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Lime green is having a moment, and you can thank Charli XCX's hit new album, "Brat," for that.

Since the studio album's release on June 7, the "brat" aesthetic (including its signature Arial font) is seemingly everywhere, from slime green merch to marketing campaigns.

The high-energy dance pop album touches on partying, Von Dutch and womanhood, to name a few themes, and has inspired memes, TikTok dances and fashion trends, leading very online fans to coin a new term: "brat summer."

With its messy, carefree vibe, brat summer borrows elements from other similar TikTok trends like feral girl summer and rat girl summer.

Having evolved from the now-iconic album cover to a whole aesthetic, "brat" is now a lifestyle embraced by Gen Z and millennials alike.

What is brat summer?

The brat summer trend is inspired by British singer Charli XCX's hit album "brat" which was released on June 7 and debuted at #3 on the Billboard charts.

Fans were particularly taken by the album's distinctive yet minimalistic cover art: "brat" written in low-res Arial front on a lime green background.

Soon after the album's release, Gen Z christened it the season of the brat, an aesthetic trend defined by party animal antics, cool-girl style, and lime green everything.

The trend quickly took over TikTok, with 41.2K posts under the hashtag #bratsummer.

While the word "brat" usually evokes feelings of middle school angst, brat summer is all about accepting your imperfections while embracing the chaos.

In an Instagram post on June 8, Charli XCX described the "brat" album ethos as "me, my flaws, my f--- ups, my ego all rolled into one."

She further explained the meaning of "brat" in a TikTok video.

"You're just like that girl who is a little messy and likes to party and maybe says some dumb things sometimes. Who feels herself but maybe also has a breakdown. But kind of like, parties through it, is very honest, very blunt. A little bit volatile. Like, does dumb things. But it's brat. You're brat. That's brat," she said in the video.

Beyond outfit checks and viral dances, the brat summer trend has recently transcended TikTok fame to become associated with an unlikely figure: Vice President Kamala Harris.

Shortly after President Biden announced he was withdrawing from the 2024 presidential election, Charli XCX expressed her support for Vice President Kamala Harris by complimenting her in an X post:

The post, which currently has nearly 48 million views, made the rounds on social media and spurred a multitude of posts that paired videos of Vice President Harris with songs from "brat."

Many of those videos also incorporate the "coconut tree" meme inspired by a quote from one of Harris' past speeches.

Harris' campaign team has also embraced the brat memes.

The Kamala HQ campaign account on X changed their banner to mimic the "brat" album cover art, with "kamala hq" written in low-res text on a lime green background.

On Instagram, the Kamala HQ account made a post inspired by the brat aesthetic, including a screenshot of Charli XCX's original X post in the slideshow.

"And when we put this to bed the internet will go crazy," the post's caption reads.

The rapidly-growing "brat" discourse has even moved from social media to mainstream political discussion.

Rachel Maddow addressed the brat memes in a July 22 interview with Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar on MSNBC.

"Last night, Charli XCX tweeted 'Kamala is brat,'" Maddow said. "To be totally honest with you, I'm not totally sure what that means."

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What to know about 'brat summer,' the trend taking over pop culture and politics

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Lime green is having a moment, and you can thank Charli XCX's hit new album, "Brat," for that. What to know about brat summer and how it all started.

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Fans of the new Charli XCX album count themselves among them. But the term “brat” has cropped up elsewhere in culture lately, and it has subtly different meanings.

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The Societal Implications of Brat Summer

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Brat Summer has come and gone, leaving an impression on pop culture that I believe could be here to stay. Whether it’s the chartreuse album cover, or the homage to

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Summer 2024: To Brat or not to Brat - The Emory Wheel

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It might officially be autumn, but Brat Summer is still an enigma to many. Charli xcx released her sixth studio album "BRAT" (2024) on June 7. It eventually spiraled into a pop culture phenomenon for people from all ages and backgrounds, garnering worldwide popularity through TikTok. Urban Dictionary defines Brat Summer as an "unapologetic party or 'messy' girl aesthetic." However, it seems like a lot of people simply do not understand what Brat really is.

So, to clear up the confusion, we are going back to the basics, defining the Brat phenomenon by explaining what pop culture events this summer were Brat and which were not.
Biden's presidential debate performance
Verdict: The wrong kind of Brat

U.S. President Joe Biden took the stage in the first presidential debate on June 27 against former President Donald Trump. What transpired was nothing short of an American tragedy, with Biden struggling to coherently debate his opponent, foreshadowing the end to Biden's bid for reelection. While the performance effectively ended his decades-long political career, Biden did, to his credit, embody the fourth track on "BRAT:" "I might say something stupid" (2024).

- Alex Gerson (27C)
The heat
Verdict: Not Brat

The heat this year was no joke. Arizona's temperature peaked at 118 degrees Fahrenheit. With the global heat forecasted to exceed 4.5 degrees Fahrenheit above preindustrial levels this century, we can expect rising temperatures in our lifetimes. Although basking in the sun with a beer in your hand is fun, we are teetering on the edge of a climate crisis, and that is scary.

In addition to the impending doom of our climate situation, the non-Brat facets of the heat were wildfires, exorbitant amounts of mosquitos and sweating excessively while trying to walk to your friend's house in Decatur Highlands. Those were not part of the "unapologetic party or 'messy' girl aesthetic." Instead, a lot of it was just messy.

- Clement Lee (24Ox, 26B)
2024 Paris Olympics
Verdict: Brat

The 2024 Paris Olympics had the bravado and pizzazz to make it quintessentially cool. As the first summer Olympics since the isolated 2020 Tokyo Games, which had many COVID-19 restrictions, Paris athletes performed in front of full crowds. However, the aspect that struck me most from the Olympics was the opening ceremony. Unlike other opening ceremonies hosted in indoor arenas, athletes represented their countries on Seine River cruise boats.

There were some non-Brat mishaps during the Games, such as Team Canada using drones to spy on their opponents, Australian breakdancer Rachael Gunn's set and the less-than-perfect water quality of the Seine. But ultimately, amid the Paris rain and singer Celine Dion's powerful rendition of Édith Piaf's "L'Hymne à l'amour" (1949), the world was introduced to a possibility of unity and belonging.

During the official competition, Team USA stepped up to the challenge and put forward Brat performances, earning 126 total medals. I recall sprinter Quincy Hall digging deep and mustering enough willpower to get first in the 400 meter race. Bobby Fink's and Katie Ledecky's dominant performances in the individual 1500 meter freestyle race in swimming also stand out.

The event venues were also breathtaking. The two that remain imprinted in my mind are the beach volleyball court below the Eiffel Tower and the Invalides in the background of archery, triathlon and marathon events. If I could watch the 2024 Olympics again in its entirety, I would.

- Clement Lee
Oasis' reunion
Verdict: Brat for people who don't like Charli xcx

When you look at the venn diagram of people who like Charli xcx and people who like Oasis, there's probably just one person that belongs in both camps, and that person is me. Oasis' reunion shows are shaping up to be a cultural moment in their own right, and for that, the band's reunion is Brat. However, I just can't imagine that a ton of Charli xcx fans were logging on to their computers for a chance to see the Gallagher brothers' reunion when the news of their upcoming concerts broke in August.

- Alex Gerson
Kendrick Lamar dances on Drake's grave at "The Pop Out: Ken & Friends" concert
Verdict: Brat

You might think that five diss tracks aimed at one of the biggest artists in the world - including a No. 1 song on the Billboard Top 100 calling said artist a pedophile - would be enough. But Kendrick Lamar hates Drake too much to not take a victory lap and dance on the grave of his opponent after a decisive win in the biggest rap beef of this century.

Lamar, joined by countless other rappers such as Tyler, the Creator, Roddy Ricch and Dr. Dre, took the stage on June 19 to both celebrate the rap community and cement himself as the biggest rapper in the world. Just watch Dr. Dre introduce Lamar's diss track on Drake, "Not Like Us" (2024), and you'll know that K.Dot is the next in line to be etched in stone among the greatest rappers of all time. If you ask me, there's nothing more Brat than taking one last shot at your opponent, even after you've decisively won the war.

- Alex Gerson

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The Emory Wheel is the only independent, student-run newspaper of Emory University, since 1919.

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What exactly is a Brat summer? How Charli XCX’s album suddenly became part of the presidential race

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What exactly is a Brat summer? How Charli XCX’s album suddenly became part of the presidential race - ‘Kamala IS brat,’ the ‘Guess’ singer says

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How this 'off-putting' color shaded the internet and beyond | CNN

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From endless memes to MTA announcements and even political campaigns, the past weeks have become awash with lurid green. But why?

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From Kamala Harris to Boris Johnson, the undefinable brat summer never had a chance once the politicians waded in.