I am interested in hearing your opinion on this. I can't really speak about the fashion or movies/shows from the time, but I believe Mid 90s music generally had somewhat of a Late 60s "hippie" vibe to it. Songs that spring to mind are "Stupid Girl" by Garbage and a few Oasis songs, such as "Morning Glory" and "Champagne Supernova". I apologise for not really explaining about it (because it's hard to put into words), but it's something which I have typically noticed when listening to numerous songs from the Mid 90s. Surely i'm not the only one who thinks this is the case? :P

I'd say it's was more the early 90s that reinvoked the spirit of the late 60s and beginning of the 70s. That was when r&b was dominated by groups like En Vogue, Arrested Development, and P.M. Dawn; rap was at its most confrontational (i.e., Fear of a Black Planet, Amerikkka's Most Wanted, The Chronic), and Kurt Cobain was still alive. The mid-90s are sort of more in the same vein as the mid-1970s, which were less rebellious than the counterculture era but also funkier even more sonically experimental.

Yes absolutely! With music like Dave Matthews and Alanis Morrisette being popular, companies like Starbucks and Whole Foods becoming mainstream, and other hippie type crazes like organic food. It was the death of the dark Bush Sr. Era and the beginning of the the more upbeat Clinton era.

I'd say it's was more the early 90s that reinvoked the spirit of the late 60s and beginning of the 70s. That was when r&b was dominated by groups like En Vogue, Arrested Development, and P.M. Dawn; rap was at its most confrontational (i.e., Fear of a Black Planet, Amerikkka's Most Wanted, The Chronic), and Kurt Cobain was still alive. The mid-90s are sort of more in the same vein as the mid-1970s, which were less rebellious than the counterculture era but also funkier even more sonically experimental.


I agree.  I never really noticed the 90's opposing 60's culture (counterculture).  Like Infinity mentioned, the 90's channeled 60's culture.

The mid '90s did have a counterculture vibe to it in my opinion, but it wasn't like the '60s.  It also lasted well into the late '90s.  The '90s counterculture was a lot darker and more violent than the '60s in my opinion.  Artists like Marilyn Manson and the shock rock movement as well as goth culture was at the center of it.  The '60s were about LSD, marijuana, and free love.  The '90s were about cocaine, meth, and rebellion against institutions (government, religion, family).  They tried to have another Woodstock in 1999 but it was a disaster because of the violence that broke out there.  Columbine, in my opinion, was the pinnacle of the '90s counter-culture.  After that, it seemed to decline pretty rapidly, and for good reason.

I agree.  I never really noticed the 90's opposing 60's culture (counterculture).  Like Infinity mentioned, the 90's channeled 60's culture.

Do you mean 70s culture?

Do you mean 70s culture?


The early to mid 90s channeled 60s and very early 70s culture.
The late 90s channeled 70s culture.

The early to mid 90s channeled 60s and very early 70s culture.
The late 90s channeled 70s culture.

A pretty good comparison. It still depends on what type of culture you're referring to.
For example; musically, it feels like Rap and R&B from the early-mid 90s channeled the early-mid 70s . Then in the late 90s it channeled late 70s and early 80s.

A pretty good comparison. It still depends on what type of culture you're referring to.
For example; musically, it feels like Rap and R&B from the early-mid 90s channeled the early-mid 70s . Then in the late 90s it channeled late 70s and early 80s.


Well I'm referring to rock and pop rock

Like this song

3qVPNONdF58

No, I saw the 1990's as more of a 70's songwriting renewal than the late 60's counterculture. But that's just my opinion!

I was thinking about this the other day.

Nights Like This-After 7(R&B song sounds 60's)

"I Say A Little Prayer" by Diana King(1997)was a cover song+(#38 Billboard Hot 100) of a song that charted in 1969 by Aretha Franklin(#6 Billboard Hot 100)and charted originally by Dionne Warwick in 1967 hitting #4 on the Billboard Hot 100.

There was a little 70's influence too:

Gloria Estefan's 2 cover hits of 70's songs in 1994:

"Turn The Beat Around" originally done by Vicki Sue Robinson
Everlasting Love" originally done by Carol Carlton

"I Can See Clearly Now" by Jimmy Cliff(1993)was originally done by Johnny Nash in 1972-1973.

The remix of "December 1963(Oh What a Night") by "The Four Seasons" charted in 1994 by peaking at #14 on the Billboard Hot 100

The Coca-Cola company was highly inspired, too by the movement too:
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It was clearly though the time IMO when the Baby Boomer generation truly felt over the hill for the first time as the youngest members turned 30 in 1994 and  Generation X became of course the primary drivers for pop culture, looking to distance themselves from their attitudes as far as possible. Thus, this is when classic rock/pop and R&B/soul became uncool in lieu of alternative and hip hop, and a new set of slang was adopted. It was certainly the most liberal period (along with the late '90s) since the late '60s/early '70s.

Well I'm referring to rock and pop rock

Like this song

3qVPNONdF58


That song is way more in line with bands from the 70s like America and the Eagles than your typical counterculture groups like Buffalo Springfield and the Zombies. Granted, it was made in 1992, but it didn't crack the charts until late 1993, about the time typical 90s alternative rock became fully standard over late 80s hard rock and jangle pop.

Whether or not it's due to Late 60s or 70s influences, nevertheless, I believe the Mid 90s definitely had a certain "counterculture" vibe. Here are a few songs which instantly spring to mind when I think about the vibe:

Selling The Drama - Live (1994)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSHAqHA-SPc

Shine - Collective Soul (1994)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_m0bI82Rz_k

Morning Glory - Oasis (1995)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wm54XyLwBAk

Stupid Girl - Garbage (1996)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GhPUAVgHZc

That's just my opinion.

That song is way more in line with bands from the 70s like America and the Eagles than your typical counterculture groups like Buffalo Springfield and the Zombies. Granted, it was made in 1992, but it didn't crack the charts until late 1993, about the time typical 90s alternative rock became fully standard over late 80s hard rock and jangle pop.
Funny "The Eagles" scored a #1 hit on the A/C Chart with "Love Will Keep US Alive" in early 1995!

The closest cultural phenomenon to evoke the spirit of the Sixties counterculture(since 1975) is the acid house/rave of the late '80s and early '90s. There was also the Britpop movement in the UK and a militant form of afro-centric hip-hop in the late '80s/early '90s.

The '90s was overall a very complacent decade in contrast to the turbulent '60s, the culture felt jaded and burnt out, not idealistic and urgent.

The closest cultural phenomenon to evoke the spirit of the Sixties counterculture(since 1975) is the acid house/rave of the late '80s and early '90s. There was also the Britpop movement in the UK and a militant form of afro-centric hip-hop in the late '80s/early '90s.

The '90s was overall a very complacent decade in contrast to the turbulent '60s, the culture felt jaded and burnt out, not idealistic and urgent.


The 1990s felt jade and burnt out? A bit interested in some explanation of that. Not saying you're wrong, but I'm am indeed curious as this is the first time I ever heard that.

The 1990s felt jade and burnt out? A bit interested in some explanation of that. Not saying you're wrong, but I'm am indeed curious as this is the first time I ever heard that.


Really? I thought "jaded and burnt out" were like the primary stereotypes of 90s popular culture, essentially how the grunge generation supposedly felt after the commercialism and decadence of the 1980s.

Really? I thought "jaded and burnt out" were like the primary stereotypes of 90s popular culture, essentially how the grunge generation supposedly felt after the commercialism and decadence of the 1980s.


Well then I'm guess I know even less about 1990s culture than I thought I did. My mistake. It's just that I've never seen 1990s and "jaded" be used together before from the people I spoke to. But again we probably just didn't fully understand the culture.

Well then I'm guess I know even less about 1990s culture than I thought I did. My mistake. It's just that I've never seen 1990s and "jaded" be used together before from the people I spoke to. But again we probably just didn't fully understand the culture.


Maybe it's because you're another person who primarily associates the 90s with anything in the vicinity of 1999, meaning the decade's culture was still prominent through early 2004 or something? The end of the 90s was pretty incredibly different even from the middle of the decade.

Maybe it's because you're another person who primarily associates the 90s with anything in the vicinity of 1999, meaning the decade's culture was still prominent through early 2004 or something? The end of the 90s was pretty incredibly different even from the middle of the decade.


I wouldn't say that. In all honesty I see 1999 as more of a 2000s year culturally. To me I look at the years from 1992/3 to 1997 when thinking of 1990s culture. 1999 is a bit far removed from actual 1990s culture to me. Anyways it seems I need to do a bit more research on 1990s culture. Either that or I just interpret 1990s culture incorrectly. Either or.

I wouldn't say that. In all honesty I see 1999 as more of a 2000s year culturally. To me I look at the years from 1992/3 to 1997 when thinking of 1990s culture. 1999 is a bit far removed from actual 1990s culture to me. Anyways it seems I need to do a bit more research on 1990s culture. Either that or I just interpret 1990s culture incorrectly. Either or.


I suppose you can interpret the 90s from numerous angles, but most people would describe the period you're referring to as the height of this dampened, jaded, angsty, scroungy style. I agree with you that 1999 is culturally closer to the 2000s, albeit geopolitically more tied to the 90s.

I suppose you can interpret the 90s from numerous angles, but most people would describe the period you're referring to as the height of this dampened, jaded, angsty, scroungy style. I agree with you that 1999 is culturally closer to the 2000s, albeit geopolitically more tied to the 90s.


1999 is more anonymous, since it disguises itself as a 90s year, but it's culturally a 2000s year. I think with shows like Ed Edd N Eddy, Spongebob, The Sopranos, and plenty of other 2000s shows make it seem like one.

1999 is more anonymous, since it disguises itself as a 90s year, but it's culturally a 2000s year. I think with shows like Ed Edd N Eddy, Spongebob, The Sopranos, and plenty of other 2000s shows make it seem like one.


Well, not just for that, but also because Timbaland-style pop was fully established in music, with late 90s hip hop like Will Smith, No Limit, and Puff Daddy in their twilight, not to mention Eminem becoming famous, Cash Money taking center stage, and Dr. Dre releasing the markedly 2000s Chronic 2001 album. Additionally, nu-metal became more popular than 90s alternative, which had still been hanging on in late 1998/early 1999 but deteriorated into little more than radio rock/power pop by the time KoRn, Limp Bizkit, Godsmack and the ilk grew huge.

In film, The Matrix was one of the biggest hits of the year, and it became practically the model film for all blockbusters in the 2000s to emulate. The Phantom Menace, in spite of its devastatingly negative reception among Star Wars fans, was also critically influential in setting the visual precedent for 2000s movies because of its fully fleshed-out fantasy worlds created out of CGI. There was also Fight Club, a modest hit at the time but soon a huge cult film that also represented the spirit of most popular 2000s films, as well.

Technologically, while the Internet had been a growing thing in the earlier parts of the late 90s, it was practically standard in 1999 and had matured into a network useful for all sorts of things. Internet forums were just popping up, Amazon.com was widely known and sold more than just books, instant messengers were just moving past their infancy stage and were now common forms of communication, and the Sega Dreamcast inaugurated the 6th generation of video gaming (its success was short-lived, but it did warm people up for the PS2, GameCube, and original XBOX).

Fashion was pretty much entirely out of its grunge era. While certain distinctly 90s hairstyles like bowl cuts, curtain cuts, and Rachels were still trendy for a few more years, grunge fashion was long gone, with clothing being predominantly bright, colorful, and clean-cut, essentially the 2000s aesthetic in a nutshell. Sure, there were more developments later, but it was clear that fashion had come a long way even since 1997 and 1998, when the Y2K aesthetic was gaining ground but still competed with the more complex and toned-down 90s styles.

Even in terms of world events, while it was still the Dot Com/Clinton/post-Cold War era, it could be argued that Columbine marked the start of the paranoid, surveillance-heavy mood of the 2000s. 9/11 would of course take these insecurities to new heights, but if Jordan can attribute a lot of the impact of Columbine relative to 9/11 based on his personal memory, that has to count for something.

I remember after Columbine there was all this talk about metal detectors in school and heightened security. The news wouldn't stop talking about the evil effects on teenagers that Marylin Manson and KMFDM had and how we needed tighter gun control. Anti-bullying was pushed down our throats almost daily. Hell, I just got into industrial bands like Skinny Puppy, Ministry and KMFDM and bought KMFDM's Symbols on tape shortly before Columbine and one day I brought it to school (after Columbine, of course) while unaware that Eric Harris was a fan. A bunch of people flipped out on me and thought I was gonna do something even though I just your average Green Day fan with an ugly grin, zit faced, green hair and dickies. All the paranoia reminded me of that old obscure Michael J. Fox movie Class of 1984. My senior year was fairly paranoid, too, and not really like the pervious ones. Even though we were class of 2000 and it was supposed to be a feel-good thing or whatever idiot preppies think, there were a lot of people still scared of something happening to them before graduation. This was also the time of bands like KoRn so, to some, it felt even worse. School shootings were never on anyone's mind before Columbine and people's previous high school experience felt a lot safer and more reassuring. My sister started high school in 1999 and graduated in 2003 and she never got to experience the type of environment we had before Columbine. The Dot Com burst (especially when you live in the heart of Silicon Valley. That was a really, really big deal at the time. 9/11 was far enough away but I saw the effects of the Dot Com bubble hit people hard), anthrax attacks and 9/11 were more reassurances of loss and paranoia. I mean, I was never scared of anything and I just lived my life as I always was but I knew a lot of people who had taken on paranoid mindsets and have continued to hold them since 1999. For the longest time I just brushed it off as 'whatever' but looking back and thinking about it, Columbine changed a whole lot for high schoolers and their parents. People's mindset was this: upper middle class kids didn't have those kinds of problems, they were safe in their schools and nothing bad would happen to them. That view was shattered on April 20th and contributed to helicopter parenting getting to an even worse point than it was before. Even to me, this world was unfamiliar and I usually associated things like shootings and metal detectors in schools with poorer areas. 17 year old me would sum it up like this: "What the hell, this is stupid!" and would end up skipping to go skate somewhere.

The 90's were burnt out and jaded but the 00's are just trashy. The 2010's, too. Both decades missed/are missing a good opportunity to make meaningful content about the state of the world. Instead, we've got party rap and Taylor Swift.

1999 is more anonymous, since it disguises itself as a 90s year, but it's culturally a 2000s year. I think with shows like Ed Edd N Eddy, Spongebob, The Sopranos, and plenty of other 2000s shows make it seem like one.
Honestly I consider the Y2K era an era of it's own, most pop culture from 1999 didn't really remain popular for that long into the 00s, and if it did it most likely evolved to stay with the times.
1999 was a happy, optimistic year, and that vibe died when 9/11 happened.
there was plenty of classic 90s culture in 1999, just watch any film from that year. I watched the film Electin recently, and the way most people were dressed in that filmed looked more like the early to mid 90s than the stereotypical Y2k boy band era fashion.

Honestly I consider the Y2K era an era of it's own, most pop culture from 1999 didn't really remain popular for that long into the 00s, and if it did it most likely evolved to stay with the times.
1999 was a happy, optimistic year, and that vibe died when 9/11 happened.
there was plenty of classic 90s culture in 1999, just watch any film from that year. I watched the film Electin recently, and the way most people were dressed in that filmed looked more like the early to mid 90s than the stereotypical Y2k boy band era fashion.


The difference is that unlike the '60s/early '70s, crime was actually on the decline during the Clinton era, with these isolated but strong incidents simply bringing a rash of public attention to these cases, and we've had plenty of random events since then at various places, meaning that you should always be alert at all times. The 24-hour news cycle was pretty well established around this time (CNN/Fox News/early Internet) compared to the primitive pre-cable era. The counterculture seemed to be more second-wave LGBT activism with a side of third-wave feminism and raves who liked techno and later trance music, with a secondary right-wing counterculture that reacted against the rise of political correctness.

Honestly I consider the Y2K era an era of it's own, most pop culture from 1999 didn't really remain popular for that long into the 00s, and if it did it most likely evolved to stay with the times.
1999 was a happy, optimistic year, and that vibe died when 9/11 happened.
there was plenty of classic 90s culture in 1999, just watch any film from that year. I watched the film Electin recently, and the way most people were dressed in that filmed looked more like the early to mid 90s than the stereotypical Y2k boy band era fashion.


I agree. I see the period from 1999-2003 as one whole transitional era between the waning 90's and rising 00's. Not really distinctly either decade culturally. One person mentioned how the fashion became less 90's like with the decline of grunge fashion. But geopolitically there was still a sense of optimism that lingered on until 9/11, thus still representing a 90's spirit. IDK, I just feel like this era has enough of both cultural influences to be its own unique era. I see the core 2000's as being from 2004-2008 and the core 90's as 1993-1998.

I remember after Columbine there was all this talk about metal detectors in school and heightened security. The news wouldn't stop talking about the evil effects on teenagers that Marylin Manson and KMFDM had and how we needed tighter gun control. Anti-bullying was pushed down our throats almost daily. Hell, I just got into industrial bands like Skinny Puppy, Ministry and KMFDM and bought KMFDM's Symbols on tape shortly before Columbine and one day I brought it to school (after Columbine, of course) while unaware that Eric Harris was a fan. A bunch of people flipped out on me and thought I was gonna do something even though I just your average Green Day fan with an ugly grin, zit faced, green hair and dickies. All the paranoia reminded me of that old obscure Michael J. Fox movie Class of 1984. My senior year was fairly paranoid, too, and not really like the pervious ones. Even though we were class of 2000 and it was supposed to be a feel-good thing or whatever idiot preppies think, there were a lot of people still scared of something happening to them before graduation. This was also the time of bands like KoRn so, to some, it felt even worse. School shootings were never on anyone's mind before Columbine and people's previous high school experience felt a lot safer and more reassuring. My sister started high school in 1999 and graduated in 2003 and she never got to experience the type of environment we had before Columbine. The Dot Com burst (especially when you live in the heart of Silicon Valley. That was a really, really big deal at the time. 9/11 was far enough away but I saw the effects of the Dot Com bubble hit people hard), anthrax attacks and 9/11 were more reassurances of loss and paranoia. I mean, I was never scared of anything and I just lived my life as I always was but I knew a lot of people who had taken on paranoid mindsets and have continued to hold them since 1999. For the longest time I just brushed it off as 'whatever' but looking back and thinking about it, Columbine changed a whole lot for high schoolers and their parents. People's mindset was this: upper middle class kids didn't have those kinds of problems, they were safe in their schools and nothing bad would happen to them. That view was shattered on April 20th and contributed to helicopter parenting getting to an even worse point than it was before. Even to me, this world was unfamiliar and I usually associated things like shootings and metal detectors in schools with poorer areas. 17 year old me would sum it up like this: "What the hell, this is stupid!" and would end up skipping to go skate somewhere.

The 90's were burnt out and jaded but the 00's are just trashy. The 2010's, too. Both decades missed/are missing a good opportunity to make meaningful content about the state of the world. Instead, we've got party rap and Taylor Swift.


This is a pretty meaningful story, thanks for sharing! Question though; why do you think the event of Columbine meant a 'death' to 90's counter-culture to many people? Looking back it seems that people tend to forget how turbulent the 90's really were domestically. You had Waco, OKC, The O.J Trial, death of iconic musicians like Kurt Cobain, rise in popularity of Grunge fashion, X Sports becoming popular, etc. The counter-culture, while not as revolutionary as say the 60's or early 70's, was still very ominous to 90's culture. I find it hard to believe that Other than the rise in topics such as the gun debate and school shootings, I really can't see how Columbine would be seen as this event that truly ushered in the 2000's mindset. The teens that committed that atrocity were stereotypical 'burn outs', thats as 90's as you get. I agree that we weren't in the core 90's cultural mindset anymore (that seemed to die in 1997/1998 with the rise in boybands and teen pop), but it certainly wasn't the core 00's either.

As stated before the period of the late 90's/early 00's looking back was just a transitional era. The event that truly ushered in 2000's culture, geopolitics, and atmosphere was 9/11 in 2001. That was the first time in U.S history since the Cold War that we felt vulnerable, and it was when culture was clearly starting to seem less 90's & more 00's (although we were still in a transitional phase until 2003, the transition was complete by late 2003/early 2004).

This is a pretty meaningful story, thanks for sharing! Question though; why do you think the event of Columbine meant a 'death' to 90's counter-culture to many people? Looking back it seems that people tend to forget how turbulent the 90's really were domestically. You had Waco, OKC, The O.J Trial, death of iconic musicians like Kurt Cobain, rise in popularity of Grunge fashion, X Sports becoming popular, etc. The counter-culture, while not as revolutionary as say the 60's or early 70's, was still very ominous to 90's culture. I find it hard to believe that Other than the rise in topics such as the gun debate and school shootings, I really can't see how Columbine would be seen as this event that truly ushered in the 2000's mindset. The teens that committed that atrocity were stereotypical 'burn outs', thats as 90's as you get. I agree that we weren't in the core 90's cultural mindset anymore (that seemed to die in 1997/1998 with the rise in boybands and teen pop), but it certainly wasn't the core 00's either.


Well, Columbine probably rushed in the security towards high schools. It was very paranoid for schools in the late 90s/early 2000s to go through something like Columbine or whatever 90s attack they witnessed on the news. Jordan pretty much had the right assumption, since he was a teenager during the late 90s and witnessed it clearly.

This is a pretty meaningful story, thanks for sharing! Question though; why do you think the event of Columbine meant a 'death' to 90's counter-culture to many people? Looking back it seems that people tend to forget how turbulent the 90's really were domestically. You had Waco, OKC, The O.J Trial, death of iconic musicians like Kurt Cobain, rise in popularity of Grunge fashion, X Sports becoming popular, etc. The counter-culture, while not as revolutionary as say the 60's or early 70's, was still very ominous to 90's culture. I find it hard to believe that Other than the rise in topics such as the gun debate and school shootings, I really can't see how Columbine would be seen as this event that truly ushered in the 2000's mindset. The teens that committed that atrocity were stereotypical 'burn outs', thats as 90's as you get. I agree that we weren't in the core 90's cultural mindset anymore (that seemed to die in 1997/1998 with the rise in boybands and teen pop), but it certainly wasn't the core 00's either.

As stated before the period of the late 90's/early 00's looking back was just a transitional era. The event that truly ushered in 2000's culture, geopolitics, and atmosphere was 9/11 in 2001. That was the first time in U.S history since the Cold War that we felt vulnerable, and it was when culture was clearly starting to seem less 90's & more 00's (although we were still in a transitional phase until 2003, the transition was complete by late 2003/early 2004).


I didn't say anything about popular culture because, in my opinion, the real 90's died before Columbine. That's not important here, anyway, and I don't see what Eric and Dylan being 'burn outs' (which they weren't, actually) really has to do with it, whether that was the 90s mindset or not. They could of been preppies and it wouldn't of mattered. It didn't usher in the 00's mindset, it ushered in the entire 21st century mindset (especially towards youth) with all the anti-bullying, helicopter parenting, paranoia in middle class schools with metal detectors and other heightened security. You never saw cops patrolling "good" schools and questioning "suspicious" students (who were really good kids just trying to figure themselves out) until Columbine. You see a lot of adults born in the mid-late 80's who are now taking up important jobs in things like, for example, management; their adolescence was littered with that bullsh!t and to this day the effects still show.

Unfortunately Columbine started a horrible trend with school shootings.  :(

I didn't say anything about popular culture because, in my opinion, the real 90's died before Columbine. That's not important here, anyway, and I don't see what Eric and Dylan being 'burn outs' (which they weren't, actually) really has to do with it, whether that was the 90s mindset or not. They could of been preppies and it wouldn't of mattered. It didn't usher in the 00's mindset, it ushered in the entire 21st century mindset (especially towards youth) with all the anti-bullying, helicopter parenting, paranoia in middle class schools with metal detectors and other heightened security. You never saw cops patrolling "good" schools and questioning "suspicious" students (who were really good kids just trying to figure themselves out) until Columbine. You see a lot of adults born in the mid-late 80's who are now taking up important jobs in things like, for example, management; their adolescence was littered with that bullsh!t and to this day the effects still show.


Good point. I think theres a reason they consider the generation born in the mid 80's and after the 'SnowFlake Generation', it was mainly due to the rise of PC Culture in the 90's and especially into the 21st century. You do bring up a good point that in the adolescence sense, most Millennials spent their youth during the 2000's, which was during a time of paranoia, school shootings, censorship, cyberbullying, etc. hence the (unfortunate) rise in PC Culture and Regressive Leftism from 20-somethings today...