Rekt is a deliberate misspelling of "wrecked," used in gaming and then crypto communities to describe a severe loss. To be rekt is to have suffered significant financial damage — losing most or all of a position, typically through a rug pull, a failed trade, a liquidation, or simply buying the top of a pump. The term is often used with gallows humor: the community acknowledges the loss, validates the pain briefly, and moves on.
Rekt culture is central to the psychology of the trenches. Because losses are so frequent, the community has developed norms around them that reduce stigma. Sharing rekt screenshots on CT is common; it signals honesty and participation over the embarrassment of hiding losses. The counter-cultural move compared to traditional finance, where losses are hidden, is to share them openly as a social ritual.