2000-This was a great year. I was 10 years old then and this year still held the same pop culture that I loved from the 90s.
2001-This year was good during the beginning, but 9/11 kind of traumatized me as a kid.
2002-"Spider-Man" and "Star Wars" were a big thing for me as a 12 year old in 2002.
2003-Hmmm...I turned 13, and "The Return of the King" came out! Best movie ever!
2004-I went to see "Spider-Man 2" the first day it came out. Good times.
2005-"Star Wars-Episode III: Revenge of the Sith" was amazing, along with my hero Peter Jackson's "King Kong"
2006-Boring. Summer full of bad movies.
2007-This year (as of now) has been a pretty interesting year, though the summer movies, especially that "sequel May" thing sucked. 

Hmm...decent choices, if a bit too reliant on movies.  Then again, if you're a big movie fan, then that probably is a deciding factor of the years for you.  Might as well put in my opinion.

2000 - 10/10.  Last year of innocence for me and very, very nostalgic.
2001 - 7/10.  Great beginning, but the second half saw my life become worse and a loss of innocence.  An amazing year for video games though and truly the start of our "modern" era (despite new systems being released, the same games that are popular now were popular back in 2001).
2002 - 5/10.  The low point in my life and I feel little nostalgia for this era.  The movies were great though and video games had a good year also.  Reality tv was terrible though but at its peak and the music seemed to lack a distinct identity in my opinion, although Rap was better back then.
2003 - 6/10.  A really bad first half, but things got better near the end, but still not good.  The stuff I like from this year is the stuff that also carried over in 2004 (like Outkast - "Hey Ya" and stuff like that).  Also, Return of the King = instantly better than 2002.
2004 -8/10.  The defining year of the 00s.  Great music, great movies, amazing video games, and tv got a bit better, but still not great.  Loss of point for over-dominance of Rap music and remnants of crappy reality tv still populating the airwaves.
2005 - 8/10.  2005 was a very good year for Rock music (actually, music in general was good this year) and it was one of the years were I was totally immersed in 00s pop culture and truly loved it.  No idea why I loved it, but this year will always have fond memories for me.
2006 - 8/10.  Most underrated year ever.  Yes, it was a bad year for movies (worst of the 00s) and Rap music hit a new low, but other than that, it was great!  Music actually got better this year (ignore Rap and you'll see 2006 wasn't that bad!), tv was actually good, very eventful video game year (the fall of Sony!), and my personal life was great.  It'd be 9/10, but the lack of movies brings the rating down.
2007 - 9/10.  It has actually been a really good year for me.  Graduation was certainly a major event in my life.  Rap music is terrible, but other than that, 2007's music isn't that bad at all (and it actually has an identity, unlike 2002).  The year has been amazing for movies and easily makes up for 2006, best video game year since 2004, and tv continues to improve.  

Yeah, my personal life influences my ratings.  Hard to be nostalgic about a year when your life was terrible.  By way of comparision, my personal life was great in 2006, so that obviously influences the rating.  All in all, the 00s have shown an upward trend in recent years, with a slight dip in 2005 (it wasn't as defining as 2004, but I loved it anyway).  Unfortunately, 2008 will probably be worse than 2007.  Writer's strike = lack of tv + crappy rushed reality shows = instant loss of a point unless the rest of the year is utterly amazing.

2000: (9/10) The start of the decade was solid and 2000 did have great pop culture imo, don't stereotype it as all backstreet boys, there's more to music than 2 or 3 artists. Reality TV begins to come to prominence.
2001: (8/10) Another nice year, music was good here. Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige "Family Affair", Dido "Thank You", Eve, Staind "It's Been Awhile", Incubus, Linkin Park, System of A Down, Shaggy, Janet's "All For You" album. New game systems come out and end the ps1, n64 era. Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter series begin, very key '00s movies.
2002: (8/10) Basically similar to 01, also a good year. Remember most for Nelly, Avril Lavigne, Christina Aguilera's "Stripped", Eminem, Kylie Minogue's comeback album, No Doubt, Shakira, Pink, Ashanti, Missy Elliott's "Work It".
2003: (7/10) Music changes quite a lot imo, 50 Cent, Sean Paul, Chingy, Lil Jon, etc. all come on the scene and hip-hop really starts taking over pop music, but I still think music over all wasn't too bad here. Beyonce goes solo for the first time. I remember I saw Return of the King. TV I remember mostly for reality stuff.
2004: (8/10) Like 01 and 02 fit together 03/04 fit together to me as pretty similar style years. Remembered most for Outkast, Velvet Revolver, The Killers, Kanye West, Britney's "Toxic", No Doubt's "It's My Life", Mario Winans "I Don't Wanna Know" (awesome R&B song), JoJo. cover which was awesome, Ushers ton of hits.
2005: (8/10) This year was pretty different and unique imo, I guess it's in between the mid '00s and late '00s so it kind of has it's own identity. Music was probably close to the best it ever has been in the '00s, though it all died around the fall. Reality TV begins decline, prime-time drama shows (LOST, Desperate Housewives, etc.) take over. I also saw "Revenge of the Sith" (mentioned above). XBOX 360 comes out beginning the death of the ps2, xbox, gc era.
2006: (4/10) Worst year of the '00s, I really hate this year now and didn't like it that much while it was going on. Music was junk pretty much, Loose was great though. "Say It Right" one of my favorite songs of the '00s comes out at the end of the year. TV did continue to improve so that's a good thing, Casino Royale was pretty good too I guess. PS3 and Wii launch. Oh yeah there's Gears of War (great game), I guess I'll give 06 a few more points for that lol.
2007: (5/10) Better than 06, still pretty bad. Music slightly improves over 06 but same crap basically. Haven't seen many movies except like Spiderman 3 (ok) and Chuck and Larry (very funny). TV though I don't watch it much now, looks pretty good lol.

2000 (7/10)- I went to school for a first time. Mom and Dad got divorced. I have started to sing in school show.
2001 (9/10)- I kissed for a first time.
2002 (6/10)- I remember I was a great fan of Aguilera
2003 (9/10)- I was Black Eyed Peas fan. I used to wear a blue top like Fergie every summer day.
2004 (10/10)- Quite similar to 2003. I remember singing "Let's get it started really loud near neighbours house. It was actually the best year of all decade.
2005 (6/10)- I was only 11- not a teenager yet and not a child anymore. I was "dating" with the stupidest boy in my class, using Mom's lipstick. I liked "Revenge of the Sith". I was very conscious of being thin.
2006 (4/10)- Worst year ever. Hate Fergie's "Dutchess". Bad Rap. I was staying in hospital with anorexia (oww, my weight was 24 kg) from november until february 2007
2007 (9/10)- Began for me in february. Great year. The Best summer I spent in "Mary Hare". Don't like movies, especially Superbad and Borat. Music is not very good, but better than in 2006.

My years in the 00's:

2000: oh god Teen pop was all over the place. I got a new place to work though at the end of the year so that was good and I did notice teen-pop was fading so that was a good thing heading into 2001.
2001: Great year(but) I loved my new place to work, the 76ers with Allen Iverson went to the finals, music was getting better. Staind, Craig David, and Alicia Keys were the big artists that year. The (but) that I had was of course Sept 11th, and R&B singers Aaliyah's death which I was so shocked over.
2002: Ok year but nothing to writw home about except for rappers Jay-z and Nas having a fued. Kylie Minogue makes a huge comeback.The LA Lakers beat the Sacremento Kings in a 7 game playoff series for the right to go the NBA Finals in what I call one of the best playoff series of all time. My Homestate New Jersey Nets go to the NBA Finals though!
2003: Oh no Rap Music has taken over with 50 Cent but Evaesence was huge that year too. This was an ok year. Kanye West comes onto the music scene with the song "Slow Jamz" featuring rapper Twista and singer/actor Jamiee Fox.
2004: Actually a pretty good year for music and for me too. I went to the Jersey Shore for a week and had some fun. The Pistons upset the Lakers in the NBA Finals! Yeah Pistons!
2005: The 1st half was actally good musically again with Green Days comeback. In April my boss told me I will not be working at the place that I was working since late 2000.  I was very upset over this for 2 months. I went on a trip to Baltimore and that was fun but stuff like "Laffy Taffy" come onto the music scene.
2006: was like 1990 for music(2006 music scene lacked an idenity.) I try to learn to approach women but it is hard because I am shy.
2007: I switch places to work twice the 1st one was great, my current job is ok though(the people are very very helpful.) Rap music gets horrible. I totaled my car that I had since September of 2001 too in September and was forced to buy a new car.

My 00's years:

2000: The new millenium was off to a great start! I was 21 and always going out to clubs and bars. A lot of good music came out that year that was playing in those clubs. It was also the last laid-back and carefree year before G.W. Bush and 9/11

2001: Not as good as 2000, but still pretty good. Of course we all remember what happened that September.

2002: First half was dull and depressing, mainly because it was immediately following 9/11. Also because the pop-culture was dull. Ashanti songs were played out. It got better in the later half. I went to NYC for the first time in my life in Sept.

2003: Better than 2002, but had it some really rough times, especially between July and Oct. when it seemed that one thing went wrong after another. A lot of good music came out, like 50 Cent, Outkast's "Hey Ya" song, and Jay-Z.

2004: Another one of my favorite years of the 00's. Some more good music came out that makes me feel nostalgic for it now, like Usher's "Confessions" album, Chingy, Kanye West, Black Eyed Peas. I went on a road trip to Northern California (Fresno, Yosemite, S.F.). I consider 2004 to be the "feel good" year of the 00's, when there was a lot of optimism for the future, which is probably why GWB got re-elected (the only bad thing about '04) not knowing what the late 00's had in store for us. I also purchased a condo which a few years later became a mistake because of the real estate downturn.

2005: Exciting year movie-wise. Batman Begins, Revenge of Sith, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and many other movies that are classics now. TV also got better that year with a decline in reality shows and a rise in scripted shows that were worth watching (the Office, Mind of Mencia, etc.). 2005 felt like the turning point of the 00's. It was in a transition between the early half and the later half of the decade. It's also the year I went to Europe.

2006: Least favorite year of the 00's. I got tired of hearing "YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL" by James Blunt. As some others mentioned, the summer movies were crap compared to 2005. There were some good movies in the later part of the year however, like Borat, The Departed, Pursuit of Happiness, and Children of Men. 2006 was basically a crappy wannabe 2005. I like to metaphorically describe 2006 as the year that had alot of leftovers from the good meal of 2005 which weren't microwaved long enough. It was also the year when things started go downhill with the social and economic climate, ending the optimism of a few years ago. It was also bad in my personal life mainly due to conflicts with co-workers, and financial stress. 2 good things that came out in '06 are the Nintendo Wii and Playstation 3.

2007: An improvement from 2006. It is the year I got married. The music scene also started to improve, with rap recovering after declining in 2006. I also like the new sound from artists like Timbaland. A lot of good movies came out in 2007 like Transformers, Spiderman 3, 300, American Gangster, Blades of Glory, and Superbad. Aside from pop-culture, 2007 is still considered part of the difficult times socially and economically, as how the late 00's have become. People also seem to be more mean and hostile, as it appears how society is nowadays. The crime rate is also higher. The downhill trend which started in 2006 continued in 2007 and will likely continue through 2008. Work wise it's still pretty crappy because I'm stationed in the same place I was in 2006, but I'll be leaving there in a few weeks!

2008: Should be a good year. I'll be moving to Japan which I'm really looking forward to. Pop-culture wise, the writers strike could impact the TV shows. But I'll be in Japan so I probably won't be missing anything anyways. I also think that Hillary Clinton or another Democrat will be elected, under the same circumstances that Bill was elected in 1992, creating the light at the end of the tunnel. The other reason why I think 2008 will be a great year is because as long as I can remember, all the years that have the summer olympics were good years in my personal life and have the most nostalgia for (2004, 2000, 1996, 1992, 1988, 1984). They also happen to be leap years.

It looks like everybody's favourite 2000's year is 2004 and everybody hate 2006 :o

It looks like everybody's favourite 2000's year is 2004 and everybody hate 2006 :o


I think I'm the only one here who liked 2006.  The  movies were underwhelming and the Rap was crap, but the rest of it was actually really good.  Great tv, a most eventful video game year (two new game systems, the fall of Sony, etc.), and the music wasn't half bad outside of the terrible Rap.  Say what you will, but I actually like the "Timbaland Era" that started in 2006, along with all the good Rock (although I will admit it wasn't as good as 2005) and the return of Adult Comtemporary songs like "How To Save A Life", "Bad Day", etc.

Not to mention that my personal life was really good in 2006, so that helped a lot in my perception of the year as being a good one.  That said, it is true that it doesn't have as much of an identity as 2005 and 2007 do.

2000: i was in 5th grade, and was really into Pokemon and anime. the entire 5th grade went to a sleep away camp for two days, and i had a miserable time. i was interested in the occult and wicca, and i think it freaked out my teacher. i was sent to the counsuller to have a chat about that...i began having symptoms of OCD.

2001: the year i decided to apply myself in school. after years of being a seriously mediocre-to-bad student, i started getting all A's and B's. alot of great music came out this year. i loved all the singles from Shakira's laundry service album.  i started reading Nancy Drew and Hardy Boy books, and became a huge fan. i got Daft Punk's album Discovery...it was a good year. one of the best school years of my life.

2002: my entire family on my dad's side went to Wisconsion for two weeks that summer. it was alot of fun. unfortunately, it was the same summer i tried committing suicide several times by over dosing on aspirin because i was so terrified of entering junior high. i chronicled it all in a diary that i still have. i entered junior high, and it wasn't as bad as i expected.

2003: i entered 8th grade, probably my best school year ever. i got into Bikini Kill and Sleater Kinney, a band i can't stand now. i had a nice group of kids i talked to in school. i had a really nice Chirstmas vacation this year.i became obsessed with American Girl and Living Dead dolls. i saw the movie 'A Streetcar Named Desire', and it became one of my favorite films. i was also obsessed with the 'Halloween' movie series.

2004: the song 'Dance This Mess Around' from the B-52's debut became my theme song. i ditched all my 8th grade graducation rehearsels, and didn't go to the ceremony. but i still got alot of money to spend from my parents and relatives for the occasion, and had the BEST summer of my life. i will always remember the summer of 2004. i began collecting 80's Barbies. unfortunately, i was absolutely terrified of entering high school. and freshman year was really, really tough. i became obsessive about my grades, and developed and axiety disorder, symptoms of tourettes, and became more obsessive compulsive. i also had an over dose of sleeping pills, and spent a week in a ward of a hospital for "troubled" teens.

2005: sophomore year, i  unfortunately stopped caring so much about my grades. i ended up failing chemistry. on the bright side, i became obsessed with Blondie and Madonna, which led to me becoming obsessed with music in general. i had a terrible, terrible time in drivers ed....

2006: i recieved both the Ramone's and The Clash's debut, along with The Cure's 'Boys Don't Cry' and Roxy Music's 'Stranded' album for my birthday, among other things, and it kick started my interest in punk, post-punk and glam. i also recieved Duran Duran's 'Rio' and Donna Summer's 'Bad Girls' albums. that summer, i got into Janet Jackson and Mariah Carey, along with various punk/post-punk/new wave bands. i also saw Madonna live. i started shopping at American Apparel and Urban Outfitters, which is where i got my school clothes for junior year, which turned out to be pretty much just another crappy, boring year of mediocre grades. i recieved a ton of CD's for Christmas. i started listening to modern music, like Beyonce, Nelly Furtado, Gwen Stefani, and Fergie

2007: my sister moved out in January. my brother moved out in October. at the end of the summer, i got into The Smiths. i entered my seinor year, which i thought would be great, but so far has been crap. i thought things would be better this year, since i enrolled in mostly art classes, but now i regreat that....as you can see, school dominates my life. i'm actually trying to get a license and a job...my self esteem started to go down.....

I'll have to come up with a more comprehensive list later, but it's really interesting reading everyone else's replies. I agree with (among others) Brian, tv, and sonikuu's assessments in terms of the pop culture of those years. I also agree that how your personal life was going would affect how you viewed other things around you. For instance, if you were having a good time, the things which you enjoyed would add to your positive views of the time. And if you were kinda experiencing a rough time, the bad stuff would accentuate it even more.

My favorite pop culture year is probably 2002/'03 (the very last gasp of Nineties style variety, with some new things popping up too, like Jimmy Eat World...yet before those styles were fully saturated). For my personal life, I'd say actually late this year, and probably 2008/'09 will be good too. I'm actually in something of a transitional stage right now with alot of different stuff changing in my own life (it's a long story), so that's interesting and exciting to say the least.

2000 - 9/10. Really the last year of being a "kid", so to speak. (due to 2001 being the first year of "senior" high school)
2001 - 7/10. Kinda boring. Nothing happened. And music/tv really began to suck. (remember that NZ is often 1-2 years behind the UK and US when it comes to pop culture)
2002 - 8/10. Better than 01. 2nd worst year for music/TV.
2003 - 9/10. Only gets a 9 due to it being the last year of school. Worst year for music IMO.
2004 - 8/10.
2005 - 7/10
2006 - 7/10
2007 - 8/10
2008 - 10/10!!! (let's hope)