Millennials list 10 unforgettable 90s trends Gen Alpha will never understand

Before streaming, smartphones, and instant messaging became second nature, life looked very different. Many of the routines and habits that defined the late 90s and early 2000s have slowly taken the back seat, replaced by faster, easier, and more connected ways of doing almost everything. But for those who grew up in that time, the memory of these trends is still vivid.

In a viral Reddit thread that gained 8.3k upvotes and over 7500 comments in a week, u/ToeKnown9863 asked a nostalgic question that sent users down memory lane: "What’s a 90s/2000s trend that would baffle kids today?" The post is filled with responses from people who grew up in the era, sharing everyday habits, quirks, and tech struggles that now feel like a completely different era. While the comments were often funny and lighthearted, they also revealed just how much life has changed in only a couple of decades. 

Here are 10 of the most striking and relatable responses.

1. Checking the magazine for TV listings

"Buying a magazine to know what will be on TV this week." – u/Parallel-Unicorn

2. Getting itemized phone bills

"Getting a 32-page phone bill with every single text message number on it! I thought a friend was crazy when she told me that… we all worked night shift, and she texted her friend all night long." – u/shadowwulf-indawoods

3. Doing a bike ride to meet friends

"Riding to a friend's house to see if they could hang out. No? Ok, I'll start my 2-mile bike ride back home to find something else to do." – u/ColdIndependence5820

4. Playing a tune for a caller on wait

"Does anyone remember Ringbacks? I didn't know how long they survived, but my early 80s girlfriend paid for a service that would play a heavily compressed mp3 to the person calling you, instead of the regular dialing sound, prior to answering the phone?" – u/markh100

5. "Recording songs off the radio"

"Recording songs off the radio, and getting mad at the radio people for yapping. Let the song finish! Then again, looking back now, I think that was a tactic to sabotage the whole practice." – u/pieman3141

6. Big box TVs

"Having a big box TV, landlines, prank calling, and calling after 9 PM for free minutes. The best one — MTV when it played nothing but music videos." – u/Even-Truck-8049

7. Paid texts

"Buying texts... buying minutes." – u/RepulsiveCockroach7

8. Shared cartoon culture

"The monoculture of everyone watching the same cartoons and then talking about it." – u/Chumlee1917

9. Waiting for photos to be developed

"Having to wait a week for photos to be processed and printed, and only getting 10. Most of them unidentifiable. Excited to have that one good picture that’s slightly blurry." – u/Lia_Delphine

10. Getting physical copies of video games

Developers shipped games as is. No day 1 patches. If it sucked, it sucked. And then also not knowing what games are good. I remember going to Target, and my first DS game was Kirby Canvas Curse, and it was recommended by an employee. Otherwise, I would have had no idea. You just had the picture on the front and a little blurb on the back. You could do research early on the internet, but as I kid, I wasn't really able to do that. Then you opened the game in the car and read the little manual in the case. Often had basics on controls and some 'lore'. And then plopping it in and playing Co-Op or multiplayer with your friend - u/flacdada

Many pointed out that these trends were normal parts of daily life, shaping how people communicated, entertained themselves, and stayed connected. This is perhaps why we tear up remembering them even today!