WAGMI & NGMI:
Crypto's Most Motivational Slang
WAGMI = We're All Gonna Make It. NGMI = Not Gonna Make It. One is a rallying cry. The other is a verdict. Together they cover every possible outcome in crypto.
Quick Definitions
WAGMI
We're All Gonna Make It
Used to encourage a community, celebrate a bull run, or just maintain morale when the charts look bad. Tone: optimistic, collective, sometimes ironic.
NGMI
Not Gonna Make It
Used to dismiss someone making a bad financial decision — selling too early, not understanding a project, or engaging in financial behaviour considered irrational. Tone: dismissive, sometimes brutal.
The Origin: From the Gym to the Blockchain
WAGMI has its roots in fitness culture, specifically associated with the bodybuilder and internet personality Zyzz (Aziz Sergeyevich Shavershian), who popularised the phrase "We're all gonna make it, brah" in gym communities around 2010-2011. After his death in 2011, the phrase became a tribute within fitness communities.
The phrase migrated to crypto and NFT Twitter around 2020-2021, during the NFT boom, where it was used by project communities to build collective belief in price appreciation. NGMI arrived as the natural counterpart — a way to mock those who sold early, dismissed a project, or made poor decisions.
How They're Used in Practice
Examples of WAGMI in context:
- → "Bitcoin just hit a new ATH. WAGMI 🚀"
- → "Down 40% this week but I'm holding. WAGMI."
- → "This protocol is going to change everything. WAGMI frens."
Examples of NGMI in context:
- → "He sold his BTC at $30k to buy a car. NGMI."
- → "Anyone still keeping money in a bank in 2026 is NGMI."
- → "Using 100× leverage on a Tuesday? NGMI."
The Full Crypto Slang Family
WAGMI and NGMI belong to a broader ecosystem of crypto acronyms:
- → HFSP — Have Fun Staying Poor (directed at crypto sceptics)
- → LFG — Let's F***ing Go (excitement, bullish energy)
- → IYKYK — If You Know You Know (insider knowledge, early holders)
- → DYOR — Do Your Own Research (advice to not take tips as gospel)
- → NFA — Not Financial Advice (legal cover before giving financial advice)
- → GM / GN — Good Morning / Good Night (crypto Twitter greeting ritual)
WAGMI in a Bear Market
The interesting thing about WAGMI is how it functions differently depending on market conditions. In a bull market, it's celebratory and sincere. In a bear market, it becomes a coping mechanism — posted ironically while portfolios are down 80%, as a way to maintain community cohesion through shared suffering.
NGMI similarly shifts. In good times, it's used to mock non-believers. In bad times, it turns self-deprecating — "I aped into that protocol at peak. I am NGMI."
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