Millennials Are Sharing How They Felt Growing Up In The '90s, And Why Even Back Then They Knew It Was An Amazing Decade

I've written many posts about how the '90s were a great decade to grow up in. Now, 25-plus years removed from the decade, the nostalgia for it from millennials isn't just because we were kids then but also because it was the last decade where we were truly disconnected from social media and the internet. Recently, I came across an interesting Reddit thread where user traceenforce started a discussion because they were curious if some '90s kids realized at the time that it was an amazing decade to be living through.

The redditor started the discussion by giving his thoughts on the '90s as a Gen Z'er: "Hello, I am 25-year-old from America, and I must say most of what I discover through the internet that I find most interesting comes from the '90s. The music, the art, the games, the fashion, the film, the technology, the ideas, etc. My question is, did you feel like it was a good time to be alive? Were you waking up thinking gee shits, cool? Or is it simply when you reflect your brain has shaken the bad stuff from your memory and only hangs onto the good stuff?..."

"...I ask because, as someone who thinks deeply about reality past and present, I worry A LOT about the future. I am very unimpressed or flat-out upset with most mainstream or current ideas. To me, it seems like the world is mostly regressing."

Many millennials and Gen X'ers joined the discussion and shared how they felt during the decade. Below are the top and best comments:

1."Before 9/11 happened, there was so much optimism everywhere. So yeah, it was cool."

2."I do think the '90s had a lot more fun outdoorsy things when you were a kid. Also, being a kid in the '90s meant we didn’t have responsibilities, but we couldn’t spend money on what we wanted either. But nowadays, kids have a lot more technology, even in their toys. Lithium-ion batteries are a huge game changer for today's kids."

3."I'm 45, so the height of my adolescence was in the 1990s. For me, the music alone was enough to remember and cherish for the rest of my days. The birth of grunge, the huge expansion of hip-hop (not my jam, but I appreciated how big it got in that era), and country and metal crossing over into other genres (Shania Twain, Metallica). It was fucking amazing."

4."I was a big history nerd, so yes, I realized how cool it was to live through a decade without a major war, a bunch of cool tech coming out, a pretty healthy economy, and music, movies, and TV shows that were pushing the envelope of established norms."

5."I actually remember being a kid in the '90s and thinking that the '90s were a pretty f'ing rad time to be a kid, especially a nerdy kid that loved computers and video games. Even at the time, I couldn't believe how lucky I was to be seeing all of this cool shit happening while I was there to witness it."

6."You weren't aware of what anyone else was doing, so there was less comparison. People were more interesting and original. We were pretty free to do what we wanted without the world knowing the next day (or our parents). Also, nobody could reach us every second of every day."

7."I thought the '90s were perfect! I can say with 100% certainty that I was someone who loved the '90s, while still being in them. Granted, I was a kid, though, so of course I loved everything back then, lol. It really was a time to be alive!!! I remember immediately coming home after school, eating cereal while watching TV, and then running outside to my best friend's house down the street. Then we together would go knock on the doors of the other neighboring kids and get them to all come out too! 'Can ___ come out to play???'"

8."I was ages 8–17 in the '90s. It felt cool at the time. For me the media specifically was amazing. The music, movies and TV shows. However, it wasn’t until 20 years past that I was really able to appreciate how amazing and unique the '90s were. It felt cool at the time, but now it feels like a beautiful dream."

9."I do remember thinking that, with the Cold War behind us, America faced no major threats and never will again. Major wars for my country were a thing of the past, and the country could devote its resources towards tackling problems that went by the wayside, like the environment. There were still problems, of course. Domestic terrorism and inequality, but at least we didn't have World War III to worry about ever again."

10."It was the best balance of life and technology. Corporate greed wasn't as unhinged as it is today. Also, no smartphones or social media meant you could have fun without needing to record yourself to show people what you're doing. Paper maps, cassette tape mixes, slow dancing at the disco — I didn't appreciate what I had until much later in life."

11.Honestly, I had a much brighter view of the future in the '90s. Part of it may be the effect that Star Trek TNG had on me of a future that was nothing but up. The internet was taking off, and I thought it would increase education all across the world. It was one slow news day after another so I never anticipated the sh*tshow we've seen in the last several years. It was actually pretty great, I think."

12."Of course, nothing is perfect. But life before 9/11, social media, the internet (or when it was in its primitive form), was a much different place. We trusted, made friends, and relied way more on the kindness of strangers. We had more thrown-together get-togethers that were not 'Pinterest-worthy' whatsoever — you just put out booze, a few snacks, played music, and people came over. People have always been judgemental, but it was less intense, we were less picky about looks, decor, parenting the perfect way. We embraced totally different things: hard work, character, grit, discipline, and partying hard as a reward. It was just very, very different. Hell yeah, I miss those days."

13."A lot of positivity. Things felt like they would be okay and that dreams were possible. Stuff was affordable, and there was an equation to get there: work hard or work your way up the ladder, get educated, and then the opportunities and money come. It doesn’t feel like that anymore at all."

14."The only thing I was ever worried about was getting homework/school assignments done, and eventually, we were worried about Y2K for a while, lol. Weekends seemed to last forever, and summers seemed to last forever. It was the best of times. Society as a whole wasn't nearly as stressed out and contentious as it is now."

15.And lastly, "Yeah, we all knew at the time it was great, or at least I did. Popular culture, music, films, and books were just super f'ing cool. The mainstream seemed to embrace transgressive art for a little while there. It was a really special time to be young."

You can read the original thread on Reddit.

Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.