Yaoi (やおい) is a term for fiction that shows homosexual male relationships. It is a subgenre of boys love (BL) that usually originates from Japan.
Yaoi originated in the late 1970s. It is used as a derogatory term because of the focus on sexual content rather then plot or character development. This is supposed to imply that the content has little value. Yaoi is no longer used in Japan because of these bad connotations. It is still seen often in western media and across the world through the internet. The term is especially popular on places like TikTok, Tumblr, and AO3, as of 2025.
Female fans of Yaoi call themselves fujoshi (腐女子). Male fans call themselves fudanshi (腐男子). This means "Rotten girl" and "Rotten boy" in Japanese.
Some Yaoi is based off of real events, but most are purely fictional. A few examples of Yaoi are the anime Sekaiichi hatsukoi and the manga Obnoxious Hero-kun.
