What does rat mean in gen Z?

In Gen Z slang, rat can mean several different things depending on context, tone, and platform, and it is used both affectionately and as an insult. As an insult or criticism, rat still carries its traditional meaning of someone who betrays friends, snitches, or tells on others to authorities, similar to older slang like snitch or tattletale, for example calling someone a rat for reporting a party. In some TikTok and Twitter circles, rat is used in a more playful or self-deprecating way to describe someone who is messy, chaotic, or lives like a street rat, often in phrases like rat girl or rat behavior, meaning someone who is feral, funny, and unapologetically messy but in an endearing way. In fashion and aesthetic slang, rat can refer to a grungy, thrifted, downtown cool look. In gaming and internet culture, rat is used to describe a player who plays in a sneaky, camping, or greedy way, like a loot rat who steals loot or a rat player who hides in corners. In some friend groups, calling someone my little rat is actually affectionate, similar to calling someone a gremlin. Like many Gen Z terms, the meaning is heavily dependent on tone and relationship, it can be an insult, a joke, or a term of endearment.