20 Signs You’re Actually A ‘Zillennial’

We all belong to one generation or another. Whether you’re a Baby Boomer, Get X, Millennial, or Gen Z, you grew up during some period of time that was a marker to your time period. But sometimes, depending on when you were born, you’re in between two generations. And right now, the millennial and Gen Z generations are considered the kids “nowadays.”

Welcome to the “Zillennial” generation, a portmanteau of Millennial and Generation Z. For the sake of ease, I’m defining Zillennial as anyone born between 1993-1998. I was born in 1997 and often feel “in between” generations, and I reached out to my fellow Zillennials to see what things were a marker of our time period and take a trip back to nostalgia land. With that data, I compiled a list of 20 signs that you’re a Zillennial:

1. You don’t remember life without the internet.

When people talk about “dial-up internet,” my face goes “huh?” I really don’t remember when the internet was a new thing. I always had internet in my household

2. You do remember life without social media.

Up until Myspace came around (yeah, I’m showing my age), there was hardly anything known as social media. Facebook was the coolest thing on the block, and so was Twitter, and Instagram had just been bought by the company that owned Facebook.

3. You also remember life without smartphones.

Listen, back in our day, razor phones and sidekicks were awesome. When the first iPhone came out, it was the weirdest thing. What kind of phone didn’t have buttons?

4. Vine was TikTok.

What do you mean, TikTok isn’t the new Vine? I know TikTok is its own thing, but it has videos going viral and being posted on YouTube, and that’s what Vine was. Granted, TikTok videos can be longer in length, but I’d be surprised if it didn’t borrow at least some aspects from Vine.

5. Britney Spears was in her prime.

Britney’s in the spotlight more recently again, but it’s not like she’s releasing new hits like “Oops! I Did It Again” or “Toxic.” And she had that iconic performance of “I’m a Slave 4 U” with the snake at the MTV Awards. I’m so glad Britney is getting her best life and the respect she deserves.

6. Hashtags were new.

I’ve gotten so used to hashtags now that I forgot it was just the pound symbol back in my day. It didn’t become the hashtag till like, Twitter was a thing, and even then, I was trying to figure out how it worked.

7. You know how to use floppy discs, VCRs, and portable CD players.

“Coming soon to DVD” used to show up on all your favorite videos before we watched the main film we came for. You had to rewind all videos you saw from the library because you couldn’t just go to the menu. I legit showed one of my younger siblings a video the other day and they asked, “What is this?” #ifeelold

8. American Idol was huge.

Now we have The Voice (is that still a thing?) and whatever other reality TV there is, but back then, reality television was still fairly new, and American Idol was all the rage. I’m forever grateful that it gave us Kelly Clarkson.

9. You saw Blockbuster get eaten by Netflix.

I used to go to the Blockbuster in my hometown and rent the Saw film over and over again. Now that building has been replaced, since Blockbuster is no more. Rest in peace, Blockbuster.

10. Netflix used to deliver videos, not stream them online.

Speaking of Netflix, does anyone else remember when they only delivered videos via mail? The agony of waiting for Netflix to deliver your film and then having to return it was the worst. When they started streaming, it was the coolest thing.

11. We had birthday parties at Chuck E. Cheese.

Is Chuck E. Cheese even a thing anymore? What do kids do for birthday parties nowadays?

12. Silly bands were all the rage.

I remember a bunch of classmates having them and trying them on because I had to be a part of the trend.

13. You (or someone you knew) had an emo phase.

2000s emo rock songs are forever classics.

14. Twilight was at the height of its fame.

All your friends had read the books and/or seen the films (and were waiting for the rest to come out). Team Edward and Team Jacob were very serious debates. Parents argued about Bella and Edward being bad role models. You wished you were a vampire. I could go on.

15. KIDZ BOP was popular.

I didn’t like KIDZ BOP, yet I listened to it, so it was a weird guilty pleasure for me.

16. Cartoon Network showed actual cartoons.

Teen Titans, Justice League, Powerpuff Girls—these were shows I lived for. I don’t even know what Cartoon Network is doing nowadays.

17. Shrek was popular (and not because of the memes).

I remember when the first Shrek film came on DVD and the second one came out in theaters. And I loved it. And no, the CGI didn’t look bad because we hardly had CGI then, okay? Don’t judge.

18. Disney Channel was in its golden age.

Hannah Montana was what everyone was watching—you couldn’t stay away from the High School Musical 2 countdown on Disney Channel, and there was a new original movie every other week or so. And don’t forget the Jonas Brothers!

19. We cranked that Soulja Boy.

Soulja Boy was THE viral singer back in our day. He may have only had one hit song, but it was a bop, and we all cranked dat Soulja boy.

20. Bratz and Barbies were rivals.

Seriously, you were either a Bratz or Barbie fan; there was no in-between.

To be a Zillennial is to live in the netherland between Gen Z and Millennial. Like every generation, our time period was iconic, and it made us who we are. Plus, it’s fun to take a nostalgia trip.