What Does the Slang Phrase "In Da Clerb, We All Fam" Mean?

What does "In da clerb, we all fam" mean?

"In da clerb, we all fam" means "In the club, we're all family." That's what the individual words mean, anyway. As for the larger meaning of the phrase…it's still a little fuzzy, but that's sort of the point. The phrase came from a particularly cringe-hilarious clip from the mid-2010s show Broad City in which Ilana tries to use the phrase, only for Abbi to be totally confused. Ilana explains the meaning of the phrase (which isn't a real saying), and then shames Abbi for not knowing what it means. (More on the origins below.)

"In Da Clerb, We All Fam" Origins

The phrase originated in Broad City season 2, episode 2: "In da Club." In the 2016 scene in which the saying originates, Ilana and Abbi are partying it up in a club in NYC, when ironically out-of-touch social justice warrior Ilana waves enthusiastically at two women of color from across the club and says, "Hey!" The two women wave back with equally enthusiastic "Heys," and Abbi says, "Do you know them?" Ilana says, "No, but in da clerb, we all fam." When Abbi is confused, Ilana explains exasperatedly, "In the club, we are all family. Are you racist?" Abbi, shamed for something totally meaningless, murmurs, "No…." After the phrase took off on social media in late 2024, Ilana Glazer, who plays Ilana Wexler, took to social media in January 2025 to explain how the writer of the episode, Lucia Aniello, thought it'd be funny to have Ilana use the phrase: "We were gaining awareness of what cultural appropriation is, and how we were doing it. This was like a way to just make a joke of these…surburban white girls in New York City trying to be cool," says Glazer. "But it's not even cultural appropriation. It's just made-up words, really."

"In Da Clerb, We All Fam" Meme

The phrase became a TikTok meme in late 2024. The two protagonists' clear lack of savvy re how to behave in a social setting like a nice club makes this scene super goofy and charming—perfect fodder for a TikTok trend. In late 2024, TikTok users began pulling the audio from the clip and lip synching to the words. Many TikTokers use the clip in videos about trying to be cool—and utterly failing. For instance, Sabrina Carpenter made a TikTok for the trend with the caption, "My 30-year-old fans trying to talk to my 12-year-old fans."