Coins

In drag and ballroom slang, coins means money. It can be literal, the cash and bills audience members throw or tip to reward a performer who impressed them, echoing the cash prizes long awarded in ballroom competitions. It also works figuratively: to "make coins" or "get your coins" is to earn money, respect, or recognition through your talent. The term comes out of Black and Latine LGBTQ+ ballroom and drag culture, which has shaped a whole vocabulary now common in wider queer life and pop culture. Throwing coins is both a payment and a public sign of approval.