Inspired by the thread in the '10s section, this is much more relevant to my generation since I was in elementary and middle (junior high) school throughout almost the entirety of the decade. Generally speaking, trends that became popular during summers usually carry over into the following school year as well.

These are trends that peaked in their own school years.

1989/1990: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles mania, New Kids On The Block, Arsenio Hall, IBM PS/2 PC, Married... With Children, The Little Mermaid, Paula Abdul, Super Mario Bros. Super Show, Nintendo Game Boy, Roseanne, vinyl records dying out from the mainstream, the Lambada, snap bracelets, the peak of new jack swing, the peak of the decline of communism

1990/1991: Glam metal's last hurrah (Xtreme/Damn Yankees), Full House peak, Bartmania, peak of the NES in terms of saturation, small economic recession, MTV Unplugged, peak of golden age hip hop, house music, In Living Color, Captain Planet, Tiny Toon Adventures, Mariah Carey comes out, Home Alone, shoes with basketball pumps, TaleSpin, the Gulf War.

1991/1992: The 16-bit wars, grunge becomes popular thanks to Nevermind, the decline of permed hair, Beauty and the Beast, starter jackets, the final blow to the Cold War, Michael Jackson's Dangerous, Darkwing Duck, classic Nickelodeon's creative peak begins (the first three Nicktoons, Nick Arcade, Salute Your Shorts, Clarissa Explains It All), CDs surpass cassette sales, political correctness becomes mainstream

1992/1993: Clinton elected President, Microsoft becomes popular with Windows 3.1, Batman: The Animated Series, Disney's Aladdin, Seinfeld, Northern Exposure, gangsta rap, baggy pants, 26 Red, Boyz II Men, cheesy "jock jams"-type dance pop, Goof Troop, Barney, Madonna's Sex book and Erotica, The Bodyguard, the peak of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Michael Jackson's Superbowl performance

1993/1994: Sega CD, Atari Jaguar, '70s nostalgia takes off, Goosebumps, ultimate peak of grunge, Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen's comebacks, "Always Coca-Cola" ad campaign, peak of Beverly Hills 90210 and Baywatch, Beavis & Butt-Head, Doom, Animaniacs, Dock Martens, Bonkers, Rocko's Modern Life, Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, Nickelodeon's The Big Help, the first Winter Olympics in a different year from the summer Olympics

1994/1995: Eurodance, pogs, Britpop peak, OJ Simpson Trial, Oklahoma City bombing, Gargoyles, Snoop Dogg, Pulp Fiction, VR Troopers, Hootie & The Blowfish, All That, peak of checkerboard-era Cartoon Network, Sega 32X, birth of post-grunge, Aaaah! Real Monsters, Starbucks

1995/1996: The Macarena, The Internet, bowl haircuts, Xtreme sports, cargo pants, classic Celine Dion peak, Party of Five, Windows 95, Masked Rider, PlayStation, Friends, ER, Sega Saturn, Scream, Toy Story, Pinky and the Brain, Sailor Moon, Alanis Morissette, lots of new curvy, cartoon car redesigns such as the Dodge Caravan and the Ford Taurus

1996/1997: The Spice Girls, Big Bad Beetleborgs, end of gangsta rap/beginning of glam rap, Kenan & Kel, Beanie Babies, Arthur, Super Mario and Mario Kart 64, Star Wars original trilogy theatrical re-release, Riverdance, Donnie Brasco, Hey Arnold, Marvel vs. Onslaught, Tommy Hilfiger, Sabrina: The Teenage Witch, Barbie Girl

1997/1998: Third Eye Blind, Shania Twain, Jeff Gordon, Tamagotchi and other virtual pets, The Backstreet Boys, Titanic, Powerhouse era Cartoon Network begins, Disney becomes a free channel and enters its golden "Zoog" phase, Kablam!

1998/1999: Pokemania, Furby, Clinton fiasco/impeachment trial, the Columbine shooting, N'Sync, DVD players, MP3s, peak of classic Nu Metal, Britney Spears, Will & Grace, beginning of Y2K scare, The Wild Thornberries, Teletubbies, Elmo's World on Sesame Street, The Matrix

Nice thread, i would like to see someone make a 2000s version also.

I was part of the 1989-1992 school year trends.

I was part of those of 1994-1998. Of course I remember most of the ones mentioned.

Oh gorsh, I remember school year trends!

First - there was baggy, baggy shirts.  Like, down to your knees.  I remember the guys wearing them and I thought they had  ;D

Who say the movie "Ghostbusters"?  Anyone?  There was a  lot of schoolyear trends in that.  From waste-high huggers to those track suits. 

Favorite trends included:  spitting, Forrest(Gump?), Adeiline.

1989-1990: Beepers, Bootleg flip-up glasses, Bad Boy Club gear, Party Animal shirts, Gumby haircuts, Jordan 4s, early New Kids on the Block merchandise, Don’t Worry Be Happy shirts, Rock N Flowers, Skidz, Ellesse, Hip hop haircuts, Save the Rainforest shirts, Milli Vanilli, the Lambada, Married with Children, Girbaud jeans, The fall of the Berlin Wall, Two tone shirts, Arsenioooo, All Things Nintendo, Pump Up the Jam, Electric Youth perfume, Debbie Gibson hats, Body Glove, Fido Dido shirts, K Swiss sneakers, Flava Flav clock necklaces, Gotcha clothes, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures, Sinead O Connor, Simpsons shirts, Reebok Pumps, Original New York Seltzer, Rhythm Nation steel plated hats, It’s a Black Thing You Wouldn’t Understand shirts, Doogie Howser MD, B.U.M. Equipment, Hugo Boss, black sneakers, Dick Tracy shirts, D.A.R.E. shirts, NASA shirts, Mandela shirts, Guess Jeans, Carhart jackets, N.W.A.nnabes, Short sleeve silk shirts with gaudy designs on them, Oversized polo shirts, Babydoll dresses, Clackers, Geckos having sex shirts

1990-1991: Bandanas, Jesus Christ necklaces, Mariah Carey, Parker Lewis Can’t Lose, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Patrick Ewing sneakers, black and neon jackets, slap bracelets, 8 ball jackets, college football team sweatshirts, Bo Knows logo shirts, Duck Head, Bugle Boy clothes, Family Matters, Baggy jeans, Colorful Guess and Cross Colours jeans, orange clothes, Hi Tech boots, stonewash jeans, Vanilla Ice haircuts, undercuts, Zubaz, Ikeda Jeans, Hypercolor shirts, Banana Republic, Hermit crab necklaces, mood rings, Charlie Brown zig zag shirts, overalls with one strap down, yin yang necklaces, MC Hammer shirts, Charlotte Hornets, MTV Unplugged, Color Me Badd, Diet Pepsi commercials with Ray Charles in them, Super Soakers

1991-1992: Jeeps, Adidas Equipment, Blue Zone jeans, Starter puffa jackets, Oakley Thermonuclear gear, Harley Davidson shirts, Love See No Color shirts, Boys II Men, Michael Jackson’s Dangerous, Saved by the Bell, Beverly Hills 90210, Wayne’s World caps, African American College Alliance sweaters, OPP gear, Bootleg Gucci shirts, Ren and Stimpy shirts, Kris Kross, Studs the game show, American Gladiators, Right Said Fred, Batman Returns, Polo Sport, Long shorts

1992-1993: Sagging jeans, No Fear shirts, Big Johnson shirts, Bongo jeans, Yaga, Karl Kani, Timberland boots, Red Eraser, Tales from the Crypt, The Bodyguard, Darker clothes, Thrift store shopping (anti-fashion statement), Flannel, Rave wear, Dickies, Ben Davis, marijuana caps, Pearl Jam shirts, Crystal Pepsi, Anticipation for Jurassic Park

92/93- Stussy, Doc Martens

92/93- Stussy, Doc Martens


Stussy was trendy in 1989. Doc Martens, on the other hand, were popular with the grunge crowd in 1992 like you said.

This is a pretty good representation of the decade as well.

1991 definitely missing the release of GNR's Use Your Illusions. A massive event with teens/early 20s lined up at midnight for the release.

1993 saw the surprise comeback of Rod Stewart with Unplugged.

96 Olympics were HUGE. None since have had such an impact.