This was very much its own little period that was quite genuinely '90s, despite not being quite mid-'90s or quite late '90s. I guess you could say it was the mid-'90s with some embryonic late '90s cultural elements. Also, there're alot of things from around then that seem to be contained specifically around 1997-1998. These things include:

-Heavy duty '70s nostalgia in graphics, literature, style (the bellbottoms came back), TV (lots of '70s sitcoms on), and movies (like so many movies set in the '70s came out then...)
-A certain sort of pop-rock was very popular about then, including Third Eye Blind, Sugar Ray, The Foo Fighters, Smash Mouth, Chumbawumba, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Dave Matthews Band, No Doubt, Green Day, Harvey Danger, Marcy Playground, etc. Ska was very in right then.
-The whole "bowl cut, flannel shirt/sweatshirt tied around waist, baggy jeans, t-shirt" look.
-Goosebumps.
-Tamagotchi.
-The Spice Girls.
-Things still most definitely had that sort of "grunge-y"/In Living Color look, to a degree.
-Beanie Babies.
-"Barbie Girl."
-Jewel.
-Lilith Fair and associated music (i.e. "Bitch" by Meredith Brooks)
-Titanic

As opposed to 1998-1999, which still had the sort of pop-rock type of culture, even though to a degree Korn and nu metal getting big really changed all that.

Great list of 1997-1998 stuff, I really remember a lot of that stuff. I kind of miss those days actually.

97-98 gets too much undeserved Hate, especially with what the times are like today.

Great list of 1997-1998 stuff, I really remember a lot of that stuff. I kind of miss those days actually.


So do I, at times.  I was a junior in high school and not dealing with the kind of things I'm dealing with now.  I remember going to see Titanic on my 16th birthday while my dad painted my room.  Those were the days. 

So do I, at times.  I was a junior in high school and not dealing with the kind of things I'm dealing with now.  I remember going to see Titanic on my 16th birthday while my dad painted my room.  Those were the days. 


Yea I remember when I went to see Titanic with my dad and how crowded the parking lot was at the theater, it was of course the biggest movie of all time. It's extremely long, but it is a great movie.

Don't forget that you could still catch reruns of early-mid 90's cartoons on Nickelodeon in 1997 and 1998.  By 1999, Nickelodeon had gotten rid of all their classic shows and replaced them with crap like Spongebob.  Even back then, I knew it was worse and started watching Cartoon Network's Toonami block instead.  Speaking of Cartoon Network, does anyone remember when they used to air classic cartons like Looney Tunes and Tom & Jerry?  You just don't see that anymore. 

Also, the internet wasn't a necessity like it is today.  I remember in 1997, it was just a cool thing to have, not something you NEEDED to have.

Speaking of late 90's, I've been going back and listening to a lot of music from that time period lately.  It brings back a lot of memories.  All the music from back then, except the Rap, seems so light hearted and innocent now.

Don't forget that you could still catch reruns of early-mid 90's cartoons on Nickelodeon in 1997 and 1998.  By 1999, Nickelodeon had gotten rid of all their classic shows and replaced them with crap like Spongebob.  Even back then, I knew it was worse and started watching Cartoon Network's Toonami block instead.  Speaking of Cartoon Network, does anyone remember when they used to air classic cartons like Looney Tunes and Tom & Jerry?  You just don't see that anymore. 

Also, the internet wasn't a necessity like it is today.  I remember in 1997, it was just a cool thing to have, not something you NEEDED to have.

Speaking of late 90's, I've been going back and listening to a lot of music from that time period lately.  It brings back a lot of memories.  All the music from back then, except the Rap, seems so light hearted and innocent now.


Yeah...alot of it was genuinely lighthearted and innocent. I agree, 1997-1998 or so was the last year of "classic" Nick like Doug and Rocko's Modern Life that I grew up with. It was also the last year the internet was sort of slow and crappy, and as sonikuu said, just a "cool thing to have", though Windows 95 PCs for word processing and CD-Roms were essential and useful.

I think you can sort of divide the 1996-2001 period as such:

Mid 1996-Mid 1998: The "late mid-'90s", not quite the grunge mid-'90s and such, but still a mid-'90s mindset and atmosphere overall, very genuinely '90s, and not that "wired." The part of the mid-'90s that I know, pop culturally, pretty well.
Mid-Late 1998-Early 2000: The Y2K era, 'nuff said.
Mid 2000-Mid 2001: Sort of a bland, culturally undistinguished period marked by the fading away of even Y2K stuff, but still overall Y2Kish.

I always associate Jewel with more 1994-1997, but that might be just me.

Yep, 1997/1998 was pretty much the last gasp for Classic Nick on Nickelodeon, but fact is so many of those shows were in reruns for YEARS by that times. Doug finished up in 1995, Pete and Pete in early 1996, Ren and Stimpy in 1995(I think) Clarissa in 1994. Heck they were still showing Salute Your Shorts and Hey Dude reruns in 97/98 and those shows were off the air in 1990/1991! Eventually they had to go in another direction...but it was very sad watching those classic shows fade away.

Great list of 1997-1998 stuff, I really remember a lot of that stuff. I kind of miss those days actually.



Yeah. The more time that goes by the more I appreciate the late 90's. About 2 years ago I didn't even like 'em.

Yeah. The more time that goes by the more I appreciate the late 90's. About 2 years ago I didn't even like 'em.


Yeah I appreciate them a lot more than I used to.

Yeah I appreciate them a lot more than I used to.



Yeah, same here. My guess is because now even the late 90's were almost 10 years ago :o

Yeah, same here. My guess is because now even the late 90's were almost 10 years ago :o


I know that's crazy.

Yeah, same here. My guess is because now even the late 90's were almost 10 years ago :o


In 4 years, 20 years ago will be in the '90s  :o

In 4 years, 20 years ago will be in the '90s  :o



I know. I just cant imagine 1990( a year that I can remember) being 20 years ago.

I know. I just cant imagine 1990( a year that I can remember) being 20 years ago.


Back in 1990, Beatlamania was only 26 years ago!!! and the end of the Vietnam War a mere 15 years!

2006 is further away from 1990 than the Vietnam War!

Back in 1990, Beatlamania was only 26 years ago!!! and the end of the Vietnam War a mere 15 years!

2006 is further away from 1990 than the Vietnam War!


Holy crap that's true!  :D

bump this is my favorite school year

That was my senior year of high school. Lots of great memories. Nuff said.

That was my senior year of high school. Lots of great memories. Nuff said.

4th grade for me

Must been fun as hell in HS