Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (also jank(-ass)) second-rate, inferior, unpleasant, bizarre.

1994		Coolio ‘U Know Hoo’ 🎵 Wit an old-ass janky 38 causing ruckus.
1997		Da Bomb Summer Supplement 9: Janky (adj.) Cheap.
1997		Eble Campus Sl. Apr. 5: jank – confused, strange.
2007		B. Coleman Check the Technique 107: ‘I remember [...] driving out there to find the studio, which was pretty janky’.
2012		C. Eble (ed.) UNC-CH Campus Sl. 2011 6: JANK — unfortunate, adverse, not good [...] JANKY — of poor quality, tacky: ‘The wall in our new apartment looked janky after Bob repaired the hole with duct tape.’.
2012		M. Lacher On the Bro’d 31: [W]e hauled ass through some jank-ass towns [ibid.] 149: Brad’s Rover was sorta janky.
2014		Ruderman & Laker Busted 155: Everything at the Daily News was janky. The computers were bulky and sounded like jet planes taking off whenever we turned them on.
2023		Twitter 22 Mar. 🌐 The new central campus dorm design has accounted for the Allen Creek urban trail [...] We don't need to do the janky detour as per earlier alignment studies.

2. stupid.

1996		UGK ‘Pinky Ring’ 🎵 Motherfuckers actin cranky / Stanky, attitudes be janky.
2000		Ebonics Primer at www.dolemite.com 🌐 janky Definition: stupid acting, foolish Example: Man you janky as hell tryin’ to bust my game.
2002		‘Touré’ Portable Promised Land (ms.) 156: We Words (My Favorite Things) [...] Janky. Hooptie. Hoochie. Homie.

3. untrustworthy.

1993		Roots ‘Session’ 🎵 The janky little brother of Mr. Bruce.
2008		Three 6 Mafia ‘Trap Boom’ 🎵 These janky niggaz on the town, I hope they know the biz.
2011		E-40 ‘My Lil Grimey Nigga’ 🎵 My lil grimey nigga Maney janky like tricked dice.