Breaking news! Gen Z is loving 90s nostalgia. Well, duh!! The 90s were a fascinating time.
There’s a new trend circulating social media right now. “Dad, what were you like in the 90s?”
For anyone who grew up in the 90s, on top of the magical coming of age teen movies from the 80s, we had a whole new wave of the same genre in the 90s. Certainly a plethora of heartthrob actors filling pages of Tiger Beat magazine.
Famous teen actors of the 90s are participating in this latest trend. My algorithm must be set to “dad” although some moms out there have also been participating. These teen actors are all grown up now (just like us!) and are now parents with curious kids “wondering what life was like for their dad when he was their age?” Which just right there is a tug of the heart strings. I can’t name a kid who didn’t roll their eyes when dad would start sharing a life lesson with “when I was your age…”
Here is a small collection of some of the mega stars from the 90s coming of age movies showing what life was like for them back then. And every video is set to The Goo Goo Dolls hit, “Iris.”
Mario Lopez
Ok, clearly Mario Lopez is a vampire because the man hasn’t aged a wink.
Devon Sawa
Peter Facinelli
Well played, Sir. A little Twilight humor.
The Backstreet Boys
And of course, it’s fun to just look back at some of our favorite actors from the 90s and remember that it really was an epic time.
Jackie Chan
Nic Cage
Keanu Reeves
Keanu Reeves also appears to be a vampire. So, does he share the same skin regimen as Mario Lopez?
Pauly Shore
Wow. Above all, Pauly Shore’s fashion sense never ceased to amaze. Buuud-dy.
Ok, so some of these turned into AI generated videos. But celebrating the culture nonetheless. This 90s nostalgia may be trending in the year 2026, but nostalgia from all decades will certainly be celebrated for years to come.
One more just for laughs, but probably cries: