"Conlang" for a constructed language (Esperanto, Klingon, Dothraki) has been around for about 30 years.
I think the confusing part here isn't the informal abbreviation, it's the general concept that a programming language made to be intentionally inefficient/confusing/hard is "esoteric".
Making up a phrase to give a language a label based a vague notion of popularity is pretty nonsensical. If people start using it, is it no longer an 'esolang'?
Aside from the thought that it's effete, precious, and obnoxious, it makes the headline incomprehensible just to save six letters (or to seem trendy). Ugh.
