Pop Culture dictionary
Milly Rock
[mil-ee rok]
What does Milly Rock mean?
The Milly Rock is a viral hip-hop dance invented by the artist 2 Milly.
Where does Milly Rock come from?
When he was just a teenager, the Brooklyn-based artist 2 Milly and his crew made up a dance: It involves a simple two-step while swooping and twirling the arms left and right, all with room for embellishment from the dancer. Using his stage name and the dance’s rocking motion as inspiration, 2 Milly and co. called it the Milly Rock.
In 2014, 2 Milly released a song and video, “Milly Rock,” featuring the dance and hook: “I Milly Rock on any block.” It went viral, inspiring everyone from Rihanna to everyday YouTubers to Milly Rock all around their blocks.
The Milly Rock peaked in 2017 but not after YouTuber Roy Purdy Milly Rocked while skateboarding in New York City or Manchester United’s Jesse Lingard Milly Rocked after a goal. As of July 2018, 2 Milly’s YouTube video earned over 17-million views, Purdy’s just a little bit under it.
Examples of Milly Rock
Who uses Milly Rock?
Milly Rock can refer to the song, the dance, or the action of doing the dance. Unlike many other viral dances (e.g., doing the Harlem Shake) people often say they are Milly Rocking when performing it. They also call it the Milly Rock, though.
Tryna milly rock the night away to some Toby Keith hmu
— Tyler Gant (@tylergantos) July 2, 2018
I bet Michael Jackson would’ve had the meanest Milly rock
— ortiz (@OgEzra) June 27, 2018
Outside of YouTube videos, Milly Rock inspired a number of memes, where people imagined various characters Milly Rocking.
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Note
This is not meant to be a formal definition of Milly Rock like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of Milly Rock that will help our users expand their word mastery.