What does "brat" mean? Is it a curse?

Native speaker’s answer
Rebecca
"Brat" is a slang word that is usually used to refer to kids, often ones that misbehave or are unruly. It can be used in a positive, affectionate way, but the speaker is not using it in that way here - he says "brat" here as a bit of an insult. Ex: I'm scared of having kids because I constantly see brats misbehaving in public. Ex: Come here, brat. Let Mommy give you a hug.