We get it, narrowing down the hottest pop culture trends of the 90s is quite a job. It’s because there are just too many iconic and defining moments that happened in this decade. From the Tamagotchi craze to Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake’s matching denim clothes to “Clueless,” and “Friends.” This decade is brimming with unforgettable pop culture trends and moments. But behold, we made a list of the things that made the final decade of the 20th century memorable. So put on your butterfly clips and hide your beepers because we are going to take a trip down memory lane.
Tamagotchi
We bet that most ‘90s kids owned a Tamagotchi and accidentally killed your weak and malnourished Tamagotchi pet because you were too busy hanging out with your friends.
Y2K Hysteria
Of course, who would forget the panic that shook the entire world when the word got out about the end of the world that is happening when every calendar switches to the 1st of January 2000. This panic was called the Millennium bug or the “Y2K Bug,” it was a class of computer bugs that have to do with the storage of calendar data for the dates beginning in the year 2000. Almost everyone in the entire world assumed that the apocalypse is near because they thought that computers would just spontaneously self-destruct and the world as we know it would come to an end.
Girl Bands
The ‘90s was the decade when the girl band craze started. From TLC, Spice Girls, Aqua, to the success of Destiny’s Child that gave way to Beyonce’s solo career. The ‘90s would not be complete without these girl bands that are screaming girl power all the way. These ladies also empowered and inspired women back then and even today.
Boy Bands
Of course, if there are girl bands, there are boy bands too. No doubt that this musical trend became a hit worldwide. Back in the ‘90s, girls from across the world would sing “I Want It That Way” and “Tearin’ Up My Heart” on the top of their lungs. Boy bands seemed to have a significant implication in every pre-teen and teenage girls everywhere.
F.R.I.E.N.D.S (aka Friends)
This iconic TV sitcom was first aired in September 1994. This show was about a group of friends that was composed of Joey, Monica, Chandler, Phoebe, Ross, and Rachel who were living, dating, and drinking lots of coffee in a café in NYC called Central Perk. Who knew that this TV show would become wildly successful? In fact, it stills continues to have reruns up until now.
Titanic Craze
Most of us were probably too young to understand why our mum and big sister were balling their eyes out when Rose let go of Jack or the time when they lost their minds over Jack drawing Rose just like one of his French girls. Titanic was one of the biggest films of the ‘90s, and its theme song entitled “My Heart Will Go On” sang by Celine Dion was one of the biggest hit songs of this decade. Somehow we knew that no love story can ever match the love that Jack and Rose had.
Now That’s What I Call Music
Probably almost every ‘90s kid eagerly waited for the new “Now That’s What I Call Music” album to be released and wondered which hit song made the cut. This compilation album was first published in the ‘80s, but it reached its peak of popularity during the ‘90s. And it is still continued up until today, in fact, it has over 100+ volumes already.
Beepers
Long before cellphones and smartphones took over, there was the beeper. The only problem is that after you get a beep from your friend, you will have to find a payphone and have a quarter to call her back.
Forrest Gump
This epic film didn’t only tell us one of the greatest love stories of all time. It also took us through different historical events such as the hippie era, free love movement, Watergate, the Vietnam War, and so much more. These events were all told from the inimitable Forrest Gump, which was played by Tom Hanks.
Zip Drives
Even if it did require its own particular drive and it cost plenty of money, the zip drive changed the world of graphic design because it could contain 100 MB of data compared to a floppy disk that could only hold about 1.44MB. Back then, being able to copy, carry, and transfer a 100MB worth of data is a big deal. Today, even cheap flash drives can literally hold a thousand times more data, and it comes in a smaller size, too.