Is it just me, or was everything better in the 90s?

There’s a funny thing about memory. It has this way of softening the rough edges and leaving behind only the highlights.

I am aware of this. 

But still—when I think about the 90s, I can’t help but feel like it really was a better time. Not perfect, but better in ways that mattered.

I don’t think it’s just nostalgia talking. The 90s carried a certain energy, a balance between analog simplicity and the dawn of modern technology. It was a decade where things felt slower, yet full of possibility.

Here are a few things I think were better for sure. 

The music was unmatched

Music wasn’t just background noise—it was a whole experience. You couldn’t just “shuffle” your way through genres. You had to commit: buy the CD, record the tape, or wait for your song on the radio.

Grunge had attitude, hip-hop was exploding with raw creativity, R&B gave us smoothness we still chase, and alternative rock dominated MTV. Artists weren’t aiming to go viral in 30 seconds; they were building albums meant to be played from start to finish.

I remember saving up for a new CD, peeling off the plastic, and reading every lyric in the little booklet. Compare that with today’s instant streaming—it’s convenient, sure, but it’s lost some magic.

Technology was simpler (and maybe better for us)

Remember landlines? Or waiting for the dial-up internet to finally connect? It sounds ridiculous now, but there was freedom in that slowness.

We didn’t check notifications every five minutes because we couldn’t. If you wanted to hang out, you called your friend’s house and prayed their mom didn’t answer first. When you went outside, you were unreachable—and that was normal.

Today, I can track my steps, monitor my sleep, and scroll endlessly through feeds. But back then, I just lived. And sometimes I wonder if that made us more present.

Pop culture had real impact

In the 90s, TV was an event. If you missed Friends on Thursday night, you had to wait for the rerun. Shows like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air or Seinfeld weren’t just entertainment—they were part of the cultural fabric. Everyone watched them, so everyone talked about them.

Movies, too. Jurassic Park wasn’t just a blockbuster; it was a cultural earthquake. Titanic became the backdrop of teenage love stories everywhere. And when The Matrix hit in the late 90s, it didn’t just change cinema—it made us question reality.

Even video games had that staying power. I still remember the joy of unwrapping a Nintendo 64 at Christmas. Gaming wasn’t online yet. You had four friends huddled around one TV, trash-talking in person.

Fashion and style

Say what you want about baggy jeans and flannel shirts, but they had character. Starter jackets, chokers, Air Jordans—these weren’t just clothes; they were statements.

What I loved about 90s style was that it wasn’t designed for Instagram likes. Trends lasted for years, not months. You didn’t feel pressured to reinvent your look every season.

Now, fast fashion churns out trends so quickly that by the time you’ve worn something twice, it already feels outdated. The 90s had style with staying power.

Childhood and growing up felt different

If you grew up in the 90s, you probably remember the “be home when the streetlights come on” rule. It was freedom, responsibility, and adventure rolled into one.

We collected things—Pogs, Tamagotchis, Pokémon cards. We went to roller rinks, arcades, and Blockbuster. A birthday party meant bowling alleys or laser tag, not curated Instagram setups.

Life felt slower, simpler. There wasn’t a constant rush to “grow up” or monetize every hobby. You could just be a kid.

Social life without social media

Friendships thrived face-to-face. If you wanted to see someone, you showed up. If you wanted to talk, you actually called.

There was no pressure to document every moment. Privacy was normal. You weren’t comparing your Saturday night to hundreds of filtered versions of someone else’s.

I’ll admit—I love that I can keep in touch with old friends across the world now. But there’s something we lost when we stopped just “hanging out” with no phones in sight.

The economy and cost of living

Here’s where the 90s really win. Things were simply more affordable. Housing, college tuition, even cars—they didn’t feel out of reach. A middle-class income could stretch much further than it does today.

Of course, the 90s had their economic struggles too. But compared to today’s skyrocketing costs, it felt easier to build a stable life without needing to win the lottery or found a startup.

Why we feel this way

Part of this longing is nostalgia. Psychologists might call it “rosy retrospection”—the tendency to remember the past more fondly than it really was. Our brains highlight the fun and filter out the stress.

But I don’t think it’s all in our heads. The 90s represented a sweet spot: enough technology to connect us, but not so much that it consumed us. Enough cultural touchstones to unite us, but not so much fragmentation that everyone lived in their own algorithm-driven bubble.

I'm not just missing my youth—I'm missing a pace of life that felt more human.

Was everything truly better in the 90s? Maybe not. But it sure felt like it.