There is one debate that will probably never end: which era was actually better—the ’90s or the 2000s?
Now, I already know the ’90s babies are about to get defensive. 😂
And I will give the ’90s their credit. The music had soul. The fashion had personality. Television felt original, celebrities still had a little mystery, and people were not recording every second of their lives for the internet.
The ’90s had culture.
But if you grew up in the 2000s? Baby, you were that kid.
The 2000s gave us a little bit of everything.
We still had pieces of the ’90s, but we also got to watch technology become part of everyday life in real time. We went from VHS tapes to DVDs, from house phones to flip phones, and from waiting for a song to play on the radio to carrying entire playlists around with us.
We remember when getting on the internet felt like an activity instead of something you did every second of the day. You had to sit down at the computer, wait for everything to load, and hope nobody needed the phone. Now people start panicking if a page takes longer than three seconds. 😭
And let’s talk about television.
The 2000s gave us That’s So Raven, Lizzie McGuire, Hannah Montana, The Cheetah Girls, High School Musical, and prime-time Nickelodeon. We had shows that made being a kid feel fun without trying to turn every character into a tiny adult.
Even the commercials were memorable. That is how serious it was. 😂
Then there was the music. Beyoncé was becoming Beyoncé. Usher had everybody in their feelings. Rihanna showed up and never left. Chris Brown, Ne-Yo, Alicia Keys, Destiny’s Child—the playlists were not playing with us.
And you actually had to commit to an album. You could not listen to fifteen seconds, skip it, and move on because your attention span had already clocked out. You bought the CD, read the little booklet, stared at the pictures, learned every song, and defended the album like you helped produce it.
The 2000s were not perfect, but they were fun.
Fashion was chaotic, and I will not defend every decision. We had dresses over jeans, belts that served absolutely no purpose, tiny purses, too many layers, and enough glitter to become a safety hazard.
But at least people took risks.
Everything did not have to fit into one clean aesthetic. You could be preppy on Monday, emo on Wednesday, and dressed like you were headed to a music-video audition by Friday. Nobody asked questions.
The ’90s probably win when it comes to effortless cool. The clothes, the R&B, the movies, and the overall energy still influence almost everything we have now. Half of today’s trends are just the ’90s being reheated and handed back to us.
But the 2000s win when it comes to the full childhood experience.
We had enough technology to make life exciting, but not so much that everything felt online. We could enjoy shows without somebody posting spoilers five minutes later. We took pictures because we wanted memories, not because every moment needed to become content.
We could be bored. We could be unreachable. We could have an embarrassing phase without it being permanently documented in high definition.
That alone might give the 2000s the victory. 😂
Of course, I may be a little biased. I grew up in the 2000s, so those shows, songs, toys, and trends feel like home to me. Somebody who truly experienced the ’90s will probably tell me I missed the best era by a few years.
And maybe they are right about some things.
But if I have to choose?
The 2000s are taking it.
The ’90s gave us the culture, but the 2000s let us grow up inside the remix—and honestly, we had way more fun than people give us credit for.
Now be honest: which era are you choosing?
—Karinna Sorelle ♥