90s

Grunge music era

The 90s refers to the decade from 1990 to 1999, or to temperatures, ages, or other measurements in that range: It's supposed to be in the 90s this weekend, My grandmother is in her 90s.

As a cultural marker, the 90s evokes grunge music, early internet, and the period between the Cold War's end and 9/11.

Also written '90s or nineties.

decade

millennium

Span of thousand years

  • Y2KCalendar-rollover computer problem
  • dot-comWeb-based commercial enterprise
  • analogComparable equivalent

VHS · cassette · dial-up · pager · landline · Nickelodeon · MTV · TGIF · Super Nintendo · Game Boy

grunge

flannel

Soft napped cloth

Soundgarden · Kurt Cobain · Eddie Vedder · Chris Cornell · distortion · angst · Doc Martens · slacker · Generation X · mosh pit

nostalgia

pogs

Collectible disc game

Skechers · Lisa Frank · Trapper Keeper · troll dolls · Skip-It · mood rings · jelly sandals · scrunchies · butterfly clips · crimped hair

techboom

internet

Interconnected computer systems

venture capital · Netscape · Yahoo · AOL · e-commerce · webmaster · HTML · cyberspace · modem · broadband

Opposites
temporal distance

90s1890s

Final Victorian years

2020s · Victorian era · ancient times · medieval period · 1920s

cultural era contrast

90ssmartphone era

Period of ubiquitous handheld devices

2010s · digital age · social media era · social media age · streaming era

adjacent decades

90s2000s

First decade, 2000s

80s · eighties · aughts · noughties

Phrases
Family

1990s

Familiarity
Top 50,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Positive · Everyday, not technical · Rated G