The Democrats had a historic night Tuesday, with huge election wins in red states like South Carolina, North Carolina, Iowa, Kansas, and Texas. The Democrats will control the House, the Senate, and a majority of states will have Democratic governors come January.

Tech leaders loyal to Republicans and President Donald Trump are licking their wounds, and Democrats are celebrating like crazy on social media. One of the most common jokes right now is about the start of the Woke 3 era. And even though many people are making light of it, there’s probably some truth to the idea that this is a bold new chapter. Unfortunately for the right-wing tech bros like Elon Musk, Woke 3 isn’t going to be nearly as tame as Woke 1.

The Woke eras, if you’re unfamiliar, describe different periods when more socially progressive ideas dominated the discourse. They were defined by more inclusive language—think Latinx, “unhoused,” and pronouns in bios—along with a general recognition that racism and sexism exist as things people should fight against.

People on the right throw around the word “woke” to ridicule anything they didn’t like, but there was something earnest and authentic about Woke 1 as a movement. It was a mission to become more socially conscious and make the world a little bit fairer place to live. The people who crushed Woke 1 aren’t going to like the goals of Woke 3 one bit. Because this one comes with political power, thanks to the Democratic landslide.

Woke 1 arguably started in the 2010s during the second term of President Barack Obama and peaked in the summer of 2020 with the uprising in Minneapolis, Minnesota, after a police officer killed George Floyd.

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