"Redneck" is a Southern and Appalachian identity term for rural working-class white people, historically tied to farm labor and sunburned necks, later broadened in meaning and tone.
★ Context matters. Inside the culture, "redneck" can signal pride and plain-spoken roots; from outside, it may land as a slur. Let speakers define their own label. ★
Origin and Etymology
The term arose in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the rural South and Appalachia, referring to sunburned necks of field laborers and, by extension, to working-class white farmers. In the early 1920s it was also used for unionizing coal miners in central Appalachia who wore red bandanas for identification. Through the 20th century it broadened into a cultural label in media, politics, and music, sometimes reclaimed positively and sometimes used pejoratively.
Usage Notes
Register varies: self-referential or in-group use may be neutral or positive; out-group use can be derogatory.
Often overlaps with broader "country/rural" identity in the South and Appalachia; not all rural Southerners use or accept the term.
Common in cultural discourse, comedy, and music; meanings depend on speaker intent, audience, and setting.
Created by The Hillbilly Dude, this site is a growing field guide to culture, speech, memory, and meaning - rooted in Appalachia but reaching across the world. Every slang word, saying, accent and story is gathered from first-hand experience and trusted sources. The goal: preserve authentic voices and share them with writers, learners, and culture lovers everywhere - with a little humor thrown in here and there. Read more...
I’ve heard it thrown as an insult and worn as a badge-depends who’s sayin’ it and what they mean by redneck. 
