I personally think so. Lets go over the age ranges for generations to get a little feeling of why I think so (note this is just my educated opinion, everybody's entitled to their own) but if we were to go with the typical definition that Gen X was born from 1965-1980 that would mean Gen Y were born the NEXT 16 years after that from 1981-1996.

So if we were to assume these age categories that would mean Gen Y is at a similar point in their lives as Gen X was in 1999, the youngest Xers were 19 and the oldest Xers were 34. You could argue that the youngest Yers as of now are 19 and the oldest Yers are 34.

So lets go back to 1999, during that year almost ALL Gen X influences were gone. We were now in the peak of a new teenaged bubblegum pop era with acts like Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, 98 Degrees, & The Spice Girls, along with other early Gen Y music trends like Nu Metal & Party Rap.

Now from what I researched and studied, the earliest signs of Gen Y music trends occurred around in the Summer of 1996 thanks to the popularity of the Macerana, however it wasn't completely Y and it had a much wider appeal than later songs with a similar style but directly targeting Gen Y. By Fall of 96' you had the debut of the Spice Girls and Backstreet Boys and by Spring of 97' they were everywhere. So while the 1996-1997 school year was the LAST School Year with more Gen X musical influences there was no doubt a transition from the more angsty late X Grunge & Gangsta Rap at the very start of the school year in favor of a more light hearted bubblegum pop, nu metal, and popish rap/hip hop by the end of that same school year

By the time 1999 came around most Gen Xers born in 1976 and before were now completely aged out of the targeted audience and most of them probably thought the music was crap. Only the younger Xers born from 1977-1980 were part of the targeted audience, however with the MAIN target audience being high schoolers at the time and the young xers being 19-22 at the time, were now starting to 'feel old' and not actually the prime audience anymore.


Now for recent times; 2012 while mainly a Gen Y year for music and probably the last to have more Gen Y influences, was also the earliest time Gen Z style music started to become very noticeable. Think of the Summer debut of One Direction, Gangnam Style, & Taylor Swift gradually going into a more popish sound around fall of that year and the big debut 2 Chainz. This was around when Gen Z influences started to rise.

However 2011-2012 school year was still the last firm Gen Y school year, and 2012-2013 was the last Y school year as well but this was also a big transitional year. Music acts like Rihanna, early Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, Flo Rida, Lady Gaga, Kesha, LMFAO & Skrillex were still very commercially and culturally relevant for people my age during the 2012-2013 school year however by the very end of that school year Kesha and Lady Gaga had fallen, Flo Rida was barely talked about, Lil Wayne was now overshadowed by newer rappers like 2 Chainz and Macklemore, Nicki Minaj was now transitioning into her current sound, and Rihanna while still relevant was nowhere near the same popularity she was from 2009-2012 which I would argue was her peak, plus dubstep faded and Modern EDM rose, giving a death seal to Skrillex which while still popular was now not the top dog anymore and LMFAO were now forgotten about.

So as of now in 2015 we are now in a new teen pop era for music with acts like Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez, One Direction (despite Zayn leaving), Five Seconds of Summer, Fifth Harmony, & Becky G now dominating the airwaves. You still have a few mature artists like Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, Paramore, & depending on the songs being Taylor Swift, but for the most part everything is more Z influenced now. And like in 1999, most Yers born in 1992 and before are now completely aged out and even then most people in that age range probably think the music of today is crap and dull while guys born from 1993-1996 while not completely aged out and many still enjoy music of today (I know I sure do despite a huge overabbundace of teen pop) they are now also starting to 'feel old' as the music of today is mainly targeted at tweens and young teens, NOT COLLEGE STUDENTS.

So am I the only person that feels this way?

You still have a few mature artists like Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, Paramore, & depending on the songs being Taylor Swift, but for the most part everything is more Z influenced now. And like in 1999, most Yers born in 1992 and before are now completely aged out and even then most people in that age range probably think the music of today is crap and dull while guys born from 1993-1996 while not completely aged out and many still enjoy music of today (I know I sure do despite a huge overabbundace of teen pop) they are now also starting to 'feel old' as the music of today is mainly targeted at tweens and young teens, NOT COLLEGE STUDENTS.


Don't forget to include 1997 too, they are in college as well.

Don't forget to include 1997 too, they are in college as well.


Yeah your right about that

Don't forget to include 1997 too, they are in college as well.

Yes, early-mid 97 born are the youngest in college currently. While fall 97 born are still in high school. At least where I live.

Personally, I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this way!! The only artists I enjoy nowadays are like you stated; Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, and Panamore. MAYBE college freshman could enjoy some of the new teeny bopper acts. But for us older college students, that aint happening! The music today seems very childish watered down and ridiculous!! I usually just listen to the old music from the 50s, 60s,70s, 80s, 90s, and 00s. Specifically the Soul and Contemporary R&b, Jazz, classic and modern Rock, old rap.etc. etc.

Personally, I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this way!! The only artists I enjoy nowadays are like you stated; Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, and Panamore. MAYBE college freshman could enjoy some of the new teeny bopper acts. But for us older college students, that aint happening! The music today seems very childish watered down and ridiculous!! I usually just listen to the old music from the 50s, 60s,70s, 80s, 90s, and 00s. Specifically the Soul and Contemporary R&b, Jazz, classic and modern Rock, old rap.etc. etc.


I'll also listen to lots of the hip-hop, R&B, and electropop music from the late 2000's & early 2010's too, that came out throughout 2008-2011/2012ish. Being in my later middle school years and earlier high school years I have so many fun memories from all the music that came out throughout the time. The melody, the beat, and the lyrics were so fresh! It was great! I still listen to some hip-hop music that comes out today and I always give it a chance. Although you still have some great hits here and there today but not consistently like before. This "peak of music is throughout your early 20's, not teens" is straight up nonsense. It depends on your favorite genre and most importantly WHEN that genre of music is in its golden age or prime, which is when you like that type of music coming out the most.

Personally, I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this way!! The only artists I enjoy nowadays are like you stated; Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, and Panamore. MAYBE college freshman could enjoy some of the new teeny bopper acts. But for us older college students, that aint happening! The music today seems very childish watered down and ridiculous!! I usually just listen to the old music from the 50s, 60s,70s, 80s, 90s, and 00s. Specifically the Soul and Contemporary R&b, Jazz, classic and modern Rock, old rap.etc. etc.


I listen to more of the 70's and 80's music, I can't stand today's music. :P

I think it's pretty obvious that we're in the Generation Z era for music.  High school classes are now pretty much fully populated by Z'ers, and the target age demographic of popular music is narrower than ever before.  As much as I feel that the EDM of today is a stylistic progression (or, more accurately, regression) of electropop from late 2008-2011, it definitely seems to be targeting the Z population in particular, whereas Lady Gaga and Kesha were catering to late Generation Y.  People my age now either listen to indie rock or stuff from decades past and have practically no knowledge of current popular artists and hit songs aside from megahits like Happy and Uptown Funk!.

I think it's pretty obvious that we're in the Generation Z era for music.  High school classes are now pretty much fully populated by Z'ers, and the target age demographic of popular music is narrower than ever before.  As much as I feel that the EDM of today is a stylistic progression (or, more accurately, regression) of electropop from late 2008-2011, it definitely seems to be targeting the Z population in particular, whereas Lady Gaga and Kesha were catering to late Generation Y.  People my age now either listen to indie rock or stuff from decades past and have practically no knowledge of current popular artists and hit songs aside from megahits like Happy and Uptown Funk!.

Yeah most of my college buddies, male and female; listen to underground and NON mainstream rap, more mature pop acts(sheeran, Smith, and Panamore) and indie rock.

Yeah most of my college buddies, male and female; listen to underground and NON mainstream rap, more mature pop acts(sheeran, Smith, and Panamore) and indie rock.


DING DING DING, THIS so much! All those mainstream popular songs I don't even focus on that much now with very few exceptions. Remember when Teach Me How to Dougie was a huge thing for a little bit back in 2010? Now this new Whip Nae Nae song that's targeted towards middle school & high schoolers is real popular now. It irritates my ears with pain 8-P

Personally, I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this way!! The only artists I enjoy nowadays are like you stated; Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, and Panamore. MAYBE college freshman could enjoy some of the new teeny bopper acts. But for us older college students, that aint happening! The music today seems very childish watered down and ridiculous!! I usually just listen to the old music from the 50s, 60s,70s, 80s, 90s, and 00s. Specifically the Soul and Contemporary R&b, Jazz, classic and modern Rock, old rap.etc. etc.


Yep while I still enjoy plenty of top 40 songs on the radio there are definitely a lot of other artists I would not be listening to. Could you see a guy our age bopping to 5SOS or Fifth Harmony?  ;D ;D


I think it's pretty obvious that we're in the Generation Z era for music.  High school classes are now pretty much fully populated by Z'ers, and the target age demographic of popular music is narrower than ever before.  As much as I feel that the EDM of today is a stylistic progression (or, more accurately, regression) of electropop from late 2008-2011, it definitely seems to be targeting the Z population in particular, whereas Lady Gaga and Kesha were catering to late Generation Y.  People my age now either listen to indie rock or stuff from decades past and have practically no knowledge of current popular artists and hit songs aside from megahits like Happy and Uptown Funk!.


What I bolded here is so true. ALL High Schoolers & Middle Schoolers are Gen Z now, Period. On top of that the music that is directed towards them is different towards the music that was popular when I was in high school. Actually come to think of it I honestly believe that for most of my high school years teen pop wasn't that popular. Though yo had the breakout of One Direction in 2012, most girls my age were mostly into Rihanna and Kesha at the time. IMO that started shift (with those a couple of years younger than me) around 2013, when Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus, & Selena Gomez ditched their kiddy roles and broke out as major teenaged musical forces in mainstream music. Hence why I always thought of 2013 (and late 2012 to some extent) as the dawn of the era of music we are in today


Yeah most of my college buddies, male and female; listen to underground and NON mainstream rap, more mature pop acts(sheeran, Smith, and Panamore) and indie rock.


Yeah its a bit different with my friends. When we're driving we'll listen to 92.3 or Z100 and sing along and stuff like that. But when we are just chilling at our houses and such we typically just listen to more underground stuff. So with my group of friends we are caught up with current trends but we don't really engage with them that often


DING DING DING, THIS so much! All those mainstream popular songs I don't even focus on that much now with very few exceptions. Remember when Teach Me How to Dougie was a huge thing for a little bit back in 2010? Now this new Whip Nae Nae song that's targeted towards middle school & high schoolers is real popular now. It irritates my ears with pain 8-P



Yeah that song is annoying AF. I cant stand it personally and the guy who sings the song can't dance  ;D ;D

But in all honesty it shows how fast the teen pop of today is changing. The artist who sings that song is Silento and he was born in 1998. So not only do we have people our age and older, who some might consider late Gen Y, making songs for Gen Z but even a few early Gen Zers now entering the fray. Now I will start to feel old as crap once someone born in 2000 has a musical hit as big as Silento  ;D :\'(

But in all honesty it shows how fast the teen pop of today is changing. The artist who sings that song is Silento and he was born in 1998. So not only do we have people our age and older, who some might consider late Gen Y, making songs for Gen Z but even a few early Gen Zers now entering the fray. Now I will start to feel old as crap once someone born in 2000 has a musical hit as big as Silento  ;D :\'(


OOHHH sheesh.... Silento is from my hometown and according to wikipedia he's a senior in high school at the same county my cousins are in :o

that's intriguing for me!

What I bolded here is so true. ALL High Schoolers & Middle Schoolers are Gen Z now, Period. On top of that the music that is directed towards them is different towards the music that was popular when I was in high school. Actually come to think of it I honestly believe that for most of my high school years teen pop wasn't that popular. Though yo had the breakout of One Direction in 2012, most girls my age were mostly into Rihanna and Kesha at the time. IMO that started shift (with those a couple of years younger than me) around 2013, when Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus, & Selena Gomez ditched their kiddy roles and broke out as major teenaged musical forces in mainstream music. Hence why I always thought of 2013 (and late 2012 to some extent) as the dawn of the era of music we are in today

Yeah I associate my high school years MUSICALLY with Lady Gaga, Kesha, Rhianna, Drake, Lil Wayne, Katy, Eminem(2010), Chris Brown etc. Rock kinda declined during my high school years, mainly older acts from the previous decades were thriving.
But I actually consider the oldest high schoolers to be the last cuspers.

You are too obsessed with this kind of stuff. Does it matter how it affects your life? Live and let live.

If I prefer music targeted at Gen Z to the music targeted to Yers does that make me a member of generation Z?
I was born in 1988 but 2012 and 2013 were the first years I truly enjoyed new music. before that I was all about 80's music. ;)

If I prefer music targeted at Gen Z to the music targeted to Yers does that make me a member of generation Z?
I was born in 1988 but 2012 and 2013 were the first years I truly enjoyed new music. before that I was all about 80's music. ;)


Generations are defined by birth years as opposed to personal taste, so you'd still be a "Millennial", but I do think it is important for people to remember that not everybody automatically likes the same music just based on age.

After all, generations are, for the most part, nothing more than speculative psudo-social science. I'm quite stereotypical for a "Core Yer" in that I was mainly into popular music from roughly 1997-2007, but I have some friends even older than I am that still like top 40 stuff today. Heck, my mom is almost 50-years-old and she likes pretty much anything new that gets played on the radio these days.

I personally think so. Lets go over the age ranges for generations to get a little feeling of why I think so (note this is just my educated opinion, everybody's entitled to their own) but if we were to go with the typical definition that Gen X was born from 1965-1980 that would mean Gen Y were born the NEXT 16 years after that from 1981-1996.

So if we were to assume these age categories that would mean Gen Y is at a similar point in their lives as Gen X was in 1999, the youngest Xers were 19 and the oldest Xers were 34. You could argue that the youngest Yers as of now are 19 and the oldest Yers are 34.

So lets go back to 1999, during that year almost ALL Gen X influences were gone. We were now in the peak of a new teenaged bubblegum pop era with acts like Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, 98 Degrees, & The Spice Girls, along with other early Gen Y music trends like Nu Metal & Party Rap.

Now from what I researched and studied, the earliest signs of Gen Y music trends occurred around in the Summer of 1996 thanks to the popularity of the Macerana, however it wasn't completely Y and it had a much wider appeal than later songs with a similar style but directly targeting Gen Y. By Fall of 96' you had the debut of the Spice Girls and Backstreet Boys and by Spring of 97' they were everywhere. So while the 1996-1997 school year was the LAST School Year with more Gen X musical influences there was no doubt a transition from the more angsty late X Grunge & Gangsta Rap at the very start of the school year in favor of a more light hearted bubblegum pop, nu metal, and popish rap/hip hop by the end of that same school year

By the time 1999 came around most Gen Xers born in 1976 and before were now completely aged out of the targeted audience and most of them probably thought the music was crap. Only the younger Xers born from 1977-1980 were part of the targeted audience, however with the MAIN target audience being high schoolers at the time and the young xers being 19-22 at the time, were now starting to 'feel old' and not actually the prime audience anymore.


Now for recent times; 2012 while mainly a Gen Y year for music and probably the last to have more Gen Y influences, was also the earliest time Gen Z style music started to become very noticeable. Think of the Summer debut of One Direction, Gangnam Style, & Taylor Swift gradually going into a more popish sound around fall of that year and the big debut 2 Chainz. This was around when Gen Z influences started to rise.

However 2011-2012 school year was still the last firm Gen Y school year, and 2012-2013 was the last Y school year as well but this was also a big transitional year. Music acts like Rihanna, early Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, Flo Rida, Lady Gaga, Kesha, LMFAO & Skrillex were still very commercially and culturally relevant for people my age during the 2012-2013 school year however by the very end of that school year Kesha and Lady Gaga had fallen, Flo Rida was barely talked about, Lil Wayne was now overshadowed by newer rappers like 2 Chainz and Macklemore, Nicki Minaj was now transitioning into her current sound, and Rihanna while still relevant was nowhere near the same popularity she was from 2009-2012 which I would argue was her peak, plus dubstep faded and Modern EDM rose, giving a death seal to Skrillex which while still popular was now not the top dog anymore and LMFAO were now forgotten about.

So as of now in 2015 we are now in a new teen pop era for music with acts like Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez, One Direction (despite Zayn leaving), Five Seconds of Summer, Fifth Harmony, & Becky G now dominating the airwaves. You still have a few mature artists like Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, Paramore, & depending on the songs being Taylor Swift, but for the most part everything is more Z influenced now. And like in 1999, most Yers born in 1992 and before are now completely aged out and even then most people in that age range probably think the music of today is crap and dull while guys born from 1993-1996 while not completely aged out and many still enjoy music of today (I know I sure do despite a huge overabbundace of teen pop) they are now also starting to 'feel old' as the music of today is mainly targeted at tweens and young teens, NOT COLLEGE STUDENTS.

So am I the only person that feels this way?


I pretty much agree with this.

1996-97 does seem, in hindsight, to be when you first began to see early signs of Gen Y "culture". For me, I've always seen "MMMBop" by Hanson (which peaked at #1 in May of 1997) as the very first major hit song that appealed exclusively to Millennials. I was in 4th grade at that time, and I can say with certainty that there wasn't a girl in my class that didn't have that album. On the flip side, granting that the youngest Xers were born in 1980, it goes without saying that no self-respecting 17-year-old would've been caught dead listening to "MMMBop"; heck, even some older Yers might've been too old for the Hanson demographic, so it was really the first song to appeal to the "Core Y" age group, which was in elementary and junior high school at the time. It only escalated from there, with Teen Pop, Nu Metal, Pop-Punk, and Glam Rap ascending over the next few years. By the time you got to late 1999, there wasn't much mainstream music that anyone born before 1980 would've been interested in.

As for Millennials, speaking only for myself here, the first mega popular new artist that I felt "too old" to care about (aside from Disney stuff like "High School Musical" and Hannah Montana) was Lady Gaga. It was weird because I was still in college at the time, and some of my friends were big fans of "Just Dance" and whatnot, but it just didn't do it for me for whatever reason. That was in 2009, and each passing year since then I've found myself less and less interested in the current top 40 scene. In 2015, I probably couldn't name two songs currently in the top 10 on the Billboard charts.

This really shows the younger "slant" that pop culture has taken over the last 15 years or so. If you go back to the late '80s and early '90s, the popular acts of that era like Guns 'N Roses, Nirvana, Michael Jackson, Madonna, etc. all had huge followings among people like me in their late 20's.

I think we are.. and I'm not going with it.
I am retreating into indie rock or going back to '90s and '00s music.

OOHHH sheesh.... Silento is from my hometown and according to wikipedia he's a senior in high school at the same county my cousins are in :o

that's intriguing for me!


WTF!? Thats crazy, do your cousins know of him personally?

Yeah I associate my high school years MUSICALLY with Lady Gaga, Kesha, Rhianna, Drake, Lil Wayne, Katy, Eminem(2010), Chris Brown etc. Rock kinda declined during my high school years, mainly older acts from the previous decades were thriving.
But I actually consider the oldest high schoolers to be the last cuspers.

As for me Eazy, I associate my High School years with Tone Loc, Young Mc, Bobby Brown Tiffany & Debbie Gibson just to name a few, As you can tell I'm older than you.

I say not yet. While there is music out there specifically for Gen Z, there are music in the mainstream that's strictly for Yers. I can see the music being fully Z by the time the late Yers are finished with high school which is 2017/18 (it will either be the 2016-17 or 2017-18 school year I see any last Y culture). Right now, it's still the Y/Z cusp, but leaning towards Z because school is mostly occupied by Zers themselves. In fact, the oldest Zers just began high school last month or 2 months ago depending on the state and/or district.

The whole concept of generations is a social construct with no real meaning behind it.  A "Gen Yer" born in 1992 will have more in common with a "Gen Zer" born in 1997 than with a fellow "Gen Yer" born in 1982.  Let's not even get into where each generation starts and ends, as though being born one year later suddenly makes you an entirely different generation than someone born a year earlier.  So whether we've entered the "Gen Z" era will depend entirely on one's subjective point of view. 

Personally, I'm 26 and actually still enjoy a large portion of the Top 40.  I preferred 2010-2013, but I still find good stuff in the top 40 for 2014 and 2015.  I also don't think it's as teen pop-oriented as OP and some here say, at least in the US.  5 Seconds of Summer has only had one song rank above #20 on the US Billboard charts.  Same goes for Fifth Harmony.  Becky G was a one hit wonder in every country according to chart positions.  Singers with a more mature image like Ed Sheeran, The Weeknd, and Sam Smith have had greater chart success than any of the ones I've just mentioned.  Meanwhile, Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber have both attempted to "mature" their sound in their latest songs. 

The whole concept of generations is a social construct with no real meaning behind it.  A "Gen Yer" born in 1992 will have more in common with a "Gen Zer" born in 1997 than with a fellow "Gen Yer" born in 1982.  Let's not even get into where each generation starts and ends, as though being born one year later suddenly makes you an entirely different generation than someone born a year earlier.  So whether we've entered the "Gen Z" era will depend entirely on one's subjective point of view. 

Personally, I'm 26 and actually still enjoy a large portion of the Top 40.  I preferred 2010-2013, but I still find good stuff in the top 40 for 2014 and 2015.  I also don't think it's as teen pop-oriented as OP and some here say, at least in the US.  5 Seconds of Summer has only had one song rank above #20 on the US Billboard charts.  Same goes for Fifth Harmony.  Becky G was a one hit wonder in every country according to chart positions.  Singers with a more mature image like Ed Sheeran, The Weeknd, and Sam Smith have had greater chart success than any of the ones I've just mentioned.  Meanwhile, Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber have both attempted to "mature" their sound in their latest songs.


I agree that the whole music generation thing is ridiculous. People over the age of 25 are of course going to find songs that they like after whatever period of their early 20's. Regarding the artists, I think Fifth Harmony's only "teenybopper" song was Sledgehammer. Worth It fits in well with people my age. Selena Gonez has been more successful in maturing their sound than Justin Bieber. Justin Bieber's fans are mostly young girls (who outgrow him when they turn 16). One reason why is that his voice has barely matured since 2012. He is 21. When Justin Timberlake was the same age in 2002 (the Justified era, which admittedly was aimed at N'Sync fans), he sounded like an adult man. Bieber still sounds like a boy (and looks like a washed up child star akin to Macaulay Culkin).

Frankly, Selena Gomez has sort of always been "my music", if you get what I mean. Her first hit single "Naturally" (with The Scene, what happened to them anyway? A falling out?) was definitely big among kids my age. My peers were indifferent to her music after that. It wasn't until the "Come and Get It" era that she caught our attention again. "The Heart Wants What it Wants" was clearly aimed at little girls, and I don't know what to think of her new music. I kind of like "Same Old Love", but I really don't like "Good For You".

Yeah I associate my high school years MUSICALLY with Lady Gaga, Kesha, Rhianna, Drake, Lil Wayne, Katy, Eminem(2010), Chris Brown etc. Rock kinda declined during my high school years, mainly older acts from the previous decades were thriving.
But I actually consider the oldest high schoolers to be the last cuspers.


Yep when I look back on my HS years those artists you mentioned are who I am going to remember lol.

Also yeah you got a point. Actually come to think of it I always thought of people born from 1995-1998 as the ultimate YZ cuspers. Similar to how those born from 1979-1982 at the ultimate XY cuspers.

"Come and Get It"


Those were one of the most annoying irritating songs ever, I had to hear it everytime I went to the Atlanta Fitness gym throughout early/mid 2013.....blahhhh 8-P

Yeah I associate my high school years MUSICALLY with Lady Gaga, Kesha, Rhianna, Drake, Lil Wayne, Katy, Eminem(2010), Chris Brown etc. Rock kinda declined during my high school years, mainly older acts from the previous decades were thriving.
But I actually consider the oldest high schoolers to be the last cuspers.


Out of all of those, the only ones that were consistently relevant throughout the early-to-mid '10s were the Rihanna, Drake, Katy Perry, and Eminem. No one cares about Lil' Wayne anymore, Ke$ha was never as big after her debut album-era. Don't forget Nicki Minaj (even though most of her music sucked, she did surprise you occasionally)! Chris Brown lost so much respect from the public after he assaulted Rihanna, he was never as big as he was pre-assault.

People our age either don't care or straight up dislike Lasy Gaga and Lil Wayne, as well as Chris Brown. The people who actually do care about these singers/rappers are those who were born in the mid '80s-early '90s (like, 1985-1993 babies).

People our age either don't care or straight up dislike Lasy Gaga and Lil Wayne, as well as Chris Brown. The people who actually do care about these singers/rappers are those who were born in the mid '80s-early '90s (like, 1985-1993 babies).


Oh lord Jesus please help me..... Again, how many times do I have to tell you that age is completely irrelevant to your taste in music. It's about when the genre specifically had great music coming out consistently! I know many 1994-1997 babies who enjoyed those artists too, not just 1985-1993 babies. Taste in music comes down to people's preferences, not age, and anybody who is in middle school, high school, or college can appreciate any types of music or artists apart of their time.

Oh lord Jesus please help me..... Again, how many times do I have to tell you that age is completely irrelevant to your taste in music. It's about when the genre specifically had great music coming out consistently! I know many 1994-1997 babies who enjoyed those artists too, not just 1985-1993 babies. Taste in music comes down to people's preferences, not age, and anybody who is in middle school, high school, or college can appreciate any types of music or artists apart of their time.


The beginning of your response is rude and unnecessary. I am not paying attention to entire threads because I have more important things to do  than get into debates and arguments over subjective things and people with wild varying experiences. I am only typing my response right now and logging off right after and I have no desire to converse with anyone.

Oh lord Jesus please help me..... Again, how many times do I have to tell you that age is completely irrelevant to your taste in music. It's about when the genre specifically had great music coming out consistently! I know many 1994-1997 babies who enjoyed those artists too, not just 1985-1993 babies. Taste in music comes down to people's preferences, not age, and anybody who is in middle school, high school, or college can appreciate any types of music or artists apart of their time.


Age is somewhat relevant.  This article explains it.

http://mic.com/articles/96266/there-s-a-magic-age-when-you-find-your-musical-taste-according-to-science

However, this has more to do with style of music than specific artists or songs.  For instance, I can hear a song I've never heard from an artist I've never heard but if its from the '00s or sounds like it could have been, chances are I will really enjoy it.  For instance, I can actually enjoy certain songs by One Direction and 5 Seconds of Summer, bands that people may age technically shouldn't like. Both bands though have specific songs that sound very '00s.  It's the style I respond to, not the artist or the band.  I also have a lot of affinity for '80s music as well as music from the early 20th century because I was exposed to it at an early age.

Age is somewhat relevant.  This article explains it.

http://mic.com/articles/96266/there-s-a-magic-age-when-you-find-your-musical-taste-according-to-science

However, this has more to do with style of music than specific artists or songs.  For instance, I can hear a song I've never heard from an artist I've never heard but if its from the '00s or sounds like it could have been, chances are I will really enjoy it.  For instance, I can actually enjoy certain songs by One Direction and 5 Seconds of Summer, bands that people may age technically shouldn't like. Both bands though have specific songs that sound very '00s.  It's the style I respond to, not the artist or the band.  I also have a lot of affinity for '80s music as well as music from the early 20th century because I was exposed to it at an early age.


The article says around 14-24, I can respect that, but I still think it peaking at 24 is suggestive because it depends on the style of music the person prefers most importantly out of all. So far in my lifetime my peak of music has been going on since 2007 when I was 11, and I believe it will continue until I'm 24 or 25, but that peak might get extended if out of no where if a new Renaissance/Golden Age of music starts coming out with great hits again. So it depends. Honestly, for the rest of this decade, I don't care what hip-hop song comes out, I like most of those rather it's good or bad by anyone, however, I mostly enjoyed the ones from the late 2000's/early 2010's the best IMO. When it comes to electropop music or some exceptional teen music (even though I hate most of 'em), I only liked the ones from 2009 & 2010, I've hardly liked any from 2012-present, but I still enjoy many Katy Perry songs and I really enjoyed that Demi Lovato song you sent me a couple weeks ago. I'm still giving music a chance for the rest of the decade and I believe we'll have more great ones coming soon.

I personally think so. Lets go over the age ranges for generations to get a little feeling of why I think so (note this is just my educated opinion, everybody's entitled to their own) but if we were to go with the typical definition that Gen X was born from 1965-1980 that would mean Gen Y were born the NEXT 16 years after that from 1981-1996.

So if we were to assume these age categories that would mean Gen Y is at a similar point in their lives as Gen X was in 1999, the youngest Xers were 19 and the oldest Xers were 34. You could argue that the youngest Yers as of now are 19 and the oldest Yers are 34.

So lets go back to 1999, during that year almost ALL Gen X influences were gone. We were now in the peak of a new teenaged bubblegum pop era with acts like Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, 98 Degrees, & The Spice Girls, along with other early Gen Y music trends like Nu Metal & Party Rap.

Now from what I researched and studied, the earliest signs of Gen Y music trends occurred around in the Summer of 1996 thanks to the popularity of the Macerana, however it wasn't completely Y and it had a much wider appeal than later songs with a similar style but directly targeting Gen Y. By Fall of 96' you had the debut of the Spice Girls and Backstreet Boys and by Spring of 97' they were everywhere. So while the 1996-1997 school year was the LAST School Year with more Gen X musical influences there was no doubt a transition from the more angsty late X Grunge & Gangsta Rap at the very start of the school year in favor of a more light hearted bubblegum pop, nu metal, and popish rap/hip hop by the end of that same school year

By the time 1999 came around most Gen Xers born in 1976 and before were now completely aged out of the targeted audience and most of them probably thought the music was crap. Only the younger Xers born from 1977-1980 were part of the targeted audience, however with the MAIN target audience being high schoolers at the time and the young xers being 19-22 at the time, were now starting to 'feel old' and not actually the prime audience anymore.


Now for recent times; 2012 while mainly a Gen Y year for music and probably the last to have more Gen Y influences, was also the earliest time Gen Z style music started to become very noticeable. Think of the Summer debut of One Direction, Gangnam Style, & Taylor Swift gradually going into a more popish sound around fall of that year and the big debut 2 Chainz. This was around when Gen Z influences started to rise.

However 2011-2012 school year was still the last firm Gen Y school year, and 2012-2013 was the last Y school year as well but this was also a big transitional year. Music acts like Rihanna, early Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, Flo Rida, Lady Gaga, Kesha, LMFAO & Skrillex were still very commercially and culturally relevant for people my age during the 2012-2013 school year however by the very end of that school year Kesha and Lady Gaga had fallen, Flo Rida was barely talked about, Lil Wayne was now overshadowed by newer rappers like 2 Chainz and Macklemore, Nicki Minaj was now transitioning into her current sound, and Rihanna while still relevant was nowhere near the same popularity she was from 2009-2012 which I would argue was her peak, plus dubstep faded and Modern EDM rose, giving a death seal to Skrillex which while still popular was now not the top dog anymore and LMFAO were now forgotten about.

So as of now in 2015 we are now in a new teen pop era for music with acts like Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez, One Direction (despite Zayn leaving), Five Seconds of Summer, Fifth Harmony, & Becky G now dominating the airwaves. You still have a few mature artists like Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, Paramore, & depending on the songs being Taylor Swift, but for the most part everything is more Z influenced now. And like in 1999, most Yers born in 1992 and before are now completely aged out and even then most people in that age range probably think the music of today is crap and dull while guys born from 1993-1996 while not completely aged out and many still enjoy music of today (I know I sure do despite a huge overabbundace of teen pop) they are now also starting to 'feel old' as the music of today is mainly targeted at tweens and young teens, NOT COLLEGE STUDENTS.

So am I the only person that feels this way?


Yeah, I agree. 2015 is to Gen Z as 1999 was to Gen Y. I've always seen a 16 year parallel because as you mentioned, that is the span of a generation and it repeats in that cycle. The reason for the number 16 is because of events that occur every four years, namely presidential elections and terms which really influence the culture. 16 years before 1999 was 1983, and I'm old enough to remember that year as the first year geared towards young Gen X-ers (The MTV Generation). Artists like Madonna, Cindy Lauper, and Pat Benetar were in there prime, much like Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, NSYNC, etc in '99.

Now that it has been 2 years since the start of this topic, I honestly say yes. Back in 2015, it was stated that the music scene was of full of new teen pop acts such as Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez, One Direction etc. Now, that's not the case anymore. It seems that music has now evolved into a more mature sound, and the fact there are more artists popular today who weren't relevant in 2015 such as Khalid, Halsey, Dua Lipa, Bea Miller, Julia Michaels, Alessia Cara, and Camila Cabello (she was with 5th harmony at the time). Plus, a few genres have made a comeback recently in the mainstream being Latin music, R&B, Rock, and Non-Trap Hip-Hop. AG's Dangerous Woman album sounded different from her first two. T-Swift had also changed her sound again with the new song Look at What You Made Me Do which is much different than the tracks from her 1989 album. Even Meghan Trainor (who's known for her 2014 song All About That Bass) had a different style last year.

With all the evidence collected from noticing small changes in the music scene, there's no mistake that we're in the Gen Z Music Era.

Now that it has been 2 years since the start of this topic, I honestly say yes. Back in 2015, it was stated that the music scene was of full of new teen pop acts such as Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez, One Direction etc. Now, that's not the case anymore. It seems that music has now evolved into a more mature sound, and the fact there are more artists popular today who weren't relevant in 2015 such as Khalid, Halsey, Dua Lipa, Bea Miller, Julia Michaels, Alessia Cara, and Camila Cabello (she was with 5th harmony at the time). Plus, a few genres have made a comeback recently in the mainstream being Latin music, R&B, Rock, and Non-Trap Hip-Hop. AG's Dangerous Woman album sounded different from her first two. T-Swift had also changed her sound again with the new song Look at What You Made Me Do which is much different than the tracks from her 1989 album. Even Meghan Trainor (who's known for her 2014 song All About That Bass) had a different style last year.

With all the evidence collected from noticing small changes in the music scene, there's no mistake that we're in the Gen Z Music Era.


I agree 100%!

Retrospectively I would say that 2015 was cuspy, probably about 40% Y, 60% Z. Now in 2017 it seems that we're either 100%, or close to it, in Z pop culture.

I don't think Y culture is completely gone yet though.  Much of what was set up in the early '10s is still with us in some form or fashion.  Were are definitely on the Z side of the cusp, but I think we are going to need to get past 2020 before Y culture is completely irrelevant.

I agree 100%!

Retrospectively I would say that 2015 was cuspy, probably about 40% Y, 60% Z. Now in 2017 it seems that we're either 100%, or close to it, in Z pop culture.


I would say 2015 was definetly more Z imo. I would say 2013 was the last year with a lot of Gen-Y influences.

I would say 2015 was definetly more Z imo. I would say 2013 was the last year with a lot of Gen-Y influences.

More like 2012

I agree 100%!

Retrospectively I would say that 2015 was cuspy, probably about 40% Y, 60% Z. Now in 2017 it seems that we're either 100%, or close to it, in Z pop culture.
I agree around there. I can't think of any song or artist that's still targeted at Millennials except for possibly Lady Gaga.


I don't think Y culture is completely gone yet though.  Much of what was set up in the early '10s is still with us in some form or fashion.  Were are definitely on the Z side of the cusp, but I think we are going to need to get past 2020 before Y culture is completely irrelevant.
Can you expand on that please? I can't think of any others with the possible exceptions of Lady Gaga, Kesha, Lana Del Rey and Adele.

Am I allowed to insult Gen Z and say that their taste in music and fashion is disgusting? I consider myself Gen Z simply because I relate to 2010s politics better than 2000s politics (I think that should be the defining line for generations), but I'm not proud of being Gen Z. If so, then that is what it kind of is. A lot of stuff since around 2013 started sounding bland and awkward.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqNS9QWLVvo

I only got into the HSM hate because everyone else did and to fit in. I was reminded of this song when I heard my sister watch something unrelated. This sort of music and the aesthetic reminds me of how music and fashion has fallen in the 2010s.

I would say 2015 was definetly more Z imo. I would say 2013 was the last year with a lot of Gen-Y influences.


Going by school years I’d divide it like this:

2012-2013: Last Pure 100% Y School year

2013-2014: Y - 80%, Z- 20%

2014-2015: Y - 60%, Z 40%

Summer 2015 was the ultimate threshold of the Y/Z Cusp transition, being 50/50 Y/Z culturally

2015-2016: Y - 40%, Z 60%

2016-2017: Y 20%, Z 80%

2017-2018: It seems this may be the first purely Z pop cultural year, although if there are any Y influences left they are pretty minimal and only have much influence to those 18+. Most teens these days aren’t gonna be necessarily into Lady Gaga’s new album Red for instance. It’s finally gotten to that point in which iconic Y stars like Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Green Day, 50 Cent, Gaga, etc. are now seen as ‘old’ or past their prime. There’s a new generation of artists now that are either Late Gen Yers or Early Gen Zers (so people around my age), but the target audience itself I’d Argue is now primarily post 2000 babies and that’ll definitely continue as the 2020’s dawns closer.

Going by school years I’d divide it like this:

2012-2013: Last Pure 100% Y School year

2013-2014: Y - 80%, Z- 20%

2014-2015: Y - 60%, Z 40%

Summer 2015 was the ultimate threshold of the Y/Z Cusp transition, being 50/50 Y/Z culturally

2015-2016: Y - 40%, Z 60%

2016-2017: Y 20%, Z 80%

2017-2018: It seems this may be the first purely Z pop cultural year, although if there are any Y influences left they are pretty minimal and only have much influence to those 18+. Most teens these days aren’t gonna be necessarily into Lady Gaga’s new album Red for instance. It’s finally gotten to that point in which iconic Y stars like Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Green Day, 50 Cent, Gaga, etc. are now seen as ‘old’ or past their prime. There’s a new generation of artists now that are either Late Gen Yers or Early Gen Zers (so people around my age), but the target audience itself I’d Argue is now primarily post 2000 babies and that’ll definitely continue as the 2020’s dawns closer.


In that case, that would make people born in 1999 the ultimate Y/Z cusps actually (with 1998 having a slight Y lean and 2000 having a slight Z lean) because they spent all their high school years during the transformation.

Going by school years I’d divide it like this:

2012-2013: Last Pure 100% Y School year

2013-2014: Y - 80%, Z- 20%

2014-2015: Y - 60%, Z 40%

Summer 2015 was the ultimate threshold of the Y/Z Cusp transition, being 50/50 Y/Z culturally

2015-2016: Y - 40%, Z 60%

2016-2017: Y 20%, Z 80%

2017-2018: It seems this may be the first purely Z pop cultural year, although if there are any Y influences left they are pretty minimal and only have much influence to those 18+. Most teens these days aren’t gonna be necessarily into Lady Gaga’s new album Red for instance. It’s finally gotten to that point in which iconic Y stars like Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Green Day, 50 Cent, Gaga, etc. are now seen as ‘old’ or past their prime. There’s a new generation of artists now that are either Late Gen Yers or Early Gen Zers (so people around my age), but the target audience itself I’d Argue is now primarily post 2000 babies and that’ll definitely continue as the 2020’s dawns closer.

Lol no wonder I like 2017 music so much. I was born in 2002 so that makes me an early gen z. I think this year has really good music. Honestly, the 2010's except for 2014 all had good songs.

I don't think Y culture is completely gone yet though.  Much of what was set up in the early '10s is still with us in some form or fashion.  Were are definitely on the Z side of the cusp, but I think we are going to need to get past 2020 before Y culture is completely irrelevant.
I would say 2019 will be the real start of y culture in full effect.

I would say 2019 will be the real start of y culture in full effect.

You mean Z? Y will probably be dead by then

2017-2018: It seems this may be the first purely Z pop cultural year, although if there are any Y influences left they are pretty minimal and only have much influence to those 18+. Most teens these days aren’t gonna be necessarily into Lady Gaga’s new album Red for instance. It’s finally gotten to that point in which iconic Y stars like Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Green Day, 50 Cent, Gaga, etc. are now seen as ‘old’ or past their prime.


It's really interesting that you should say that, because it pretty much describes my year group (Class of 2017). Most of them still liked the music that was being released in 2015, but since last year, they haven't liked the majority of songs being released. In fact, a lot of them talk about their liking of bands/artists from their childhood, such as Green Day, 50 Cent and Red Hot Chili Peppers. They actually consider those bands and the emo scene to be their generation. My friends personally consider people born from 2001 onwards to be a different generation.

You mean Z? Y will probably be dead by then
yeah Z

Am I allowed to insult Gen Z and say that their taste in music and fashion is disgusting? I consider myself Gen Z simply because I relate to 2010s politics better than 2000s politics (I think that should be the defining line for generations), but I'm not proud of being Gen Z. If so, then that is what it kind of is. A lot of stuff since around 2013 started sounding bland and awkward.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqNS9QWLVvo

I only got into the HSM hate because everyone else did and to fit in. I was reminded of this song when I heard my sister watch something unrelated. This sort of music and the aesthetic reminds me of how music and fashion has fallen in the 2010s.

Tell me about it. I'm Gen Z, and I dislike nearly all of the music these days. Nothing is catchy, it's just the same old EDM crap and hipster culture and awful fashion. We are in serious need of an overhaul. I don't want to wait.

It's really interesting that you should say that, because it pretty much describes my year group (Class of 2017). Most of them still liked the music that was being released in 2015, but since last year, they haven't liked the majority of songs being released. In fact, a lot of them talk about their liking of bands/artists from their childhood, such as Green Day, 50 Cent and Red Hot Chili Peppers. They actually consider those bands and the emo scene to be their generation. My friends personally consider people born from 2001 onwards to be a different generation.


This is typical. When I attended high school, there were plenty of people my age who liked gen x culture more than y culture and identified with it more.

Tell me about it. I'm Gen Z, and I dislike nearly all of the music these days. Nothing is catchy, it's just the same old EDM crap and hipster culture and awful fashion. We are in serious need of an overhaul. I don't want to wait.

I'll wait until it starts being 2023 or whatever. Anything that's 201X has been bad news for me, but more so anything since 2013 (not because I'm being superstitious, but because I saw stuff change for the worse in my opinion, in the music and the fashion).

It's really interesting that you should say that, because it pretty much describes my year group (Class of 2017). Most of them still liked the music that was being released in 2015, but since last year, they haven't liked the majority of songs being released. In fact, a lot of them talk about their liking of bands/artists from their childhood, such as Green Day, 50 Cent and Red Hot Chili Peppers. They actually consider those bands and the emo scene to be their generation. My friends personally consider people born from 2001 onwards to be a different generation.

Same with a lot of my friends :P.

Same with a lot of my friends :P.


It must mean it's true then (only joking)! :P

It must mean it's true then (only joking)! :P

¯\_(ツ)_/ ¯  :P.

Same with a lot of my friends :P.


I can see where your coming from

I can see where your coming from

You can?

Going by school years I’d divide it like this:

2012-2013: Last Pure 100% Y School year

2013-2014: Y - 80%, Z- 20%

2014-2015: Y - 60%, Z 40%

Summer 2015 was the ultimate threshold of the Y/Z Cusp transition, being 50/50 Y/Z culturally

2015-2016: Y - 40%, Z 60%

2016-2017: Y 20%, Z 80%

2017-2018: It seems this may be the first purely Z pop cultural year, although if there are any Y influences left they are pretty minimal and only have much influence to those 18+. Most teens these days aren’t gonna be necessarily into Lady Gaga’s new album Red for instance. It’s finally gotten to that point in which iconic Y stars like Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Green Day, 50 Cent, Gaga, etc. are now seen as ‘old’ or past their prime. There’s a new generation of artists now that are either Late Gen Yers or Early Gen Zers (so people around my age), but the target audience itself I’d Argue is now primarily post-2000 babies and that’ll definitely continue as the 2020’s dawns closer.
I agree with the chart. I honestly can't see any Millennial influences still there in music at this time. Most folks in this generation (even younger Millennials) are way past the target audience to be the primary listeners, and the music scene itself has transitioned from teen pop to mature pop (which has been that way since last year).

You can?


Ummmm yes, that's why I said so, LOL ::)

Ummmm yes, that's why I said so, LOL ::)

I wanted you to elaborate :-X.

I wanted you to elaborate :-X.


Oh sorry haha, just can't really be bothered :-X, I feel like I've said this numerous time, long story short - I relate to people who are older than me more than I can with people who are the same amount of years younger than me.........
I haven't really been friends with or interacted with a whole lot of people born 2001+, however i do know that I was talking to some kids in the C/O 2019 (born in 2001/2), and me and my 1999 born friend were talking about some stuff that we remeber from our childhood in the 2000s. A lot of the stuff they didn't really know or were like hey what y'all talking about? ???. That's most of the core 2000s culture right there they were struggling to remember, I guess that's why I feel a bit of a disconnect. However, at least it's nowhere near as bad as talking to some year 7s born in '05/'06 :-X

Oh sorry haha, just can't really be bothered :-X, I feel like I've said this numerous time, long story short - I relate to people who are older than me more than I can with people who are the same amount of years younger than me.........
I haven't really been friends with or interacted with a whole lot of people born 2001+, however i do know that I was talking to some kids in the C/O 2019 (born in 2001/2), and me and my 1999 born friend were talking about some stuff that we remeber from our childhood in the 2000s. A lot of the stuff they didn't really know or were like hey what y'all talking about? ???. That's most of the core 2000s culture right there they were struggling to remember, I guess that's why I feel a bit of a disconnect. However, at least it's nowhere near as bad as talking to some year 7s born in '05/'06 :-X

Oh OK, I understand.

Oh sorry haha, just can't really be bothered :-X, I feel like I've said this numerous time, long story short - I relate to people who are older than me more than I can with people who are the same amount of years younger than me.........
I haven't really been friends with or interacted with a whole lot of people born 2001+, however i do know that I was talking to some kids in the C/O 2019 (born in 2001/2), and me and my 1999 born friend were talking about some stuff that we remeber from our childhood in the 2000s. A lot of the stuff they didn't really know or were like hey what y'all talking about? ???. That's most of the core 2000s culture right there they were struggling to remember, I guess that's why I feel a bit of a disconnect. However, at least it's nowhere near as bad as talking to some year 7s born in '05/'06 :-X

You’ve never played with someone a year or two younger than you? Not even as a kid? Dude you’re weird. I’m both a 00s and 10s kid and I got lots of friends my age or younger. I even got some friends who are like three years older and we can all relate just fine. I don’t discuss core 2000s or generations or things like that with my friends and I honestly never have.

You’ve never played with someone a year or two younger than you? Not even as a kid?


Growing up I had one friend born in mid-2001, but apart from that, not really. Both of my siblings and all of my cousins were older and I was hanging out with them a lot. Then my friends that I had were all in the same school year as me so born from 1999-Early 2000, so apart from that one friend, I really didn't hang out with anyone younger than me, at least not often enough that I can remember :P

Growing up I had one friend born in mid-2001, but apart from that, not really. Both of my siblings and all of my cousins were older and I was hanging out with them a lot. Then my friends that I had were all in the same school year as me so born from 1999-Early 2000, so apart from that one friend, I really didn't hang out with anyone younger than me, at least not often enough that I can remember :P

That will probably change when you’re older. Who knows maybe your future partner could be born in the year 2004 or something like that xD.

That will probably change when you’re older. Who knows maybe your future partner could be born in the year 2004 or something like that xD.


I know, that's why I said growing up. Hanging out with a kid born in 2004 in the 2000s is very different to hanging out with a kid born in 2004 during the 2010s. For example, I'm pretty sure that 2004 borns can't relate with me on a lot of 2000s things simply because they were that bit younger throughout the whole decade. However, now that we're in the 2010s, it doesn't really matter and we both rememebr the whole decade (2010s) easily and most of the stuff even though being at different ages and by the time we're well into the 2020s, there will hardly be a difference between us. We would be able to relate to most things with eachother and had similar experiences, with the exception of those few years in the 2000s which won't be very significant by then anyways.....

Yeah.....true, I never thought of that haha ;D

How is early 00s bubblegum pop the beginning of Gen Y culture? This Gen Y's understanding is that 2000-2004, nu-metal and all that were more like the last gasp of Gen X. The beginning of Gen Y is probably more accurately Fall Out Boy.

How is early 00s bubblegum pop the beginning of Gen Y culture? This Gen Y's understanding is that 2000-2004, nu-metal and all that were more like the last gasp of Gen X. The beginning of Gen Y is probably more accurately Fall Out Boy.


The only Early 2000s genre of music which you could argue was still targeted towards Gen X was post-grunge. Everything else was undisputedly  targeted towards Millennials.

The only Early 2000s genre of music which you could argue was still targeted towards Gen X was post-grunge. Everything else was undisputedly  targeted towards Millennials.


In terms of mainstream culture, I'd probably divide it like this:

1990-1995: Predominately X influences
1996-1998: X and Y influence transition
1999: Predominately Y influences

I haven't really been friends with or interacted with a whole lot of people born 2001+, however I do know that I was talking to some kids in the C/O 2019 (born in 2001/2), and me and my 1999 born friend were talking about some stuff that we remember from our childhood in the 2000s. A lot of the stuff they didn't really know or were like hey what y'all talking about? ???. That's most of the core 2000s culture right where they were struggling to remember, I guess that's why I feel a bit of a disconnect. However, at least it's nowhere near as bad as talking to some year 7s born in '05/'06 :-X
Wow! That's weird how they couldn't remember most of the core 00s culture. It must be different in NZ than here. An American '01 person would definitely recall the core 2000s culture very well in his or her own country


How is early 00s bubblegum pop the beginning of Gen Y culture? This Gen Y's understanding is that 2000-2004, nu-metal and all that was more like the last gasp of Gen X. The beginning of Gen Y is probably more accurately Fall Out Boy.
No, the late 90s is beginning of Gen Y culture. If 2005 was the start, then it would still probably be at its peak.


The only Early 2000s genre of music which you could argue was still targeted towards Gen X was post-grunge. Everything else was undisputedly targeted towards Millennials.
Wasn't there more to Rock music than post-grunge during that era?


In terms of mainstream culture, I'd probably divide it like this:

1990-1995: Predominately X influences
1996-1998: X and Y influence transition
1999: Predominately Y influences
I agree with the chart, except that it could be debated that 1998 was predominately Y as well.

Wasn't there more to Rock music than post-grunge during that era?


Yes, there was, however I don't think the other popular forms of rock music were targeted towards Gen X. You could maybe make a case that some Nu-Metal bands targeted Gen X (e.g Korn and System of a Down), however as an overall genre, it was clearly targeted towards the Millennials. I really can't imagine Fred Durst being the face of Gen X, despite the fact that he was born in 1970.

As for mainstream pop-punk, well, it was evidently targeted towards the Millennials as well. Bands such as Blink-182 and Jimmy Eat World were targeting the adolescent/youth crowd at the time, not 20-something or 30-something people. I personally think that post-grunge was the only form of rock music (and music, in general) that was still targeted towards Gen X in the Early 2000s, but that's just my opinion.

Yes, there was, however, I don't think the other popular forms of rock music were targeted towards Gen X. You could maybe make a case that some Nu-Metal bands targeted Gen X (e.g Korn and System of a Down), however as an overall genre, it was clearly targeted towards the Millennials. I really can't imagine Fred Durst being the face of Gen X, despite the fact that he was born in 1970.

As for mainstream pop-punk, well, it was evidently targeted towards the Millennials as well. Bands such as Blink-182 and Jimmy Eat World were targeting the adolescent/youth crowd at the time, not 20-something or 30-something people. I personally think that post-grunge was the only form of rock music (and music, in general) that was still targeted towards Gen X in the Early 2000s, but that's just my opinion.
Oh that's true. There's no denying that every form of music was for Millennials by that time. As for Post-Grunge, I think it could have been for both considering some Millennials were old enough to listen to actual Grunge before it died off.

In terms of mainstream culture, I'd probably divide it like this:

1990-1995: Predominately X influences
1996-1998: X and Y influence transition
1999: Predominately Y influences


To me, this depends on how broadly we're defining the Millennial generation. I can only speak to my own experiences: I was 9 years old in 1999, and I sure as hell didn't feel like pop culture deemed me worth marketing to at that age. As an aside, even as I say 2000-2004 is the last gasp of GenX, I would venture to say their place in pop culture did not truly die until 2006. That's around the time Generation Obama really began coming into its own.

The other thing that has me railing for considering even bubblegum pop a product of GenX culture is:

1. The people performing this music were largely GenX.

2. There is something indescribable in the theme of these creative works that comports with the generation's core values. None of you knew this of course, but my preferred iPod playlist at the moment is a bunch of Fall Out Boy, Weezer, John Mayer, and bubblegum pop. This has been the first time in over a decade where I've been inundated on a daily basis with a helping of early '00s bubblegum pop.

One thing I've increasingly noticed about these songs is the lyrical content. If I had more time to mentally develop this post I could probably do a better job of describing just what it is about these lyrics that feel this way, but the bubblegum pop songs' lyrics seem to nevertheless ring true to GenX values. One of the most important of these, and one that distinguishes GenX from Millennial is that even though there's a heavy emphasis on individualism and self, it's not obsession with "me," but with self-expression. Also a lot of the R&B songs are by strong, angry white and black women, a few other things.

Like I said, I might be able to come back to this post later and articulate myself better once I've had time to develop my thoughts. Suffice it to say though that I see the early '00s as the last gasp of GenX culture because there seems to still be this kernel of the generation's core values hiding in this music.

MAJOR EDIT: I apologize because I realized this may have been a major source of confusion - I have been using the term bubblegum pop when I really should've just been using the term pop or popular music. My mistake, I can see how one can see 'N Sync and BSB as being marketed toward Millennials, but I think my argument still stands. But I just wanted to note that the scope of my argument extends beyond them to include artists such as B2K, Nelly, John Mayer, Nelly Furtado, and a smattering of others.

To me, this depends on how broadly we're defining the Millennial generation. I can only speak to my own experiences: I was 9 years old in 1999, and I sure as hell didn't feel like pop culture deemed me worth marketing to at that age. As an aside, even as I say 2000-2004 is the last gasp of GenX, I would venture to say their place in pop culture did not truly die until 2006. That's around the time Generation Obama really began coming into its own.

The other thing that has me railing for considering even bubblegum pop a product of GenX culture is:

1. The people performing this music were largely GenX.

2. There is something indescribable in the theme of these creative works that comports with the generation's core values. None of you knew this of course, but my preferred iPod playlist at the moment is a bunch of Fall Out Boy, Weezer, John Mayer, and bubblegum pop. This has been the first time in over a decade where I've been inundated on a daily basis with a helping of early '00s bubblegum pop.

One thing I've increasingly noticed about these songs is the lyrical content. If I had more time to mentally develop this post I could probably do a better job of describing just what it is about these lyrics that feel this way, but the bubblegum pop songs' lyrics seem to nevertheless ring true to GenX values. One of the most important of these, and one that distinguishes GenX from Millennial is that even though there's a heavy emphasis on individualism and self, it's not obsession with "me," but with self-expression. Also a lot of the R&B songs are by strong, angry white and black women, a few other things.

Like I said, I might be able to come back to this post later and articulate myself better once I've had time to develop my thoughts. Suffice it to say though that I see the early '00s as the last gasp of GenX culture because there seems to still be this kernel of the generation's core values hiding in this music.


I'm Millennial and can't relate to the values of Millennials

;D Different strokes, different folks. I used to be like that as well, but I've come around to my generation lately.

To me, this depends on how broadly we're defining the Millennial generation. I can only speak to my own experiences: I was 9 years old in 1999, and I sure as hell didn't feel like pop culture deemed me worth marketing to at that age. As an aside, even as I say 2000-2004 is the last gasp of GenX, I would venture to say their place in the pop culture did not truly die until 2006. That's around the time Generation Obama really began coming into its own.

The other thing that has me railing for considering even bubblegum pop a product of GenX culture is:

1. The people performing this music were largely GenX.

2. There is something indescribable in the theme of these creative works that comports with the generation's core values. None of you knew this of course, but my preferred iPod playlist at the moment is a bunch of Fall Out Boy, Weezer, John Mayer, and bubblegum pop. This has been the first time in over a decade where I've been inundated on a daily basis with a helping of early '00s bubblegum pop.

One thing I've increasingly noticed about these songs is the lyrical content. If I had more time to mentally develop this post I could probably do a better job of describing just what it is about these lyrics that feel this way, but the bubblegum pop songs' lyrics seem to nevertheless ring true to GenX values. One of the most important of these and one that distinguishes GenX from Millennial is that even though there's a heavy emphasis on individualism and self, it's not an obsession with "me," but with self-expression. Also, a lot of the R&B songs are by strong, angry white and black women, a few other things.

Like I said, I might be able to come back to this post later and articulate myself better once I've had time to develop my thoughts. Suffice it to say though that I see the early '00s as the last gasp of GenX culture because there seems to still be this kernel of the generation's core values hiding in this music.

MAJOR EDIT: I apologize because I realized this may have been a major source of confusion - I have been using the term bubblegum pop when I really should've just been using the term pop or popular music. My mistake, I can see how one can see 'N Sync and BSB as being marketed toward Millennials, but I think my argument still stands. But I just wanted to note that the scope of my argument extends beyond them to include artists such as B2K, Nelly, John Mayer, Nelly Furtado, and a smattering of others.
Well these days, the articles put the end of Millennials at 1994/95 and not 2000 as we all thought. That means that there's no way 2000-2004 was the last gasp of Gen X. Remember that some or half of the Millennials were already adults by then while the rest were teenagers. Gen X may have been performing those songs during that time, but they were clearly for Millennials.


I'm Millennial and can't relate to the values of Millennials
You're not the only one ;). There are lots of them who don't relate to the values or the stereotypes either

Well these days, the articles put the end of Millennials at 1994/95 and not 2000 as we all thought. That means that there's no way 2000-2004 was the last gasp of Gen X. Remember that some or half of the Millennials were already adults by then while the rest were teenagers. Gen X may have been performing those songs during that time, but they were clearly for Millennials


I will say to the latter point that this is why I also called attention to the "values espoused" by creative works of 2000-2004, which have much more in common with GenX works of 1987-1997 than they do with anything after 2004 (with the notable exception of the last significant GenX song on the radio, Waiting on the World to Change by John Mayer, a late-comer released in 2006).

But as to your first point, that's why I often find these generational boundaries to be ill-fitting at best. If some Millennials were adults, say mid-20s to early 30s, in 1999, what did I, age 9 at the time, have in common with them except this arbitrary generational boundary?

I will say to the latter point that this is why I also called attention to the "values espoused" by creative works of 2000-2004, which have much more in common with GenX works of 1987-1997 than they do with anything after 2004 (with the notable exception of the last significant GenX song on the radio, Waiting on the World to Change by John Mayer, a late-comer released in 2006).

But as to your first point, that's why I often find these generational boundaries to be ill-fitting at best. If some Millennials were adults, say the mid-20s to early 30s, in 1999, what did I, age 9 at the time, have in common with them except this arbitrary generational boundary?
Can you define what values of Gen X work you mean from that time? I'm asking because during that same period you're talking about there were Millennial performers as well.

I think you got confused. I meant by 2004, some or half of them were adults while the rest were teenagers. Most Millennials were definitely not adults in 1999 (only a few were) and certainly not in their 30s either.

How is early 00s bubblegum pop the beginning of Gen Y culture? This Gen Y's understanding is that 2000-2004, nu-metal and all that were more like the last gasp of Gen X. The beginning of Gen Y is probably more accurately Fall Out Boy.


Bubblegum pop  was mainly sung by people in their teens in the early 00s. Majority (not all, but most) of the artists were either an X/Y cusp or an early Yer. That and the fact Bubblegum Pop had themes and lyrics that were really silly and wacky giving it the idea that the genre was meant to appeal to kids and young teens. If you were a kid or teen in the early 00s then Bubblegum pop was right up your alley and those who were kids/teens in the early 00s are considered to be Gen Y.

This is debatable but Gen Y culture is thought on here to have started to take over Gen X culture by 1998/1999.  And the 2000s as a whole is pretty much a Gen Y decade in terms of pop culture.

Growing up I had one friend born in mid-2001, but apart from that, not really. Both of my siblings and all of my cousins were older and I was hanging out with them a lot. Then my friends that I had were all in the same school year as me so born from 1999-Early 2000, so apart from that one friend, I really didn't hang out with anyone younger than me, at least not often enough that I can remember :P

As a kid most of my friends were 2-3 years older/younger than me. I’m the oldest sibling in my family. My sister is 10 years old and in terms of childhood experiences we are worlds apart. She knew how to work the iPad when she was only 5! Meanwhile when I was 5 the iPhone wasn’t even out yet (it came out in June, but my 5th birthday was in March 2007) it’s crazy how much a 5 year difference can make. This is mostly why I relate best to younger 2000’s kids than true 2010’s kids, atleast when it comes to our childhood experiences. It wasn’t until 2010/2011 when people couldn’t live without their smartphones. From there on it was a domino effect.