Graffiti terms explained: tag, throw-up, piece, wildstyle and more

By TrainWars · 7 October 2026 · 4 min read

Graffiti has its own language. Writers use short words for the style of a piece, the tools they use, and the places they paint. This glossary explains the main terms in plain English. Each one has a short definition, and where it helps, a note on how to try it in TrainWars, a free graffiti game that runs in your browser.

The three basic types of work

Tag

A tag is the writer's signature. It is the smallest and oldest form of graffiti: a name, written fast in one flowing line. A good tag is about rhythm and style, not size. In TrainWars, use the Thin cap to practise your tag on a panel.

Throw-up

A throw-up (or throwie) is a quick name in big, round, bubble-style letters. It usually has two colours: a fill and an outline. It sits between a tag and a piece. The aim is to get the name up fast and make it readable from far away. Use the Fat or Fat XL cap for the fill and a Thin cap for the outline.

Piece

A piece is short for masterpiece. It is the biggest and most detailed form: several colours, shading, highlights, effects like 3D or glow, and a careful outline. Pieces are planned in a sketch first. A piece you are especially proud of, or that other writers rate highly, may be called a burner.

Wildstyle

Wildstyle is a complex lettering style where letters interlock, overlap and grow arrows, spikes and curves. It can be hard to read on purpose, so that other writers have to look closely. Wildstyle is a style, not a size. You can do it in a tag, a throw-up or a piece.

Bombing

Bombing means painting a lot of work in many places, fast. It focuses on quantity and getting your name seen, usually with tags and throw-ups. A writer who does this is a bomber.

Writer, crew and toy

• Writer: the usual word for a graffiti artist.
• Crew: a group of writers who paint together under a shared name.
• Toy: a beginner. Everybody was a toy once.

Tools: can, cap and marker

• Cap: the nozzle on a spray can. It sets the line width. A skinny cap gives thin, sharp lines. A fat cap gives wide, soft coverage.
• Can control: how well you manage distance, speed and angle to get clean lines and avoid drips.
• Marker: a paint marker, often a refillable squeezer, used for tags and detail.

Parts of a letter

• Fill-in: the main colour inside the letters.
• Outline: the line around the letters. It makes them sharp and readable.
• Highlight: a light area that makes the letter look shiny or round.
• Drip: paint that runs down the surface. Some writers avoid them. Others use them as style.
• Overspray: the soft mist around a line, mostly from fat caps or from standing too far back.

Places: yard, layup and spot

• Spot: any place a writer paints.
• Yard: a place where trains are stored and maintained.
• Layup: a place where trains are stopped for the night, often outside or in a tunnel.
• Panel: one section of a train side. A whole car covers a full car, end to end.

TrainWars has yards and layups in Stockholm, Berlin, Oslo and Paris. See each one in paint subway trains online.

Blackbook

A blackbook is a writer's sketchbook. Writers draw letters and plan pieces there, and trade pages with other writers. In TrainWars your blackbook is where your painted pages and photos are saved, and you can open them again from any device after you sign in.

Buff

Buffing is the removal of graffiti, by painting over it or washing it off. A wall or train that has been cleaned is buffed. Writers often take a photo of a piece before it is buffed. TrainWars has a photo mode with an analog-style flash for the same reason, and a washer tool if you want to start again.

Try it yourself

The fastest way to learn the terms is to do them. Open TrainWars, pick the free Stockholm yard, and paint a tag, then a throw-up, then a piece. For how the paint works, read how TrainWars paint works. To compare with other games, see the best graffiti games in 2026.