Eshay () is a slang expression associated with an Australian urban youth
subculture
A subculture is a group of people within a culture, cultural society that differentiates itself from the values of the conservative, standard or dominant culture to which it belongs, often maintaining some of its founding principles. Subcultures ...
that originated from
Western Sydney
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
* Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
* Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that ...
in the late 1980s, but has brought into the mainstream since the late 2010s and the 2020s.
In
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
, "hoodrats" are a similar subculture.
Etymology
The term can refer to individuals within the subculture, or to the subculture itself, and can have various other meanings in different contexts. The word "eshay" apparently derives from the
Pig Latin
Pig Latin (''Igpay Atinlay'') is a language game, argot, or cant in which words in English are altered, usually by adding a fabricated suffix or by moving the onset or initial consonant or consonant cluster of a word to the end of the word a ...
for "sesh" (meaning cannabis smoking session). The term "adlay" (),
Pig Latin
Pig Latin (''Igpay Atinlay'') is a language game, argot, or cant in which words in English are altered, usually by adding a fabricated suffix or by moving the onset or initial consonant or consonant cluster of a word to the end of the word a ...
for "lad," refers to the same subculture.
Description
Eshays, or lads, are often considered stereotypically
hypermasculine
Hypermasculinity is a psychological and sociological term for the exaggeration of male stereotypical behavior, such as an emphasis on physical strength, aggression, and human male sexuality. In the field of clinical psychology, this term has be ...
and inclined to crime and violence. However, while most eshays are male, a minority of them are female. They may be affiliated with other local youths from a postcode, hang out in groups, use slang derived from Pig Latin, wear
sportswear
Sportswear or activewear is athletic clothing, including footwear, worn for sports activity or physical exercise. Sport-specific clothing is worn for most sports and physical exercise, for practical, comfort or safety reasons.
Typical spor ...
, have mullets and engage in immature and anti-social behaviour. Common fashion items include bumbags and
Nike
Nike often refers to:
* Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment
* Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory
Nike may also refer to:
People
* Nike (name), a surname and feminine giv ...
shoes (specifically Air Max Plus aka TNs). Due to the eshay subculture surrounding the shoe, wearers have been banned from some pubs and clubs. Eshays often have access to
alcohol
Alcohol may refer to:
Common uses
* Alcohol (chemistry), a class of compounds
* Ethanol, one of several alcohols, commonly known as alcohol in everyday life
** Alcohol (drug), intoxicant found in alcoholic beverages
** Alcoholic beverage, an alco ...
,
electronic cigarette
An electronic cigarette (e-cigarette), or vape, is a device that simulates smoking. It consists of an atomizer, a power source such as a battery, and a container such as a cartridge or tank. Instead of smoke, the user inhales vapor. As such ...
s,
illegal drugs
Illegal may refer to:
Law
* Violation of law
** Crime
In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and uni ...
,
pornography
Pornography (colloquially called porn or porno) is Sexual suggestiveness, sexually suggestive material, such as a picture, video, text, or audio, intended for sexual arousal. Made for consumption by adults, pornographic depictions have evolv ...
and
social media
Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the Content creation, creation, information exchange, sharing and news aggregator, aggregation of Content (media), content (such as ideas, interests, and other forms of expression) amongs ...
(namely
Snapchat
Snapchat is an American multimedia social media and instant messaging app and service developed by Snap Inc., originally Snapchat Inc. One of the principal features of the app are that pictures and messages, known as "snaps", are usually availa ...
and
TikTok
TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...
).
Typical hangout areas for eshays include
bus stop
A bus stop is a place where Public transport bus service, buses stop for passengers to get on and off the bus. The construction of bus stops tends to reflect the level of usage, where stops at busy locations may have shelter (building), shelters ...
s,
shopping centre
A shopping center in American English, shopping centre in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English (see American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, spelling differences), shopping complex, shopping arcade, ...
s,
pub
A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the late 17th century, to differentiate private ho ...
s,
street
A street is a public thoroughfare in a city, town or village, typically lined with Building, buildings on one or both sides. Streets often include pavements (sidewalks), pedestrian crossings, and sometimes amenities like Street light, streetligh ...
s and
train station
A train station, railroad station, or railway station is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight, or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track, and a station building providing suc ...
s.
"Gutter rap" (also known as "lad rap" due to its popularity among eshays) is a form of
drill rap
Drill music, also known as drill rap or simply drill, is a subgenre of hip-hop music that originated in Chicago in the early 2010s. It is sonically similar to the trap music subgenre and lyrically similar to the gangsta rap subgenre. Drill lyr ...
. Rappers in this genre include
Kerser
Scott Froml (born 21 August 1987), better known by his stage name Kerser, is an Australian rapper. He has released two mixtapes and several albums since 2009 and his second album ''No Rest for the Sickest'' reached No. 15 on the ARIA albums ch ...
and
Onefour
Onefour (stylised in all caps) are an Australian drill and rap group originating from the Western Sydney suburb of Mount Druitt. They are regarded by many as the pioneers of drill music in Australia, following a run of viral singles in 2019. ...
.
See also
*
Chav
"Chav" (), also "charver", "scally" and "roadman" in parts of England, is a British term, usually used in a pejorative way. The term is used to describe an anti-social lower-class youth dressed in sportswear.
*
*
*
* Julie Burchill descri ...
/
Roadman
"Chav" (), also "charver", "scally" and "roadman" in parts of England, is a British term, usually used in a pejorative way. The term is used to describe an anti-social lower-class youth dressed in sportswear.
*
*
*
* Julie Burchill descri ...
, a similar term used to describe young delinquents in Britain
*
Gopnik
A gopnik is a member of a Juvenile delinquency, delinquent subculture in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and in other Post-Soviet states, former Soviet republics—a young man (or a woman, a gopnitsa) of urban working-class background.
The collectiv ...
, a similar term used to describe young delinquents in Eastern Europe
*
Skeet (Newfoundland)
The noun skeet in Newfoundland English, Newfoundland and Labrador English is considered to be a pejorative epithet. Though it has never been formally defined in the Dictionary of Newfoundland English, it is used as a stereotype to describe someone ...
, a similar term used on the Canadian island of
Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...
* Racaille, a similar term used to describe young delinquents in France.
*
Hoon
A hoon () is an Australian and New Zealand term describing a person who deliberately drives a vehicle in a reckless or dangerous manner, generally in order to provoke a reaction from onlookers.
Hoon activities (or hooning) can include speeding ...
*
Lad culture
Lad culture (also the new lad, laddism) was a media-driven, principally British and Irish subculture of the 1990s and the early 2000s. The term ''lad culture'' continues to be used today to refer to collective, boorish or misogynistic behaviour by ...
*
Ah beng
''Ah Beng'' () is a pejorative term applied to describe an anti-social lower-class youth in Malaysia and Singapore who displays common characteristics such as having dyed hair, wearing loud fashion, playing loud music in public and being less e ...