What is “performative matcha”? Girls are saying matcha is for clout now, not caffeine
A wave of TikTok jokes accusing men of faking their interests to attract women has given rise to the term “performative matcha,” a label now applied to guys who order trendy green tea drinks for aesthetic clout. What started as a serious critique of shallow political signaling in 2020 has mutated into a meme, with men’s love of matcha, tote bags, and moody indie pop now under suspicion. The trend mirrors the "fake geek girl" discourse of the 2010s, except this time, men are the target.
Why is everyone talking about men and "performative matcha"?
Matcha—the finely ground powder of green tea leaves and a popular culinary flavor—is just one interest of many that could land a man in "performative" jail. The term "performative matcha" started to take off in popularity in late July 2025, according to Google Trends.
In this context, something that is performative is done for show only. This word by itself drew a lot of attention in June 2020. If you can stand to remember what that month was like, you'll understand why.
Years later, political discussions about folks acting like they support a cause without putting any real effort into that support morphed into a meme. In late 2024, TikTokers started joking about men's tattoos, facial hair, and other visual markers being "performative and not representative of his true spirit."
@kelseysoles Amen
♬ original sound - reallytodd
The list of performative male interests expanded from there to include trending favorites like matcha, tote bags, the singer Clairo, and Labubus. They might even be innocuous activities and preferences like reading in public or wearing wired headphones. People accused these men of only pretending to hold these interests to attract the ladies.
People used to accuse nerdy women of the same thing, only the accusers were a lot more serious about it. Plus, TikTok wasn't around to make it into a meme.
How matcha became a meme casualty
In July and August 2025, TikTokers started to joke about the "performative male final boss." A lot of these gags focused on matcha, possibly because of its distinctive visual appeal. Many of these bosses also give off other performative indicators.
@urban.matcha the matcha looks good tho ???? #fyp #matcha #performative #fashion #lasvegas #cafe #ube ♬ original sound - ????
@metronadelive I LOVE MATCHA SOO MUCH @Annie Zheng @Itsnothannah ♬ Glue Song - beabadoobee
The rise in memes about performative matcha, in particular, is also probably fueled by the flavor's skyrocketing popularity in the summer of 2025. The BBC credits Japan's "post-pandemic tourism boom" for the trend, which is exploding on TikTok.
The hashtag #matchatok boasts over 189,000 videos to date. It's such a sensation that global supplies are starting to dwindle as cafes order it by the truckload.
@kkkhadim #fyp #matcha #matchalover #matchatok #nyc ♬ original sound - kkkhadim
"Some cafes are even asking for a kilo a day," said Mizuba Tea Co. owner Lauren Purvis. "They're desperate to keep up."
The TikTok trend may also be fueling this shortage as people buy drinks in the hopes of making the next viral video. It's gotten to the point that some genuine matcha fans are complaining that the trend spoiled their fave.
@spamdy_ocampo #matcha#hojicha #fyp #performative #andyeatstoomuch ♬ Gymnopedie No.1 [Piano famous song](204824) - Kamimura Mahiro
"You guys ruined matcha," said @spamdy_ocampo in a video that nabbed over 1.5 million views. "I can't even drink matcha anymore without being called performative."
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