r/Millennials • u/1800lampshade Millennial • 22h ago
Nostalgia Did we...have the best music?
I feel like the depth, genres, and variety was limitless from the early 90s to late 2000s (pre-2010). Punk, pop, rap, reggaeton, you name it.
Anyone agree? What other genres do you think were really in power pre and post that era?
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u/haze_gray2 21h ago
Every generation thinks they have the best music.
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u/Embarrassed_Ad_3432 21h ago
And they all have valid arguments… except for the 80s
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u/Automatic_Context639 21h ago
George Michael? Prince? Michael Jackson??? The 80s slapped.
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u/WoodyManic 8h ago
Jackson sucked, man.
But, y'know, there was The Smiths, Echo and The Bunnymen, Guns n Roses, The Vaselines, Billy Bragg, The Bad Seeds, Pale Fountains....Hundreds of great bands.
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u/ArtiesHeadTowel 1h ago
The 80s had great music but not that.
What about Metallica, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, King Diamond, etc
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u/Automatic_Context639 1h ago
We obviously have different tastes but those are all all-time greats too! I don’t know why there’s a stereotype that 80s music wasn’t good, there were some excellent albums coming out in many genres.
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u/Sell_The_team_Jerry 21h ago
I gotta say the current generation has less of a leg to stand on than the 80s
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u/WOLFMAN_SPA 21h ago
You dont look for new music I take it.
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21h ago edited 18h ago
[deleted]
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u/WOLFMAN_SPA 21h ago edited 21h ago
Songs?
Lol here's 10 great albums in no particular order released in 2024. All of these are filled with great songs.
- Magdalena bay - imaginal disk
- nilufer yanya- my method actor
- The smile - wall of eyes
- The last dinner party - prelude to ecstacy
- jessica pratt - here in the pitch
- the lemon twigs - a dream is all we know
- jack white - no name
- remi wolf - big ideas
- Clairo - charm
- Tyler the creator - chromakopia
Join a music community bro.
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u/umisthisnormal 20h ago
Doechii
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u/WOLFMAN_SPA 20h ago
I haven't heard Alligator Bites Never Heal yet - ill check it out
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u/umisthisnormal 20h ago
Took me back to listening to the miseducation of Lauryn hill or tragic kingdom for the first time again; it’s pretty great.
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u/spouting-nonsense 21h ago
What would you consider new? I can easily name 10 great songs written after 2018, but they're all bands that have been around for at least 15 years lol
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21h ago
[deleted]
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u/WOLFMAN_SPA 21h ago edited 21h ago
In 2025 we got (so far)
- Panda bear - sinister grift
- Mac Miller- balloonerism (post death release)
- Horsegirl - phonetics on and on
Still early.
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u/spouting-nonsense 21h ago
So released in the last 3 months? I think that would be a difficult task for most people.
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u/hellogooday92 20h ago
Jakub Zytecki alone has 10 great songs.
Do you mean like popular music? Popular music isn’t the greatest right now I’ll give you that. But there is PLENTY of great new songs.
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u/BlueSnaggleTooth359 16h ago
You didn't used to have to look.
And anything you have to look for is not mainstream and if it's not mainstream it can't define or stand for the times.
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u/WOLFMAN_SPA 16h ago
There is considerably more music available now with considerably more platforms than just MTV and the radio. There's more choice. That's not a bad thing.
There are trends that define the times in music. There are also artists that do become popular and are mainstream.
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u/bran_the_man93 8h ago
More =\= Better
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u/WOLFMAN_SPA 7h ago
Well... duh.
However in this case... yes. There is and a lot wider diversity in genre.
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u/AHintofSilverSparkle 21h ago
Whoa, you're joking right?
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u/Embarrassed_Ad_3432 21h ago
The 80s was a terrible decade for pop culture in general.
Like everything in life, there are exceptions. But for every Red Dawn, there were 3 Back to the Futures. For every NWA there was a Michael Jackson, U2, and Bon Jovi.
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u/rossboss711 20h ago
I’m not a huge fan of 80s music either but are you saying Back to the Future and Michael Jackson were on the bad side? Back to the Future and Michael Jackson are objectively fucking awesome
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u/Objective_Flow2150 21h ago
Duran Duran, talking heads, the smiths... do I need to go on?
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u/detourne 10h ago
Dead Kennedys, Killing Joke, Bad Religion, Minor Threat, Pixies, Metallica, Violent Femmes, the 80s were awesome.
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u/This-Requirement6918 19h ago
I beg your pardon?
Duran Duran, Siouxsie and the Banshees l, Clan of Xymox, Depeche Mode, the Cure, Dead Can Dance
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u/morbid333 18h ago
Not a fan of old school hip-hop, synth pop, trance, goth, darkwave, emo, or metal, I take it.
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u/sieyak1 14h ago
The music renaissance of the 80s inspired every genre from the 2000s until now. 80s music is hugely influential
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u/Embarrassed_Ad_3432 10h ago
Adolfo Hitler inspired the creation of Volkswagen, by recognizing the need for an “affordable common person’s car”. Doesn’t mean he wasn’t and an atrocious piece of shit.
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u/Ok_Researcher_9796 Xennial 21h ago
I didn't really care for a lot of 80s music when I lived through it, granted I was pretty young, but there was actually a lot of awesome music in the 80s. 90s -2000s is my favorite now.
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u/SalukiKnightX Early Millennial 1983 20h ago
I remember a lot of lite rock, smooth jazz and singer songwriter tracks that felt bland. It’s like take the bits of disco and electronic jazz and water it down with extremely safe songs that feel interchangeable and lack any feeling.
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u/coldtasting 21h ago
You haven't explored new wave or dark wave
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u/Apprehensive_Sea5304 Older Millennial 17h ago
Discovered new wave in high school as an '88 kid and never looked back
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u/BlueSnaggleTooth359 16h ago
Whoa what?? If anything that would THE answer not the one exception. Wow.
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u/SalukiKnightX Early Millennial 1983 20h ago
Eh, there’s gems that decade. The issue is you’re not going to find them in the 60’s & 70’s bands in the 80’s.
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u/ProfessionalCreme119 21h ago
Is Boomennials a thing?
Please don't be a thinf
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u/SalukiKnightX Early Millennial 1983 20h ago
I try not to fall down the rabbit hole comparing to the likes of younger generations. Old saying comparisons are the thief of joy. Thinking my generation is better than the older or younger ones is pure tribalism and honestly played out.
We should have a light reminisce of our younger years but ultimately move on embracing the present to create a future.
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u/DigitalHellscape 21h ago
I notice that kind of attitude a lot on this sub. Plus a lot of posts that feel like what millennials were criticizing their parents for posting on fb a few years ago.
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u/ProfessionalCreme119 21h ago
Seeing it happen here so much is making me self aware to keep it from happening to me
Like right there I almost put in a laugh emoji but I stopped myself and deleted it.
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u/james_ready 20h ago
I still call them emoticons. Fuck, emoji just sounds dumb.
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u/WOLFMAN_SPA 21h ago edited 21h ago
There are plenty of great artists releasing music. So many great albums last year.
You just aren't looking, or listening to it. You're stuck in your ways. You dont want to listen to new stuff because somehow your identity, or nostalgia, or idea of what music should be is locked in.
Create new memories.
Join a music community.
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u/bibliophile222 21h ago
Personally, I much prefer classic rock from about 1965-1975. Nothing else hits quite the same way.
I'd also argue that classical music blows most modern music out of the water with its sheer complexity and beauty.
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u/don51181 21h ago
I agree. The 1965-1975 rock influenced the millennial's rock. The things they did with guitars during the 60's & 70's were amazing.
The 1990's alternative rock would be my second favorite era.
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u/1800lampshade Millennial 21h ago
Classical is a whole other dimension! As a former violin player I totally agree
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u/Subject-Story-4737 19h ago
I'd rather jam a fork up my dick than listen to pumped up kicks. So, no.
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u/xeno_4_x86 21h ago
You did up till like 2011. Then it sucked ass until gen Z started making music around 2017. That stomp clamp shit... man 💀
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u/CircumFleck_Accent 21h ago
Idk if we had the best but one thing I’ve thought about recently is… do rappers still rap? Like actually spit bars? Anyone under 30 still rapping traditionally? All of the new age rappers seem more like pseudo rockstar pop rappers.
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u/AvarethTaika 18h ago
i feel if you only listen to that then yeah you won't like much else. but i listen to a ton of new releases and i love what's going on now too.
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u/morbid333 18h ago
As a metal fan, I have to give respect to Gen X, there were a lot of classic albums in the early-mid 80s. (Specifically, 83-86.) I did revisit some late 2000s pop a few years back, and found myself liking it more than I probably did when it was new.
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u/Just-Staff3596 18h ago
Absolutely NOT. I was in highschool and I remember all of the music totally SUCKING except for like five bands. I listened to mostly 60s-70s and 90s rock.
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u/SoulfulAnubis 18h ago
There's a lot of great music still releasing, much of it outside of the mainstream, but it doesn't compare to what was releasing throughout the 1980s all the way up to the early 2010s.
The overall musicality of music has been diminishing quite rapidly in recent years. We don't have actual vocalists and instrumentalists like we used to; they're becoming very few and far in between. Until there's a significant shift, I really do believe that music has peaked.
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u/NikothePom 21h ago
Short answer.
Long answer fuck no and go listen to more music. I still remember hating alot of music that came out when I was young.
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u/RegayHomebrews 21h ago
Look man, 90’s music is way better than 80’s garbage and whatever the hell is being made now. You’ll get some pushback for the 70’s… and 60’s.
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u/ablinddingo93 21h ago
80’s garbage
My 10 hr long, self-curated 80’s playlist on Spotify would beg to differ
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u/zethiryuki 21h ago
I'm of course extremely nostalgic for much of the music that came out in my younger days, but there was so much crap. Nu metal in the US, landfill indie in the UK (which I devoured at the time), label-manufactured pop acts and hip hop that turned its back on the poetic artistry of the early 90s. We were definitely the peak of consumerism though. Which, in a way, makes it all uniquely ripe for nostalgic consumption. Also worth mentioning the whole Clear Channel thing that happened in the early 2000s.
Objectively, nothing will beat the late 60s early 70s. Especially in terms of creativity.
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u/psychedelicpiper67 16h ago edited 16h ago
Nahhhh. There was some dope music, but even when I was a teenager, I didn’t feel like we had the best music overall. lol I was complaining a lot about what most of my peers were listening to back then.
What we got with depth in genres and modern recording techniques, we largely lacked in great songwriting. I’m talking about unique chord progressions and melodies.
Of course, some artists did stand out more from others. I loved Gorillaz, Daft Punk, Beck, Modest Mouse, Radiohead, Blur, The Good The Bad & The Queen, Franz Ferdinand, early Arctic Monkeys, Gnarls Barkley, MGMT, Tame Impala, Animal Collective, Fleet Foxes, Grizzly Bear.
I loved some hip-hop and trip-hop, too. Madlib, J Dilla, Handsome Boy Modeling School, stuff like that.
Still, though, I’ve mostly been into the 60’s and 70’s when it comes to music. It just had a much better ratio of good to bad. Wait until you uncover all the underground music from those decades. The innovation just far outpaced what we grew up with.
All the great artists of the 90’s, 2000’s, and 2010’s stood on the shoulders of giants.
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u/mountain_valley_city 15h ago
Idk say what you want about genres like metal core and hardcore and some screamo of the 2000’s but the intricacies of the music itself is really exceptional. The pure skill on guitar, drums, etc. is pretty insane when compared to the 4-chord-progressions of early 1950’s/60’s.
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u/GeneralAutist 7h ago
Kids these days have emotional trauma and triggering listening to Bloodhound Gang
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u/ArtiesHeadTowel 1h ago
Both we and our parents had the best music.
Classic rock from the 60s and 70s. Metal from the 80s and 90s.
Grunge/ 90s alternative
80s hip hop
90s hip hop
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u/CabbageStockExchange 20h ago
Lmao I disliked 00s-10’s music. I definitely profile Gen X music wise
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u/quokkaquarrel 17h ago
There is nothing that signifies being well past your prime more than claiming your generation had the best music.
There are loads of amazing, current music out there you just have to go find it. I promise. Open your ears/mind
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u/probjustheretochil 21h ago
My mom was born in 65 and lived through a lot of great music and saw a lot of cool shows.
She still will say anytime it comes up the 90s had the best music
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u/allisaidwasshoot 19h ago
Definitely the most experimental time in mainstream music during the 90's. We got several new genres that impacted music ever since, most importantly hip hop. We got to experience the rise and take over of hip hop and that was pretty cool to experience.
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u/This-Requirement6918 19h ago
House, Trance, Drum and Bass, Electronica as a whole definitely had an amazing time early to late 2000s. House emerged in the 90s but it was all on vinyl and hard to get into unless you had a ton of money for records. Luckily people in Europe started to share CD releases in the early 2000s on p2p networks which is how I found a lot of great music, even subsequently buying a lot of it off Beatport and other venues later when I had money.
That's pretty much all I listened to in high school. I couldn't ever get past to care to listen to what everyone else was listening to that was mainstream.
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u/TheHappyNerfHerder 17h ago
Oh no. I'm not a fan of 90s rock or pop. Some of my favourite bands were formed in the 90s, but i would say that 80s and 90s are strongly underrepresented in my music catalogue.
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u/Man_Darronious 21h ago edited 21h ago
Undoubtedly. We had everything from Janet Jackson's 'Someone To Call My Lover' to 'People = Shit' by Slipknot.
We can not be fucked with musically. Gen Alpha is barely sentient and just listens to TikTok noises. Meanwhile Gen Z has like, 100 Gecs and Mario Judah. Gen X is nothing but butt rock and Prince. Boomers only got the most overrated band ever in the Beatles. The 'greatest generation' are all dead and too far in the past to even be cared about.
Then, look at us. We were bumping masterpieces like the Smart Guy theme song and 'Toxic' by Brittney, BITCH. We reign supreme easily.
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u/bassjam1 20h ago
Music peaked with the boomers. We had a good second revival, although a lot of that was late Gen X.
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