Meaning:

“刷” is short for “刷新,” which means to “refresh,” and “榜” means a “list” or “board.” In recent years, the verb “刷” has been used creatively by Chinese netizens, as people “刷微信” (check their WeChat account) or “刷美剧” (watch American TV series, often online). However, the term we are talking about today is more similar to “刷单,” which refers to the shoddy practice of faking transaction records by some online shopowners to attract more potential buyers. The latest term “刷榜” appeared after pop idol Kris Wu’s new songs got in front of the iTunes streaming list recently, as some question if his team had used robots to download his songs to generate fake numbers.

Example:

A: 你觉得那个明星刷榜了吗？

Nǐ juédé nàge míngxīng shuābǎng le ma？

Do you think the pop star used robots to get fake traffic?

B: 可能吧。

Kěnéng ba。

Perhaps.