WAGMI stands for "We're All Gonna Make It." In crypto and NFT communities it means shared optimism: the person posting it believes the group, the project or the holders of an asset will come out ahead. It describes a mood. It is not a forecast and not evidence about any token. People say it sincerely when sentiment is high, and ironically when prices are falling. Its opposite is NGMI, "Not Gonna Make It."
Where WAGMI came from
Crypto glossaries usually trace the phrase to Aziz Shavershian, known online as Zyzz. He was an Australian bodybuilder and internet personality, born in Moscow on 24 March 1989. He was active online from 2007 and died in Pattaya, Thailand, on 5 August 2011, aged 22. According to CoinMarketCap's explainer, he popularised WAGMI in a motivational video aimed at gym culture, and the phrase kept circulating after his death. The same explainer says it reached Reddit's WallStreetBets community in 2021, where it became a rallying cry against hedge funds' short positions, and spread into crypto from there. Shavershian's Wikipedia biography does not mention the phrase, so this origin story rests on the glossary account.
How the phrase is used
- Group conviction. The "all" matters. WAGMI is about a community, not one trader's gain. It often appears under charts, after a project announcement or among people holding the same coin through a downturn.
- Irony. After a sharp fall, "totally WAGMI" is gallows humour.
- NFT launches. Project communities use it around mints and milestones to keep holders together.
Is this WAGMI post hype or a warning sign?
Answer four questions about a WAGMI-style message you have seen to find which regulator check from this article applies.
Did the message reach you as a single tip on social media, or as a countdown to a "pump"?
Does it promise high returns with no risk, or a guaranteed investment or trading strategy?
Did a stranger add you to a group chat, or send you an unknown group invite, to share it?
- Yes → Do not reply: block the sender
- No → next question
When you ask about the project or the people behind it, do you only get slogans like WAGMI back?
The CFTC's 2018 advisory warns against buying coins or tokens because of a single tip, especially one that comes over social media. It also says a pump can be over in a matter of minutes.
The CFTC says "there is no such thing as a guaranteed investment or trading strategy." A promise of high returns with no risk is a warning sign.
The CFTC warned in October 2024 that strangers can add people to group chats, and that "cooperative trading projects" are another name for pump-and-dump schemes. Do not reply, block the sender and check registration at cftc.gov/check.
Slogans are not answers. Research the coin and the people behind it yourself before you rely on anything the group says.
None of these warning signs applies to this message. WAGMI still only shows a community's mood. It is not a forecast and not evidence about any token's value.
This walks through the checks drawn from the CFTC and SEC material in this article only: it cannot tell whether a particular project or token is legitimate, and it is not trading or investment advice.
WAGMI vs NGMI
| WAGMI | NGMI | |
|---|---|---|
| Stands for | We're All Gonna Make It | Not Gonna Make It |
| Tone | Encouraging, celebratory | Critical, mocking, sometimes self-mocking |
| Aimed at | A group | A person, a decision or a project |
According to CoinMarketCap, traders use NGMI about people who lack conviction, sell during dips or take profits too early. People also apply it to themselves after a bad trade.
When WAGMI is a warning sign
Hype is a tool in pump-and-dump schemes, and US regulators have described how it works:
- February 15, 2018: The CFTC issued its first customer advisory on virtual currency pump-and-dump schemes. It says organisers "organize anonymously and hype the currencies and tokens using social media". It says some groups and chat rooms "contain thousands of members" and that "once the pump begins, it can be over in a matter of minutes". It also warns: "Don't purchase digital coins or tokens because of a single tip, especially if it comes over social media."
- December 14, 2022: The SEC charged eight people with using Twitter and Discord to manipulate exchange-traded stocks. The SEC said they made about $100 million in fraudulent profits. It alleged they urged followers to buy, then sold their own shares without telling them. The case involved stocks, not crypto, but it shows the same social-media method.
- October 31, 2024: The CFTC warned that messaging apps' default settings let strangers add people to group chats. It described "cooperative trading projects" as another name for pump-and-dump schemes, often promoting leveraged crypto futures and backed by fake testimonials.
Practical checks drawn from those advisories:
- One tip on social media, or a countdown to a "pump", is a reason to stop, not to buy.
- Claims of high returns with no risk are a red flag. The CFTC says "there is no such thing as a guaranteed investment or trading strategy."
- If questions about a project only get slogans back, research the coin and the people behind it yourself.
- Do not reply to unknown group invites. Block the sender and check registration at cftc.gov/check.
Other crypto slang you will see with WAGMI
- HODL: Holding instead of selling. It comes from a Bitcoin forum post titled "I AM HODLING" by the user GameKyuubi on December 18, 2013. "Hold On for Dear Life" is a backronym invented later.
- FUD: Fear, uncertainty and doubt. It can mean real scepticism or doubt spread on purpose. "That's just FUD" is often used to brush off fair questions.
- DYOR: Do your own research.
- FOMO: Fear of missing out, the urge to buy because a price is already rising.
- LFG: "Let's f***ing go", a hype cry.
- GM / GN: Good morning / good night, used as community greetings.
- Diamond hands: Refusing to sell despite losses or pressure.
- Whale: A holder large enough to move a market.
- REKT: "Wrecked", heavy losses.
- Rug pull: Developers abandon a project and take investors' funds.
Slang meanings drift with use and have no official record, so a slogan like WAGMI tells you about a community's mood, never about a token's value. This article is educational and is not trading or investment advice.
