Freak-out (slang)
1960s counterculture neologism
Freak-out (also known as a psychedelic freakout) is a counterculture-era phrase that originally emerged in the 1960s. The term was used as a noun, adjective and verb throughout the decade. In drug culture, "freak-out" referred to a "bad trip", though it was also associated with the Los Angeles freak scene which inspired a short-lived music scene. The term had also been defined as "a celebratory event, a gathering together of counterculturists to enjoy music and drugs," referring to happenings and parties.
The phrase, which originally gained popularity in the United States, would see further prominence in the United Kingdom with psychedelic nightclubs such as London's UFO Club (short for "Unlimited Freak Out"). Writer Tom Wolfe used the term throughout his book The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test (1968), defining it as denoting certain "styles and obsessions". He clarified that the term was not a "negative word," and stated it could refer to "any- thing, isms, life styles, habits, leanings, causes, sexual organs".
Etymology
The terms "freak-out" and "freak" have several definitions, with both terms being deployed as adjectives, nouns and verbs throughout the 1960s counterculture.
The term "freak" emerged in the 1560s. The phrase "Freak Out" is formed in a similar way to the phrase "break out".
“Freak-out (slang)” enters the record as 1960s counterculture neologism. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Freak-out, slang and 1960s can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 12, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q138024094. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1968.
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This entry incorporates text from “Freak-out (slang)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.