What does a YVL handshake mean? Playboi Carti's signature move wins over Owen Wilson, Kai Cenat at Rolling Loud

Rapper Playboi Carti is currently trending after actor-comedian Owen Wilson and online streamers Kai Cenat and Dabo shared his signature YVL handshake with the crowd at Rolling Loud. The latest edition of the hip-hop festival took place at Hollywood Park Grounds in Inglewood, California, on March 15 and 16, 2025.

Owen Wilson was seen doing the YVL handshake while attending the concert as part of the audience. Meanwhile, Kai Cenat and Dabo entertained the crowd from the stage, shaking hands with fans standing below.

For those unaware, the YVL handshake is a three-finger handshake where the thumb, the index finger, and the middle finger are used. It is a signature hand sign used by Playboi Carti and his record label and rap collective, Opium, including Ken Carson, Destroy Lonely, and the trap duo Homixide Gang.

Notably, Playboi Carti headlined this year’s Rolling Loud California over the weekend.

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More about Playboi Carti’s YVL handshake

YVL, short for Young Vamp Life, is a term used by Playboi Carti and his fans to refer to his vampiric persona, which often appears in his music and social media.

The YVL handshake is also part of this persona. It involves extending three fingers and performing a twist and roll motion with the person in front of you. As per Urban Dictionary, the gesture seemingly resembles the Serbian Nationalist Hand Symbol.

In a 2017 interview with Complex, the rapper explained that his vampiric persona was inspired by the 1987 teen horror movie, The Lost Boys. The film revolves around the characters of Corey Haim and Corey Feldman, who feature as friends taking on a gang of motorcycle-riding vampires in a coastal California town.

“I paused the movie and played my music over top of it and it looked so crazy. I thought, ‘Damn, I wanna look like this.’ That’s me, that’s Playboi Carti, a vampire on a dirt bike. Flying. Laughing and sh*t. The fangs, my grills. Long hair, dreads. Rock star sh*t. You know what I’m saying? It’s fire,” he shared back then.

Playboi is often seen wearing YVL jewelry, including the chain he wore during the release of his latest album, I Am Music. There’s also a fan-made, AI-generated album titled Project YVL.

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Rolling Loud California, which was streamed live on Twitch and TikTok, featured Playboi Carti performing music from his brand-new studio album, I Am Music, released on March 14, 2025, as a sequel to his 2020 album, Whole Lotta Red.

Carti was joined by his frequent collaborator The Weeknd before welcoming Kai Cenat and Dabo on stage. On Sunday, he even handed out the insignia of his YVL chain to each of the streamer duo.

Apart from the Atlanta rapper, A$AP Rocky and Peso Pluma headlined the event. Artists like Cash Cobain, Sexyy Red, Lazer Dim 700, OsamaSon, Skaiwater, Ken Carson, and Nettspend also performed at Rolling Loud.