Fanlore:Featured Article Archives/2018: Week 48

Gen is a label for a fanwork that contains no romantic or sexual content, either het (heterosexual) or slash (homosexual). The term comes from "general audiences", the MPAA term for a child-safe film. However, it shouldn't automatically be considered G-rated (suitable for young children). It can--and often does--deal with mature subjects, including graphic violence and other potentially complex themes.

Before the 1990s, the word General was more frequently used, as for example, in the Surak Awards.