also: ウェーイけい · うぇいけい · うぇーいけい
rowdy young people; party-loving youth
Refers to a stereotype of young people, often college students, who are loud, energetic, and enjoy drinking and partying in groups. The term comes from the cheerful shout 'ウェーイ!'.
あのサークルはウェイ系が多いから、いつも飲み会がうるさい。
That club has a lot of rowdy party types, so their drinking parties are always noisy.
彼は見た目はチャラいけど、実はウェイ系じゃないんだよね。
He looks flashy, but he's actually not one of those loud party people.
Most common spelling; uses katakana for the slangy 'wei' sound.
Variant with long vowel mark, reflecting the drawn-out cheer.
Hiragana variant; less common but sometimes seen in casual writing.
Hiragana variant with long vowel mark; rare.
From the interjection 'ウェーイ!' (a cheerful shout often used when toasting or celebrating) + 系 (type, group). The term emerged in Japanese youth slang to label a certain party-loving, loud social group.