What does "hella" mean?

Intensifier, modifying verbs; to a large extent; totally; very much.

Hella

/ˈhɛl.ə/ adv, contraction, det, intj, name, pron, slang

adv, contraction, det, intj, name, pron, slang ·Moderate ·College level

Adverb

1
Intensifier, modifying verbs; to a large extent; totally; very much. Northern-California, not-comparable, slang
"I can't tell you how much I hella love the new track."
2
Intensifier, modifying adjectives; to a large degree; extremely; exceedingly. US, not-comparable, regional, slang
"I guess she seems hella stoned in her commercial."

Determiner

1
Intensifier, signifies an abundance of a thing; much or many. Northern-California, slang
"There are hella people here."

Pronoun

1
A lot; very much. Northern-California, slang
"We paid hella for that Chinese cuisine."

Intj

1
For sure; totally; hell yeah; used as a strong affirmation of something that was just said, accomplished, or revealed. Northern-California, slang
""We definitely rocked that shit man!" "Hella!""

Contraction

1
Contraction of Hell + have. abbreviation, alt-of, contraction, nonstandard
"Where the hella you been?"

Proper Noun

"There's hella empty seats over there."

Etymology 1

Related to "a hell of a". Originally Northern California slang. Compare helluv, helluva.

Etymology 2

Shortened form, or elision, of phrases like "hell have", approximating casual speech in writing.