Guide Your Throwback to Y2K

Society in the 1990s: American society in the nineties was filled with extremes and contradictions. Americans built bigger and more elaborate homes and drove more expensive automobiles, then worked longer hours to pay for them. They spent more, borrowed more, and went more deeply into debt. Growth and cultural shifts amongst the populace came about in innumerable places. The 90s were characterized with a rise of multiculturalism and alternative media, continuing into the 2000s.

Major events around the world greatly affected the American public and its perception during the decade. With the end of the Cold War in 1991, and American prestige upheld following victory in the Gulf War, it was a decade of prosperity at home. Before leaving office, H.W. Bush authorized an intervention into Somalia following the outbreak of civil war. What began as a humanitarian operation shifted into a military conflict, culminating in the infamous Battle of Mogadishu, which would see the withdrawal of US forces in 1993.

Because of this, President Clinton refused to send American troops to stop the Rwandan Genocide in 1994. Realizing that he could’ve prevented this, Clinton, heading NATO forces, sent American fighters and bombers in 1995 to stop the killings of Bosnian Muslims at the hands of the Bosnian Serbs, leading to the end of the Bosnian War.

In spite of this success in foreign policy, problems between Republicans and Democrats grew during the Clinton administration. For many, bipartisanship was something of the past as both sides stamped their heels further into the ground; the government shut down twice in late 1995 and early 1996 over funding for public health reform and the environment, with many blaming the Republicans refusal to back down on their suggested budget cuts. These political issues would continue throughout Clinton’s presidency, culminating in the spectacle that was the Monica Lewinsky Scandal and Clinton’s near impeachment, all followed by the public on national television.

Movements such as grunge, the rave scene, and hip hop spread around the world, aided by advances in tech like cable tv and the World Wide Web. Vestigial changes from the counterculture revolution of the 1960s and ‘70s were also apparent. More casual ‘laid-back’ attitudes towards dress, language, and sexual freedom were among these. Western fashions reflected this by turning to highly individualistic and/or counter-cultural styles, influenced by Generation X and Millennials; tattoos and body piercings gained popularity and retro styles of fashion became prevalent once more. Young people became increasingly involved in extreme sports and outdoor activities that embraced athletics and an appreciation for nature.

Society saw an increasing tolerance of sex and sexual imagery, with most accepting premarital intercourse. Drug use remained, with marijuana and crack cocaine becoming increasingly popular amongst various communities.

Race relations looked to improve at the start of the decade, with many Blacks and Hispanics elected to various positions in local, state, and federal government. Despite this step forward, deeper tensions lay beneath the cracks of society that would pull progress two steps back. Between poverty, inequality, and police injustice, Black communities across the country were tired and fed up. Riots erupted in 1991 in Los Angeles and Brooklyn over the deaths of young blacks and the acquittal of police officers following the beating of Rodney King. Ultimately it was the highly publicized O.J. Simpson trial and the Million Man March that would bring these tensions up to the surface, offering a bridge for many Americans to learn about these racial injustices and the opportunity to regard and respect African Americans and heal the racial breach. Though this wouldn’t solve inequality, and issues would continually arise, it was a step in the right direction for American society.

Feminism and LGBT acceptance began to grow during the decade alongside the rise of queer theory and discussions of gender and sexuality, though it still faced many detractors. The World Health Organization removed homosexuality from its list of diseases in 1990 while television shows like The Real World, My So Called Life, and Ellen helped shine a spotlight on the LGBT community and increase acceptance by humanizing them and their struggles. According to a 1998 Time/CNN poll, 64% percent believed homosexual relations were acceptable whilst 36% believed they were morally wrong, signifying this shift.

At the same time, the rise of the ‘moral majority’ continued, spurred on by perceptions that society was falling out of control. The Moral Majority were a faction of the Republican Party whose policies included conservatism on social personal matters and joining religion with the political process. Dismay over crimes, drugs, and drinking was widespread across America, with the national drinking age raised to 21 in 1984 and many states banning cigarette smoking in public places. A campaign against sexuality promiscuity and gay communities was in full swing. The ‘moral majority’ group would persist into the 2000s.

Although the country began 1990 in recession, 1991 brought about a long period of prosperity and economic expansion. Personal incomes doubled and there was high productivity overall with the boom of the stock market in 1992. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) also phased out trade barriers between the US, Canada, and Mexico, helping increase the economies of the three countries wholesale. This economic boom would fuel much of the trends found throughout 1990s America, but would ultimately end in 2000, when the dot-com bubble burst, with many startups failing or acquired by bigger companies and leading to a recession in 2001.

Popular Music: Music marketing became more segmented in the 1990s, as MTV gradually shifted away from music videos and radio splintered into narrower formats. The era was one filled with a variety of pop, rap, rock, alternative, and techno music artists and was a time when music taste was extremely varied. The early 90s began with a surge in popularity in music genres like techno and hip-hop that continued to prosper throughout the decade.

Grunge/Alt-Rock - Alt rock and its sub-genres dominated pop culture in the early to mid-1990s. The less commercialized music resonated with Generation X, known for its nihilistic and cynical sensibilities. Grunge music in particular stood out as emblematic of the time, spurred on by bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden. Grunge can be described as a mix of punk and metal, featuring a slower pace than punk, distorted guitars, heavy bass lines, dark and angsty lyrics, dissonance, and often a stop/start song structure. The genre grew from the Pacific Northwest, most notably from Seattle and its unique underground music scene. As grunge reached mainstream, commercialization meant that many bands adopted a similar but softer sound and imitated the looks of the scene. As with many music trends, fashion trends played an important role in establishing the popularity of the genre. Grunge had a specific look associated with long hair, flannel shirts, oversized clothing, ripped jeans, and a generally disheveled appearance.

College Rock - Another popular sub-genre of alt-rock was what became known as ‘College Rock’. It’s a loosely defined genre that encompassed a variety of rock music styles that didn’t fit into the mainstream, similar to indie rock. Many bands shared similarities and were often more melodic than grunge and metal, but there was no specific sound to define the genre. College rock evolved more out of circumstances, and were bands that were often played on college radio stations. Well known examples include R.E.M., Smashing Pumpkins, Weezer, Radiohead, and Beck. Many of the bands that began as college rock would experience mainstream success and become some of the most popular rock bands in the world.

Pop Divas - The Nineties was the decade of pop music divas. These powerhouse singers had incomparable voices and dynamic stage presence, dominating the decade. Spanning different genres, including country-pop, R&B, and soul, female singers like Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Toni Braxton, Madonna, Cher, Monica, and Janet Jackson dominated the charts. With her unique vocal range and talent as a songwriter, Mariah Carey was one of the top divas of the decade, and the first female artist to debut #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with her 1995 single ‘Fantasy’. Whitney Houston dominated the decade, seeing huge success, and is considered one of the greatest singers of all time, seeing huge success with her cover of “I Will Always Love You”. Celine Dion was the only other major pop diva to rival Carey and Houston in success. She’s known for her power ballads, such as “My Heart Will Go On”, featured in the 1997 film Titanic.

Hip-Hop Golden Era - The Nineties are considered a golden age for rap and hip-hop. The decade saw massive shifts and diversification of the genre, as well as an increase in mainstream recognition and respect for artists. Distinctive styles emerged around the U.S., including West Coast rap, East Coast rap, and Southern hip hop. Some sub-genres that enjoyed popularity included gangsta rap, party rap, and political rap. Artists include big names like Tupac, Notorious B.I.G., Queen Latifah, Salt-n-Pepa, De La Soul, NWA, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, LL Cool J, A Tribe Called Quest, Public Enemy, Eric B. & Rakim, Outkast, Missy Elliot, and many more. Many attribute the end of this golden era with the deaths of Tupac in 1996 and Notorious B.I.G. in 1997, as well as commercialization of the genre.

Rap/Hip Hop Subgenres and Fusion - Several fusion genres became popular during the 90s, including New Jack Swing, Neo-Soul, and Hip Hop Soul. New Jack Swing combined hip hop with R&B, performed predominantly by Black artists that mixed elements of funk, soul, and jazz with hip hop and rap. There was a strong focus on production, sampling, and creating hit singles. Janet Jackson, Bell Biv DeVoe, Bobby Brown, Boyz II Men, TLC, Jade, and Color Me Badd are all notable artists and groups. Neo-Soul gained popularity in the late 80s with artists like Prince, but grew more in prominence in the mid-90s with artists like Lauryn Hill, D’Angelo, Aaliyah, Erykah Badu, and Eric Benet. This genre attracted more singer-songwriter types, focused more on musicianship and whole albums rather than producers and singles. Hip Hop Soul was another fusion that combined R&B and soul with hip hop production, and included artists like Faith Evans, Jodeci, and TLC.

Electronic Dance Music (EDM) - A new genre that emerged during the late 80s and early 90s, proving popular in the club scene across Europe, the UK, and the United States. The music is characterized by having between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm), drum machines, synthesizers, and other electronic instruments. The genre saw its origins from Chicago House, Electro, and Club music. EDM was the music of choice for early 1990s raves (sometimes illegal underground dance parties hosted by DJs, often in warehouses). These raves turned into larger, more mainstream gatherings with specialized clubs and festivals catering to artists and fans of EDM genres. Some of the most notable subgenres of the decade include techno, trance, drum and bass, big beat, and breakbeat. By the mid-90s, its popularity had began to stumble in the US, but had a huge following in Europe and especially the UK, popularized by pirate radio in the UK. Popular EDM acts include The Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, The Prodigy, Deee-Lite, Aphex Twins, and Daft Punk.

Bubblegum Pop - The late 1990s saw the introduction of highly commercialized and over-produced ‘bubblegum pop’ groups. Groups like the Spice Girls, NSync, the Backstreet Boys, LFO, Destiny’s Child, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Robyn, Jessica Simpson, and Hanson all saw early success during the decade. The genre gained heavy momentum in the new millennium, dominating the early 2000s music scene. These artists drew from other popular genres for influence, including R&B, Hip Hop, and Dance music. Bubblegum Pop was characterized by the use of autotune, focus on appearance, fashion, and choreography, repetitive lyrics, and romantic or sexual innuendo. This genre was typically marketed towards teens, with the largest popularity lasting between 1997 and 2002.

Fashion of the 90s and Early 00s: Over the years, fashion has become more and more globalized. This fashion shift has occurred as international travel and communication and cheaper production and the growth of fast fashion became more feasible for people. Although this does not mean ethnic fashion has disappeared, it does mean it’s more likely that people from different areas of the world may share the same tastes in fashion.

Fashion in the 1990s was defined by a return to minimalist fashion in contrast to the elaborate and flashy trends of the 1980s. In spite of this, a notable shift was the mainstream adoption of tattoos and body piercings. In the early 1990s, several 1980s fashions were very stylish. However, the popularity of grunge and alt-rock helped bring the simple, unkempt grunge look to the mainstream by 1994. This led to the popularization of the casual chic look that included T-shirts, jeans, hoodies, and sneakers, a trend which continued into the 2000s. Vintage fashions gained popularity in the decade. By contrast, showing skin became more acceptable, with skimpy outfits including midriff tops, spaghetti strap tops, and miniskirts. More in depth info can be found here and here

Early 90s Women’s Fashion

• Neon Colors - In the US and other parts of the world, popular trends included bold geometric print clothing in neon colors like electric blue, orange, and fluorescent pink. Patterns included triangles, zigzag lightning bolts, diamonds, and more. These were popular on button-down Western shirts, colored jeans, spandex leggings, halterneck crop tops, bike shorts, and more.
• Leggings/Exercise-Wear - From 1991 on, sports bras, hoodies, leotards, and bodysuits worn as tops were popular with woman in the UK, Europe, and America. A common outfit was to wear a skirt, dress shorts, minidress with black tights, white socks, and white athletic sneakers. Sneakers like Keds, Converse All Stars, Nike Airs, or reebok hi-top running shoes became popular. Leggings worn over pantyhose or tights w/ a pair of flats was also common. This sort of fashion continued into the late 90s as lounge wear and every day comfortable casual wear.
• Grunge - By mid 1992, grunge fashion broke into the mainstream for both sexes. It consisted of flannel shirts, ripped jeans, mom jeans, Doc Martens, combat boots, band t-shirts, knit sweaters, ripped tights, hiking boots, and eco-friendly clothing.

Mid-90s Women’s Fashion

• Glamour Wear - By 1994, grunge fashion declined as fashion became more feminine and form fitting. Young women wore tailed skirts and trouser suits, skater dresses, animal prints, hot pants, and slim pants, amongst other items. High-shine fabrics like satin, metallics, sequins, vinyl, and silk became prominent in both clubwear and work wear. A common look was a short black slip dress worn over a light, undersized white t-shirt. It was during this period of fashion that the “sexy school girl” look/trend was popularized.
  • Among women over 30, 1950s ladylike fashion made a comeback, including pencil skirts, cardigans, petticoats, and fitted suits. Popular accessories included brooches, white gloves, sheer stockings, sequins, and red lipstick.
• Work Wear - Power Dressing (fashion style enabling women to establish authority in professional environment) was the norm for women in the workplace, a persisting trend from the 80s. By 1996 however, professional women began to opt for more relaxed styles and more muted colors. Trouser suits began to replace skirts and black or white tights and pantyhose made a comeback.

Late-90s Women’s Fashion

• 1970s Revival - From 1997 onward, many British and American designers took cues from the disco fashion of the mid-late 1970s. This included animal print clothing, halter tops, crop tops, tube tops, maxi coats and skirts, and knee boots. By 2001, popular mainstream trends included tight shirts, bell bottoms, cropped tank tops, and military inspired clothes.
  • Bright colors made a comeback as a backlash of the darker tones associated with grunge and skater culture. Other late 90s era clothing included high-wasted miniskirts, plastic chokers, knee socks, slip dresses, and high waisted trousers and cardigans.
• Casual Chic - From 1998 to 2001, unisex casual chic gained mainstream appeal, with jeans, spaghetti wrap crop tops, track suits, sweatpants, and other athletic clothing.

Early-90s Men’s Fashion

• Casual Clothing - Continuing from the late 80s, many young men wore a variety of casual clothing, ranging from jeans and denim jackets to polo shirts, graphic t-shirts, sport coats, and bomber jackets.
• Grunge Look - From 1991 to 1996, flannel shirts became very popular due to use in the skater subculture and grunge bands. These were padded and loose fitting. They also wore acid wash jeans, patterned sweaters with turtlenecks, anoraks, and sweatpants.
  • In the US popular accessories were Converse All Stars, bucket hats, baseball caps, aviators, and combat boots.

Mid-90s Men’s Fashion

• 1970s Revival - Flashy 1960s mod clothing was popular in the US with the success of Britpop. Fake fur became the norm as real fur went out of fashion. Popular clothing included Hawaiian shirts, brown leather jackets, velvet blazers, baseball jerseys and graphic print t-shirts.
  • The 1970s were a big inspiration for the 1996 fashion season, including faux fur trimmings, jackets with bold shoulders and wide lapels, and boot -cut slacks. Pastel and bold patterns were popular and replaced black.
  • Desirable accessories included loafers, chukka boots, chelsea boots, chunky digital watches, shoulder bags, and black/neon colored high-top sneakers.
• Modern Preppy - Wealthy young men continued to wear preppy fashion, though it became more casual, abandoning ascots and Oxford shoes in favor of ‘Nantucket Reds’ trousers, nautical-striped tees, casual sneakers, and gingham short sleeved shirts. Popular brands included GAP, Old Navy, and Abercrombie & Fitch
• Hip-Hop - Hip-Hop Fashion came to the mainstream, increasing the popularity in baseball jackets, baggy jeans, bomber jackets and tracksuits as casual wear. Industrial and military styles became more popular. Associated with rappers, sportswear became acceptable to wear in public, including oversized tees, baseball caps, tennis shoes, hoodies, cargo pants, and basketball or baseball jerseys. These styles persisted into the 2000s.

Late-90s Men’s Fashion

• Streetwear - By the late 1990s, the grunge look became unfashionable and there was a revival in streetwear clothing. These included graphic tees and jeans, and came in brighter colors.
• Business Wear - In the US, increasing numbers of men began to dress “smart-casual” and business casual.

Sports in the 1990s: Much of what was newsworthy in the sports field had little to do with the field of play. Professional athletics had become business and kept getting bigger. Cities paid for huge stadiums to lure league franchises and team owners and players made huge amounts of money, and demanded more. A strike in Major League Baseball over player salaries resulted in the cancellation of the 1994-95 World Series for the first time in ninety years. Scandals in various sports also came to light, varying from corruption to drug abuse, turning heroes into villains, staining legacies, and destroying careers. Other athletes tarnished reputations on and off the field.

Technology in the 1990s:
As the decade began, numerous advances in technology brought about what we now know as the Information Age with increasing access to smaller, more user friendly computers and the World Wide Web. The personal computer, invented in the late 70s, had by the 90s become affordable and more usable to the masses, and enabled rapid global communications and networking to shape society, and the ability to share and store information and data. By the 2000s, more than 50% of some Western countries had Internet access and more than 25% had cell phone access.

Although a form of the Internet existed in the 1960s under use of the U.S. Military and academia in the ‘80s, the World Wide Web largely opened up this form of communication to the public in 1990. Many individuals found greater access to information and increased personal freedom and power. People could connect with others across the state, country, or the world, and friendships and love were born in message boards and chat rooms on the ‘Information Superhighway’. Throughout the decade, American usage of the internet would increase as the prices of computers and the internet itself grew cheaper (through companies like AOL), though some, including elderly citizens and the impoverished, lacked access. Netscape Navigator was the first major web browser to hit the internet, followed later by Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, which would ultimately dethrone Netscape as the browser king.

At the start of the decade, personal computers were big, lumbering boxes that were complicated to not only set up but use. Things would change with Bill Gates’ Microsoft, Steve Jobs’ Apple, and computer companies like Intel, Hewlett Packard, and others bringing about massive changes to simplify the learning and user experience. Microsoft’s Windows 95 had a huge impact globally, becoming the standard operating system for most systems, followed with continued success by Windows 98 three years later. Other innovations, like the computer mouse, improved internet capabilities, CD-ROM Drives, improved graphics and audio, and increased ease of use for setup and operation drove increased personal computer sales into 2000.

At the start of the 90s, there were three types of phones typically used in public. The landline (home phone), the car phone, and the mobile phone. Mobile phones were large, clunky, and awkward to use and less popular than car phones. However in the 90s, ‘second generation’ (2G) mobile phone systems emerged, leading to explosive mobile phone usage, as well as the advent of prepaid mobile phones.. Mobile phones moved away from larger brick phones to tiny 100-200 gram hand-held devices alongside technological improvements like advanced batteries and efficient electronics and higher density of cell-sites. SMS text-messaging was also born in 1992, and with the advent of prepaid services in the late 90s, texting became the communication method of choice among young teens. Although pagers were popular throughout the 90s, they were almost completely phased out by mobile phones by the early 2000s.

Avid gamers of the 90s would see consoles move from the fourth generation to the sixth generation. 2D sprite based graphics transitioned to 3D graphics and gave rise to several genres of video games, including first-person shooters, real-time strategy, and MMOs. Arcades were still relatively popular but declined as home consoles became popular. The rivalry between Sega and Nintendo continued into the 90s, but by 2000, the writing was on the wall for Sega. Sony’s break into the console market marked the 5th Generation, with the 1994 PlayStation, 1994 Sega Saturn, and the 1996 Nintendo 64 and the shift from cartridges to CDs. The sixth generation would open with the Dreamcast in 1999, though with middling sales and the introduction of the Playstation 2 in early 2000, Sega’s console market came to an end. In the handheld console market, Nintendo reigned supreme with the GameBoy and GameBoy Color selling tens of millions of units. PC gaming expanded alongside the growth of the internet, most interestingly with forays into online gaming, including the first MMOs like The Realm Online, Ultima Online, and Everquest.

Many internet based startups, often called “dot-com” companies began with the creation of the World Wide Web. Companies like Amazon.com, eBay, Yahoo!, and Google launched, helping pave the way for e-commerce. Using credit or debit cards, customers could purchase goods and services from their computer and have many items delivered to their homes with little to no effort. Investors and the stock market went mad for many of these dot-com companies, despite many of these companies operating at a net loss and on a “growth over profits” business model, helping build the bubble. Though many companies hoped to build a solid customer base and move towards a profit driven business model, the market hung precariously on the edge. With concerns for the Y2K bug and practically worthless companies trading for hundreds per share, it was inevitable that the dot-com bubble would burst. The beginning of the end came in March 2000, and by the end of the year, most internet stocks had declined in value by 75%, wiping out $1.755 trillion in value. Companies like Pets.com, Webvan, eToys.com, and Go.com along with hundreds of others were shuttered or acquired by other companies.

As the new millennium approached, fears began cropping up over potential computing errors and inability to distinguish 2000 from 1900. Experts argued this had the potential to damage or even bring down worldwide infrastructure and industries if left unchecked. Governments and the private sector began to work on future-proofing systems for the bug before long. As the public became aware of the ‘Y2K Scare’ and a lack of clarity on potential dangers of the bug, some ended up stocking up on food, water, firearms, and more in anticipation of the coming apocalypse. Thanks to international cooperation between government and private entities, only minor errors occurred as the 1999 rolled into 2000, though some critics asserted that the many of these fixes were unnecessary wastes of money. Regardless, the world did not end.

Movies and Television in the 90s:
Moving out of the ‘80s, the ‘90s saw thousands of full-length films come to the big screen and home video. There was a movie for anyone and everyone to enjoy, regardless of genre or niche. New, young filmmakers joined veterans, bringing new ideas to an already strong film industry, including a slew of black film creators that brought the ghetto to film. Budgets ranged from as low as Blair Witch Project’s $60,000 to Titanic’s $200 million. Stars like Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro, Tom Cruise, Jodie Foster, Julie Roberts, and Meryl Streep amongst many others studded big name films alongside a slew of smaller but memorable stars.

Technology was a major part of film and television of the decade. Alongside audio and visual improvements, CGI and digital video made their debut, pushing special effects to new heights. 1995’s Toy Story was the first entirely computer-animated feature film, and Pixar’s debut, carving out a niche for them as king’s of computer animation and inspiration for other companies like Dreamworks. At home, VHS and VCRs gradually gave way to DVDs and DVD players, which featured sharper resolution, better quality, and interactive extras, rapidly surpassing VCRs and videotapes. This was reflected in the massive growth of direct-to-video film releases, assuaging the public’s hungry appetite for new media. This, along with the growth of the World Wide Web, had vast repercussions for the film industry.

Although the decade saw many great films and massive blockbusters, including Forrest Gump, Independence Day, Jurassic Park, and the Mummy, nothing could compare to James Cameron’s Titanic. A massive film who’s budget exceeded $200 million, it grossed nearly $2 billion dollars, eleven Oscars, and numerous other accolades. It was a must watch for everyone in 1997, and became a part of the cultural lexicon for years.

In the world of animation and family media, another giant stirred. For years, Disney languished with commendable, but safe animated films. Spurred by competition from Don Bluth and other companies, Disney’s Renaissance began in 1989 with The Little Mermaid and came into its own with 1991’s Beauty and the Beast, with each film of the decade garnering massive critical and commercial success for their music, visuals, and creativity and leaving a lasting impression on both the industry as a whole and their audiences.

Television of the eighties had largely been very safe and conservative, leaving many yearning for a form of TV that was more edgy or experimental. Many eighties films were built on fleshing out characters and understanding the dynamics behind human society, issues, and interaction, and this bled into many different genres of television in the nineties.

Sitcoms of the era benefited from more clever or snarky humor that didn’t insult the intelligence of their audiences, most encapsulated by shows like Seinfeld, Frasier or The Simpsons. Others focused on appealing to young adult audiences and their experiences, such as Friends, which went on to become one of, if not the most popular sitcom of the decade.

Talk shows underwent their own metamorphosis throughout the decade, with many of the old guard retiring in this era, giving way to familiar faces like Jay Leno or David Letterman or bringing in completely new faces, from Jerry Springer, Oprah, and Arsenio Hall. These shows had a profound effect on the American public, introducing new ideas and groups or discussing current events, such as when Bill Clinton went onto the Arsenio Hall Show and played his sax for the world to see, cementing himself as a popular candidate for the MTV Generation.

Cable television finally came to its own in the ‘90s, centering on strong, story and character driven stories that were “too adult for normal television” and the directing of a film. Although shows on normal networks were starting to edge more towards this direction, the freedom from censorship and appealing to ratings that weighed down creators helped bring about shows like The Larry Sanders Show, Oz, Sex and the City, and The Sopranos. Ultimately these shows and other programming on cable television would lead to the future of television.

Black television saw an explosion in popularity in the ‘90s, with shows like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, In Living Color, Moesha, and Martin, both appealing to black audiences and showing Americans across the country aspects of black culture and black issues that they may not otherwise see.

TV animation in the ‘90s largely focused on the children demographic, with Nickelodeon leading the pack with Rugratz, Ren and Stimpy, and Rocko’s Modern Life. These were shows that were able to appeal to children whilst having some nods to entertain the parents often watching with said children. By the end of the decade, Nickelodeon was joined by Disney and Cartoon Network, with offerings including Duck Tales, Gargoyles, Powerpuff Girls, Dexter’s Laboratory, and Johnny Bravo. Teens and young adults, however, flocked to MTV, which had moved away from purely music video related programming. Beavis & Butthead served as a primer for MTV, with crude and edgy humor that appealed to teens, and would pave the way for Aeon Flux, Daria, and more. And of course, there were adult animated sitcoms, ranging from Duckman, The Critic, South Park, King of the Hill, and at the tail end of the decade, Family Guy and Futurama.

Teens of the era were spoiled for choice when it came to television programming. Many teenager focused shows built what had been done with 1985’s The Breakfast Club, focusing on the teenagers, their problems and issues, and how they dealt with them. In shows like these, teens were people just like those that were watching, and dealt with issues they could relate with. Whether it was Beverly Hills 90210 (which appealed more to popular kids), My So-Called Life (appealed more to misfits and average kids), Freaks and Geeks (appealed to “losers” and outcasts), and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Other shows like The Real World followed teens and young adults in their daily lives, and served as a way for people to talk and learn about sensitive issues and current events, including issues of race, abortion, and homosexuality.

Trends and Fads of the Era: As with any decade, crazes, fads, and trends were abound. It was a strange and exciting decade with big developments and silly fads. Although many of these are targeted towards children and teens, many of these trends also hit adults.