These two decades defined themselves fairly early on from a hair/clothes/music stand-point.

Not to say everything screamed 80's/90's out of the gate. Not at all.  It's just that early on in these two decades, there were so much mainstream decade specific pop culture going on. Moreso than any other decade.

When it comes to hair/clothes/music, the 60's and 70's especially took a long time to get away from the previous decade.

Ehhh, not really. Both of the changes were at a normal pace. The early 80s still had disco, the early 90s had dance-pop. The early years of any decade have both original stuff and carryovers.

The early 80s still had disco


Not the early 80s. In my opinion, only 1980 had real late 70s aesthetics.

Not the early 80s. In my opinion, only 1980 had real late 70s aesthetics.


In your opinion, not a proven fact.

The year 1980 still had Disco.  But by then it was dying.  If there was Disco after 1980, it was called something else, as Disco had become a bad word.

In your opinion, not a proven fact.


It's very hard to prove when pop culture ended. However it's fact that 1980 sounds still very 70s (disco), whereas 1981 and later hat more synthpop and new wave. 1981 was a very transitional year, when it comes to music, however I think it has more in common with the later 80s than with the 70s.
And 1982 = disco? No way!

Not the early 80s. In my opinion, only 1980 had real late 70s aesthetics.


I would call early 80's, electronica.

The year 1980 still had Disco.  But by then it was dying.  If there was Disco after 1980, it was called something else, as Disco had become a bad word.


and that's why it was trashed July of 1979.

It's very hard to prove when pop culture ended. However it's fact that 1980 sounds still very 70s (disco), whereas 1981 and later hat more synthpop and new wave. 1981 was a very transitional year, when it comes to music, however I think it has more in common with the later 80s than with the 70s.
And 1982 = disco? No way!


Possibly in Europe, but in the U.S. musically the pop charts were still very dominated by country, '70s style R&B, and uber soft rock (Air Supply) in 1981. Some synthpop coming in too but it was relatively scant still.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdbdKPxYCpM

70ish music was largely gone in the mainstream by 1983.

70ish music was largely gone in the mainstream by 1983.


Yeah, I would say 1982 was the last year where it really had a noticeable presence at all. Late 1982/early 1983 was the 2nd British Invasion in the U.S, when New Wave really started to take over the charts.

Yeah, I would say 1982 was the last year where it really had a noticeable presence at all.


Those were mostly holdovers from previous years. Lots of songs get recorded a year or two before the actual release and may have charted in 1982. But it faded pretty fast. The early 80s had a very distinct sound, but I wouldn't say it had so much common with the late 70s or disco. New records from 1982 pretty much showed us what the rest of the 80s had to offer.

And that's not based on my European experiences (which I didn't have anyway) - It's based on the (American) Youtube clips with music from those years ;)

70ish music was largely gone in the mainstream by 1983.


after 1983 it was more like electronica music.

Those were mostly holdovers from previous years. Lots of songs get recorded a year or two before the actual release and may have charted in 1982. But it faded pretty fast. The early 80s had a very distinct sound, but I wouldn't say it had so much common with the late 70s or disco. New records from 1982 pretty much showed us what the rest of the 80s had to offer.

And that's not based on my European experiences (which I didn't have anyway) - It's based on the (American) Youtube clips with music from those years ;)


The '70s style in 1982 isn't super noticeable and probably 70% of the hits that year sounded like what you'd expect from MTV era stuff. Lots of AOR and a fair amount of synthpop by that point. Still some really soft rock, though.

The last really '70s or Disco era sounding pop song to crack the top 10 in the U.S. was probably "Heartbreaker" by Dionne Warwick, which was produced by Barry Gibb and hit #10 in January 1983. A couple of '70s rock holdovers had hits in 1983, like Air Supply and Bob Seger, but that sound was rapidly dying as well.

Also, my dad thinks the '90s are an "80s Part II". In many ways, he's actually right. For instance, a few days ago, my brother and I watched the first few minutes of a 1992 episode of "Step by Step". As the theme song was playing, we talked about how '80s it looked. My brother said, "This looks like it could be 1985!" Once he said that, I realized he was right. The big hair, the neon colors, the fashion, it looked so '80s.

Never could I imagine people watching a 2002 show and during the theme song someone saying, "This looks like it could be 1995!"

As the theme song was playing, we talked about how '80s it looked.


I remember watching those kind of shows in the 90s. Even though it looks very old, that's still typical early 90s.

Also, my dad thinks the '90s are an "80s Part II". In many ways, he's actually right. For instance, a few days ago, my brother and I watched the first few minutes of a 1992 episode of "Step by Step". As the theme song was playing, we talked about how '80s it looked. My brother said, "This looks like it could be 1985!" Once he said that, I realized he was right. The big hair, the neon colors, the fashion, it looked so '80s.

Never could I imagine people watching a 2002 show and during the theme song someone saying, "This looks like it could be 1995!"


1992 isn't the best representation if you're going for something that ubiquitously screams "different from the 80s". There was still big hair and there were still plenty of cheesy family sitcoms on in 1992, whereas more "90s" sitcoms like Mad About You were just coming on or hadn't come at all yet (Friends was two years away). It was only 2-3 years into the decade.

The differences between a 1995 Friends episode and a 1985 Cheers episode would probably be pretty easy to spot, IMO.

The differences between a 1995 Friends episode and a 1985 Cheers episode would probably be pretty easy to spot, IMO.


The differences between a 1995 Friends episode and a 2002 Friends episode are easy to spot.

The differences between a 1995 Friends episode and a 2002 Friends episode are easy to spot.


Well I'd say 1985 and 1992 are pretty distinctive from one another in a lot of ways. Watch an early and then late episode of Cheers or Growing Pains if you're wondering about that.

1992 looks 80ish, that's true, but 1985 would look way older and probably less cheesy.

The differences between a 1995 Friends episode and a 2002 Friends episode are easy to spot.


the difference is they aged.

I doubt an intro to a show from 1992 would look or sound like 1985, maybe 1987 at the earliest.

In regards to fashion, I think the early to mid 90s style looked more like stuff from the 60s and 70s, but with some neon 80s stuff thrown in on occasion. I was watching Gilbert Grape the other day and a lot of the fashion and aesthetics looked old enough to be from 1978. Also many people still commonly drove 70s cars up until 1997.
For some odd reason, a lot of the production values on films and TV seemed to become more digital looking around 1998/1999, and seemed to be in full swing around 2000. It's like you can just tell a video is from before 2000.

Also many people still commonly drove 70s cars up until 1997.


We drove a German late 70s car until late 1990. It was considered old by then.

I'm not sure actually. I do think the early 60s are very similar to the 50s. But 1970 already seems very 70s to me. The hippie dream was already dead and the cheesy materialism of the postmodern age was already in bloom (The Carpenters, Partridge Family etc couldn't possibly be 60s). The early 80s actually don't seem very different from the 70s, I mean the fashion was very similar and to me typical "80s fashion" ala mullets and shoulder pads really dominated the most between 1983 and 1990 or so.

The 90s also started slow I think. Most of the music from 1990 and 1991 still sounds pretty 80s though one major difference I notice is that there were far more black artists in the early 90s than there were in the late 80s. Even for a couple years after Nirvana you still had some "hair metal", ballads and sappy R&B pop with gated drums. The "plain" fashion we associate with the 90s really didn't start until about 1994 actually, tons of people were still piling on the Aquanet as late as then if you go back and look at old yearbooks lol.

My personal experience is that the changes during the late 70, 80s and 90s were very gradual.

Back in the 80s, I worked on my college's yearbook staff.  I had access to all the old yearbooks going back to the 19th century.

Many of the pictures in our 1986 yearbook could have just as well been lifted from the 1976 yearbook.  Guys with long hair, super short cut-off jeans, bandanas --- is that 70s or 80s?  You really couldn't tell without looking at the year on the cover.  Sandals, tie-dye T-shirts, Grateful Dead T-shirts, flannel --- 1972? 1976? 1980? 1984? 1988?

By contrast, there's absolutely no way on Earth you could mistake a 1968 yearbook picture for a 1978 yearbook picture or vice versa!  In '68 most men had very short cropped hair, wore collared shirts, slacks or Bermudas.  Women generally wore dresses and many had those beehive hairdos.  Ten years later, it was T-shirts, denim and ponytails.  We often had fun looking through the late 60s and early 70s yearbooks because you could see such rapid changes from one year to the next.




These two decades defined themselves fairly early on from a hair/clothes/music stand-point.

Not to say everything screamed 80's/90's out of the gate. Not at all.  It's just that early on in these two decades, there were so much mainstream decade specific pop culture going on. Moreso than any other decade.

When it comes to hair/clothes/music, the 60's and 70's especially took a long time to get away from the previous decade.

My personal experience is that the changes during the late 70, 80s and 90s were very gradual.

Back in the 80s, I worked on my college's yearbook staff.  I had access to all the old yearbooks going back to the 19th century.

Many of the pictures in our 1986 yearbook could have just as well been lifted from the 1976 yearbook.  Guys with long hair, super short cut-off jeans, bandanas --- is that 70s or 80s?  You really couldn't tell without looking at the year on the cover.  Sandals, tie-dye T-shirts, Grateful Dead T-shirts, flannel --- 1972? 1976? 1980? 1984? 1988?

By contrast, there's absolutely no way on Earth you could mistake a 1968 yearbook picture for a 1978 yearbook picture or vice versa!  In '68 most men had very short cropped hair, wore collared shirts, slacks or Bermudas.  Women generally wore dresses and many had those beehive hairdos.  Ten years later, it was T-shirts, denim and ponytails.  We often had fun looking through the late 60s and early 70s yearbooks because you could see such rapid changes from one year to the next.


I totally agree. I also think the changes since ~1998 or so through today have been gradual.

I actually think the '70s started quickly, for the reasons winteriscoming said. The early '80s are pretty similar to the '70s. More so fashion than music, but there are still similarities there. 1980 and 1981 still had disco, jazz, blue eyed soul, and soft rock. 1982 and 1983 sound very stereotypically '80s with all the new wave and hard rock ballads. However, the fashion was similar to the late '70s throughout all of the early '80s. I have high school yearbooks chronicling the early '80s (including my dad's) and even 1983 was had a leftover '70s design on the hairstyles and shirts (w/ the polos still having pointy collars and there being stripes on them instead of one solid color). 1984 there was definitely a change. So many shoulder pads and ripped jeans!

Like what winteriscoming said, I think the '90s took awhile to build up to. I pretty much think of the years 1990-1993 as a pop cultural extension of the '80s. My parents said they weren't all that different and I have a lot of family pictures from that time. A lot of big hair, biker shorts, neon colors, and acid-washed jeans lol!!! ;D You still had hair metal, '80s-sounding hip-hop, and ballads. 1994 I see as a year all on it's own. The music was intense, gritty, dark, and very emotional. It was completely and utterly 1994. The only year that could really be mistaken for it was 1995. 1995 was a more "pop" version of 1994, but it also introduced some new trends for the next three years. 1996 I see a change. The music was very feel-good, catchy, upbeat, and light-hearted. It had a more party atmosphere. The clothing was also more flattering and the hairstyles were neater. Everything from 1997 through 2000 was really just a more evolved version of late 1995 and 1996. Songs such as "Only You" by 112 and "Ironic" by Alanis Morissette aren't all that different from songs like "Wifey" by Next and "Everything You Want" by Vertical Horizon. This era was very R&B centric. If you love R&B (like I do), this is going to be your favorite time period for music ever. If you think it's okay, there's still plenty more for you to like, but you'll miss out on a good portion of the songs. If you hate R&B, then you will hate this era with a passion.

So Here is how I think it goes for the '80s and '90s:

1980s
1980-'83: Leftover '70s influence on TV, music (until about 1982), and fashion. Had some disco and soul, but saw the rise in new wave.
1984-'86: Core '80s. Consisted of synth pop and a lot of mixed clothing styles such as varsity jackets, bubble skirts, shoulder pads, and converse shoes.
1987-'88: The breakthrough of hip-hop, the return of dance pop, and the rise in hair metal. A more relaxed approach to fashion, but the mid '80s clothes were still stylish.

1990s
1990-'93: The early '90s, with hair metal, dance pop, and old school hip-hop. Saw the rise in grunge. Many mid-late '80s fashions were still worn, and grunge fashion caught on as well. Generally a leftover '80s feel.
1994-'95: A "Mini-Era", as I like to call it. Grunge fashion peaked in '94, still widespread in '95, saw the rise in house, euro dance, and post grunge. Non grunge wearers wore a lot of classy monochrome clothes. The very first retro '70s influences started to bubble up.
1996-'00: The Y2K era. A lot of party music and happy tunes of all genres, the explosion of party clothing among young adults, and a mild preppy style for people of all ages. A carefree time where the economy was doing awesome and political issues were usually petty. 2000 isn't '90s, but it belongs in this era.

It all came crashing down in 2001.. It's a shame. The Y2K era was my favorite era for pop culture ever.

I totally agree. I also think the changes since ~1998 or so through today have been gradual.
I think the second half of 2008 was more than gradual though in terms of change. Glam Rap wasn't cool anymore and Electro-pop was. Obama was elected President too.

When I said the 80's and 90's defined themselves early, I was talking about new wave and grunge. A lot of the other decades did not have that one big defining thing early on

I'm not sure actually. I do think the early 60s are very similar to the 50s. But 1970 already seems very 70s to me. The hippie dream was already dead and the cheesy materialism of the postmodern age was already in bloom (The Carpenters, Partridge Family etc couldn't possibly be 60s). The early 80s actually don't seem very different from the 70s, I mean the fashion was very similar and to me typical "80s fashion" ala mullets and shoulder pads really dominated the most between 1983 and 1990 or so.

The 90s also started slow I think. Most of the music from 1990 and 1991 still sounds pretty 80s though one major difference I notice is that there were far more black artists in the early 90s than there were in the late 80s. Even for a couple years after Nirvana you still had some "hair metal", ballads and sappy R&B pop with gated drums. The "plain" fashion we associate with the 90s really didn't start until about 1994 actually, tons of people were still piling on the Aquanet as late as then if you go back and look at old yearbooks lol.


Wow I always have viewed the early 70s as an extension of the late 60s IMO. America's involvement in Vietnam protests, music, television shows, hippies were still active. I always have seen Watergate/Nixon's resignation,the rise of disco, and oil embargo to have started the 70s era.

I actually think the '70s started quickly, for the reasons winteriscoming said. The early '80s are pretty similar to the '70s. More so fashion than music, but there are still similarities there. 1980 and 1981 still had disco, jazz, blue eyed soul, and soft rock. 1982 and 1983 sound very stereotypically '80s with all the new wave and hard rock ballads. However, the fashion was similar to the late '70s throughout all of the early '80s. I have high school yearbooks chronicling the early '80s (including my dad's) and even 1983 was had a leftover '70s design on the hairstyles and shirts (w/ the polos still having pointy collars and there being stripes on them instead of one solid color). 1984 there was definitely a change. So many shoulder pads and ripped jeans!

Like what winteriscoming said, I think the '90s took awhile to build up to. I pretty much think of the years 1990-1993 as a pop cultural extension of the '80s. My parents said they weren't all that different and I have a lot of family pictures from that time. A lot of big hair, biker shorts, neon colors, and acid-washed jeans lol!!! ;D You still had hair metal, '80s-sounding hip-hop, and ballads. 1994 I see as a year all on it's own. The music was intense, gritty, dark, and very emotional. It was completely and utterly 1994. The only year that could really be mistaken for it was 1995. 1995 was a more "pop" version of 1994, but it also introduced some new trends for the next three years. 1996 I see a change. The music was very feel-good, catchy, upbeat, and light-hearted. It had a more party atmosphere. The clothing was also more flattering and the hairstyles were neater. Everything from 1997 through 2000 was really just a more evolved version of late 1995 and 1996. Songs such as "Only You" by 112 and "Ironic" by Alanis Morissette aren't all that different from songs like "Wifey" by Next and "Everything You Want" by Vertical Horizon. This era was very R&B centric. If you love R&B (like I do), this is going to be your favorite time period for music ever. If you think it's okay, there's still plenty more for you to like, but you'll miss out on a good portion of the songs. If you hate R&B, then you will hate this era with a passion.

So Here is how I think it goes for the '80s and '90s:

1980s
1980-'83: Leftover '70s influence on TV, music (until about 1982), and fashion. Had some disco and soul, but saw the rise in new wave.
1984-'86: Core '80s. Consisted of synth pop and a lot of mixed clothing styles such as varsity jackets, bubble skirts, shoulder pads, and converse shoes.
1987-'88: The breakthrough of hip-hop, the return of dance pop, and the rise in hair metal. A more relaxed approach to fashion, but the mid '80s clothes were still stylish.

1990s
1990-'93: The early '90s, with hair metal, dance pop, and old school hip-hop. Saw the rise in grunge. Many mid-late '80s fashions were still worn, and grunge fashion caught on as well. Generally a leftover '80s feel.
1994-'95: A "Mini-Era", as I like to call it. Grunge fashion peaked in '94, still widespread in '95, saw the rise in house, euro dance, and post grunge. Non grunge wearers wore a lot of classy monochrome clothes. The very first retro '70s influences started to bubble up.
1996-'00: The Y2K era. A lot of party music and happy tunes of all genres, the explosion of party clothing among young adults, and a mild preppy style for people of all ages. A carefree time where the economy was doing awesome and political issues were usually petty. 2000 isn't '90s, but it belongs in this era.

It all came crashing down in 2001.. It's a shame. The Y2K era was my favorite era for pop culture ever.


in my opinion 60s to the 70s gradually, 70s to the 80s sudden, 80s to the 90s peaked in the mid 90s 90s to the 00s peaked in the middle, 00s to the 10s peaked pretty friggin early.

Anyways, listening to the music, watching tv shows and movies. Also knowing my history. The early 80s with the exception of 1980 don't feel like the 70s at all to me. new wave music, from carter to Reagan, etc.

The early 80s with the exception of 1980 don't feel like the 70s at all to me. new wave music, from carter to Reagan, etc.


1982 and 83 were kinda 70s. Especially in Europe. I agree about the music, though.

1982 and 83 were kinda 70s. Especially in Europe. I agree about the music, though.

Ehh... I dunno man with films like Blade Run, Star Trek 2, Scareface, Return of the Jedi, ET, Tron, First Blood, Wargames, and Flashdance. Music like MJ's Thriller, and Bird&Magic in the NBA, 49ers dynasty began in the NFL, TV shows like Cheers and Knight Rider in 1982 and A-TEAM, He- Man, and Gi Joe in 1983, All of things SCREAM 80s to me.

Ehh... I dunno man with films like Blade Run, Star Trek 2, Scareface, Return of the Jedi, ET, Tron, First Blood, Wargames, and Flashdance. Music like MJ's Thriller, and Bird&Magic in the NBA, 49ers dynasty began in the NFL, TV shows like Cheers and Knight Rider in 1982 and A-TEAM, He- Man, and Gi Joe in 1983, All of things SCREAM 80s to me.


I have high school yearbooks from the early 1980s, and it doesn't look all that different from the '70s.

I have high school yearbooks from the early 1980s, and it doesn't look all that different from the '70s.

Maybe fashion wise it might have been gradual.YEARS ago, when my mom and dad told me they had met in college in 1983/1984, that's when the big hair fad started to take off.