Cholo is a slang term in Spanish, although it also appears in American English. It has two somewhat different meanings, one in North America (the United States and Mexico) and another in South America.

In North America, cholo is a fairly offensive term implying a chicano gangster. It stereotypically implies wearing chinos (khaki pants), so-called wifebeater sleeveless t-shirts, or flannel shirts with only the top buttoned, and a hairnet or a bandana worn low on the forehead. This same designation may be associated with black ink tattoos, commonly involving gang, calligraphy or family names and art. This is the image that Cheech Marin drew on in the Cheech and Chong films. This usage was more prevalent in the 1970s and 1980s than today. The parents of cholos were commonly called pachuco zoot suiters.

In South America a cholo is a person of mestizo (Native American and European ancestry). In recent years, the meaning of the term has shifted to describe the mestizos it was originally intended for, as well as those of exclusively Native American ancestry who aspire to higher social status. It often implies a bilingual person who speaks both fluent Spanish and an Amerindian language. This usage is also pejorative, but somewhat less so than in the US and Mexico. It might be comparable to Yuppie.

During the Peruvian elections, the incumbent Alejandro Toledo was nicknamed El cholo versus the president Alberto Fujimori, El chino.

A cholo or chicano might also stereotypically own a low rider. The chicanos were the ones that started the low rider trend and started the oldest gangs of California.