An edgelord is someone, typically on the Internet, who tries to impress or shock by posting exaggerated opinions such as misanthropy, nihilism or extremist views.
According to the Merriam-Webster.com online dictionary, the first known usage with this meaning was in 2013. It was added to Webster's in September 2023. Webster gave the following example:
Edgelords were characterised by author and journalist Rachel Monroe in her account of criminal behavior, Savage Appetites:
It is frequently associated with the forum site 4chan. The renegade rhetoric of the edgelord is often intentionally used by the far right to troll leftist targets.