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Gen Z’s Got Hella Money (…or Not) on The Viral List

TikTok’s “hella money” audio, the ominous saxophones, and workplace age jokes are all going viral…

Written and Edited by the YPulse Editorial Team

Jan 23 2026
North America, Western Europe

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Gen Z is showing off their “hella money” a.k.a. the very small financial wins that feel huge
Creators are using the saxophone score from Boyz n the Hood to describe moments that are clearly about to go wrong
Young workers are playfully roasting generational differences at work, comparing coworkers’ birth years to ancient (or very recent) times

On TikTok, Gen Z is showing off their “hella money” (even if it’s not true) Gen Z is using a new TikTok audio to celebrate that fleeting, euphoric feeling of having a little extra cash. (Key word: little.) The sound comes from creator and songwriter Kell Martin (@shutthekellup), who’s known for turning off-the-cuff songs into content. On January 2, Martin posted a TikTok of himself beatboxing and repeating, “I got like hella money,” before cutting to a single $5 bill and jokingly calling everyone else poor. Since then, thousands of creators are using it for memes, dances, and lip-syncs that...