What Is 'Electric Boogaloo,' And What Does It Have To Do With Franchise Sequels? The Iconic Phrase Explained

"Electric Boogaloo" is a slang term that has existed since the early 2000s. The phrase is often used to refer to sequels to movies or TV shows that are quite terrible or don't quite hold up to the first movie. "Electric Boogaloo" has been commonly used in the naming scheme of parody sequels for iconic movies.

But what is "Electric Boogaloo's" origin? And how did it become a popular slang term? Here's everything you need to know.

What Is Electric Boogaloo's Origin?

"Electric Boogaloo" comes from the name of a poorly received 1984 dance film called Breakin 2: Electric Boogaloo. It was met with mediocre reviews by critics, getting 5.1/10 stars on IMDb and 3.4 out of 5 stars on Rotten Tomatoes. A trailer for the film was reuploaded on YouTube by Kulbriz on October 15th, 2007, getting about 490,000 views (shown below).

How Did The Meme Spread Online?

The term became increasingly popular online, becoming used to denote a sequel release as early as October 2nd, 2001. In the early 2000s, the phrase was often used in various pieces of media, such as in the title of works by indie rock band Minus the Bear. The very first use of "Electric Boogaloo" in a joking manner was by a Huffington Post journalist, regarding election reform in Ohio in November 2005.

In July 2007, the New York Times used the term to describe a sequel to the viral "I Got a Crush on Obama" video, marking one of the first uses of the term in a negative light. On May 25th, 2008, an Urban Dictionary entry for the term "Electric Boogaloo" was published, defining it as a word that 'can be appended to the name of a movie to indicate a sequel' (shown below).

How Was Electric Boogaloo Used In Meme Culture?

There have been plenty of examples of the word being used in various memes online, particularly when referring to parodies of already-existing movies. One example includes a title for the iconic horror film The Human Centipede, called "The Human Centipede 2: Electric Boogaloo" (shown below, left). Another title is a parody sequel for the Watchmen movie called "Watchmen 2: Electric Boogaloo" (shown below, right).

The term has also been highlighted in a TV Tropes entry, discussing its significance on the small screen. It has also brought forth another slang term, often used by libertarians and anarcho-capitalists to describe an uprising against the government, called Boogaloo, with memes circulating among more right-leaning groups.

For the full history of Electric Boogaloo, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.