If you’ve noticed your mood souring during what should be a mindless scroll through social media, you’re not alone — and there’s now a term for what might be happening. Oxford University Press (OUP) has selected rage bait as its word of the year, highlighting the growing trend of online content engineered specifically to provoke anger and boost engagement.

The term refers to online tactics deliberately crafted to provoke anger in order to boost engagement, and according to OUP, its use has tripled over the past year.

Rage bait came out ahead of two other finalists — aura farming and biohack — to claim the title.

What exactly is rage bait?

Even if you’re unfamiliar with the phrase, anyone who spends time on social media has likely encountered it.

Oxford University Press, publisher of the Oxford English Dictionary, defines it as online content intentionally designed to trigger outrage by being irritating, inflammatory, or outright offensive.

Why does rage bait exist — and how does it make money?

Like traditional clickbait, rage-baiting aims to draw people in — but instead of sparking curiosity, it deliberately stirs negative emotion. The goal is simple: more views, more comments, and ultimately more traffic for websites or social media accounts.

What about the other shortlisted words?

Aura farming: Creating an appealing, confident, or enigmatic public image by presenting oneself in a way that subtly signals charm, confidence, or mystique.

Biohack: Attempting to enhance physical or mental performance, health, longevity, or overall wellbeing by adjusting diet, exercise, and lifestyle, or through technologies, supplements, or drugs.

These three terms were put to a public vote, with the results helping inform OUP’s final choice.

Casper Grathwohl, president of Oxford Languages, said the rise of rage bait reflects growing awareness of how easily we can be manipulated online.

What was last year’s word?

Last year’s word of the year, brain rot, highlighted the mental fatigue that comes from endless scrolling on apps like Instagram and TikTok. Grathwohl noted that the 2024 and 2025 winners are closely linked.

“Together, they show a vicious cycle: outrage boosts engagement, algorithms magnify it, and prolonged exposure leaves us mentally spent,” he said.

Previous Oxford winners include selfie, goblin mode, and rizz.

Meanwhile, Cambridge Dictionary has chosen parasocial as its word of 2025, defining it as the one-sided relationship someone feels they have with a celebrity they’ve never met — such as the intense interest many fans showed when Taylor Swift and American footballer Travis Kelce announced their engagement.