Meaning:
“氪” refers to the chemical “krypton,” “金” means “gold,” and “粉” is short for “粉丝” (fěnsī), which refers to “fans.” “氪金,” first used by gamers, is a misuse of the phrase “课金,” which means “to pay a fee,” since some people pay a hefty sum to play online games. The money is spent on accessories, downloads or other features that help gamers to get ahead in the game. When borrowed to the context of supporting one’s idol, the term
“氪金粉” refers to the fans who pay for accessories, concert tickets or transact money to the official fan clubs of their idol, so as to help their idol gain exposure on the media.
Example:
A: 丽丽又向我借钱了，她怎么最近开销这么大？
Lìli yòu xiàng wǒ jièqián le，tā zěnme zuìjìn kāixiāo zhème dà？
Li Li borrowed money from me again. Why is she spending so much money now?
B: 听她的同学说，她追随潮流成了一个小明星的氪金粉。
Tīng tā de tóngxué shuō，tā zhuīsuí cháoliú chéng le yīge xiǎo míngxīng de kèjīnfěn。
One of her classmates says she got herself involved in the trend of supporting her idol with real money.