What does "I know, right?" mean?

Not only is my seventh grader using this phrase, but her teachers are as well.

I suppose it means I totally agree with you and you totally agree with me but it sounds like there is a subtle Is that okay? at the end with the right part.

What do you think?

Solution 1:

Slightly OT, but it reminds me of the similar (but not identical) Canadian English phrase:

That's cool, eh?

It's a sentence softener... and a way to get general acceptance from the person you are speaking with.

Anyway, best described with an example:

girl 1: That's girl's outfit is SO ugly!

girl 2: OMG, how does she even live with herself?

girl 1: I know, right? She is SOooo uncool.

"I know" can be a strong statement, so adding the question "right?" is a way of getting general acceptance from the other person.

Solution 2:

I would say that it doesn't signify is that okay? so much as tell me more.

It also suggests empathy in addition to agreement. To me, it seems roughly equivalent to I totally agree with you, you know? In addition to sharing the opinion, it also subtly connotes that both parties arrived at the same conclusion, possibly in the same way.

Solution 3:

It seems to me that "right?" is a way of creating a bond between the two people talking. I usually hear it in the context of sharing some fact that you wouldn't tell someone to his/her face, e.g. "How does she even live with herself?" from Atomix's example. It's like saying, "Right? We share this idea and therefore we are similar and should be friends."

Solution 4:

Emphatic agreement in a youthful, maybe feminine register.