kek

interjection

ˈkek 

slang

—used especially online to express amusement

… the internet-gaming term kek, a variation of lol (laugh out loud) that originated in South Korea and on the World of Warcraft online game.

—livemint.com

The origins of Kek, a fictional frog-like deity worshiped satirically online in alt-right circles, are complex and convoluted, involving a cartoon called Pepe the Frog and an actual ancient Egyptian god. But the term "kek" itself is believed to have been popularized through World of Warcraft. When players from the game's opposing factions try to communicate via public chat, their text is garbled. If Horde players type in "lol," Alliance players see "kek" instead. "The phrase caught on as a variation on 'LOL' in game chat rooms as well as at open forums dedicated to gaming, animation and popular culture, such as 4chan and Reddit—also dens of the alt-right," according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups.

—Aurelian Breeden

Word History

Etymology

apparently shortened from kekeke, representing the hangul letters ㅋㅋㅋ (ㅋ being a tense velar plosive), used similarly to LOL in Internet communication by Koreans as a representation of laughter

First Known Use

circa 2003, in the meaning defined above