The 'Gen Z Stare' refers to a viral trend, primarily on TikTok, where creators stare intensely and silently into the camera, often from a high-angled perspective. This deadpan expression became a shorthand for reacting to 'cringe' behavior, outdated opinions, or awkward situations without saying a single word. Unlike the 'Thousand-Yard Stare' which implies trauma, the Gen Z version represents a judgmental silence that suggests the viewer is being 'read' or assessed in real-time. It gained massive traction in the early 2020s as a versatile reaction image for everything from workplace annoyance to playful mocking of millennial habits, perfectly capturing the generation's specific brand of nihilistic humor.