2008, a moment covered by gaming blog Joystiq as a kind of official recognition for the tribes fighting online6.

By the late 2000s the word was mainstream vocabulary. Tech writer Harry McCracken counted the label showing up in PCWorld forums, the New York Times, and even the Christian Science Monitor1. Fan-run blogs took the name back as a badge, including Fanboy.com (launched by Michael Pinto), Macfanboy.com, Sonyfanboy.com, and Nintendofanboy.com1. Even Barack Obama was called a "fanboy" in some coverage and accused of inspiring fanboyism in others1.

How to Use This Meme

The label typically lands either as self-identification or as a jab, and context decides which. Fans who call themselves "Apple fanboys" or "Marvel fanboys" often mean it with pride, marking themselves as more invested than the average consumer. Used against someone in an argument, it's meant to suggest their opinion is emotional rather than analytical, which is why it's such a common move in gaming, tech, and film debates1. The feminine variant "fangirl" tends to show up more often in music and celebrity fandoms, especially around K-pop and Justin Bieber discussions4.

Cultural Impact

"Fanboys" pulled a rare double life, holding onto its underground comix roots while picking up new energy as internet slang1. When Merriam-Webster made it official in 2008, gaming outlets treated the moment as long-overdue validation for their communities6. The label also picked up a totally unrelated meaning in English classrooms, where "FANBOYS" is used as a mnemonic for the seven coordinating conjunctions (For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So), which sometimes throws off student search results5.

Frequently Asked Questions

References (7)

Fanboys

1973catchphraseclassic

fandom discourse memes internet slang origin memes console war memes stan culture memes tech humor memes