Yaas

Yaas (also spelled yas or yasss, often stretched out as yaaasss) is an enthusiastic version of yes used to celebrate someone or express excitement and approval, often paired into the phrase yaas queen. It carries the same energy as cheering work or fierce at a drag performance. The word traces back at least to the 1980s ballroom scene in New York, the Black and Latinx LGBTQ+ community that also gave rise to modern drag culture, where it was shouted from the crowd to hype up performers. It spread into wider pop culture through drag, social media, and shows like RuPaul's Drag Race. Because of that history, it is worth using with awareness of the Black queer community that created it.