Isn’t it fascinating how we’ve divided the human timeline into these quirky categories? We’ve got the silent heroes, the booming boomers, the effortlessly cool Gen X, the tech-savvy millennials, the Zoom-loving Gen Z, and hey there, Gen Alpha, you’re next in line. But right now, let’s turn the spotlight on you, you awesome Gen X’ers – the original latchkey kids, the masters of retro-cool. Born in 1965–1980, you know all too well about neon clothes, jelly bracelets, stirrup leggings, pay phones, big hair, and strawberry shortcake…

From the cosmic dust of the ’60s to the neon glow of the ’80s, the r/GenX subreddit captures the essence of what it was like to grow up and live in this era. We’ve curated our favorite posts from the group, so grab your VHS tapes, dust off your Pogs collection, and get ready for a journey through the era of neon fanny packs, grunge anthems, and a world where the only social network that mattered was the one you actually attended in person.

#1 What Would Some Of Our Disproven Facts Be?

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The Gen X’ers, now comfortably middle-aged, could tell us a lot about life and how it used to be. Today’s trends, including music, fashion, and TV shows, often take cues from the vibrant ’70s and ’80s. A lively Reddit group, r/GenX boasts 98.1k members and is a hotspot for sharing nostalgic and funny content from that era.

#2 I Can’t Disagree

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#3 How Everyone Else Thinks The 80s Looked Like vs. Reality

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Besides the fun things we associate with the ’70s and ’80s, there was much more to it. Gen X was the first generation with both parents working outside the home, but childcare options were limited at that time. Known as the “Latchkey Kids,” Xers grew up preparing meals and maintaining the household after school. This often led to a feeling of being overlooked, with Baby Boomers soaking up the limelight.

#4 Hilarity On A Level That Never Gets Old

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#5 Retirement For Generation X

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#6 This Is Only Going To Get Worse

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A recent article in the New York Times defines Gen X this way: “A relatively small cohort sandwiched between baby boomers and millennials, this demographic consisting of Americans born between 1965 and 1980 seemed to dominate the cultural conversation for only a brief stretch of the 1990s, when Seattle seemed like the music capital of the universe and ‘Gen X’ served as shorthand for all things edgy and cool.”

#7 Little Bit Of Truth To This. My Mind Is Still 30, But My Body Says Nice Try

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#8 It Was The Hug We Never Got

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#9 What Are Your Thoughts On This? Accurate?

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They were the first to experience widespread cable television access as they grew up. In 1981, MTV, the 24/7 music video channel, arrived, capturing the hearts of countless Gen Xers and earning them the moniker “MTV Generation.”

#10 It’s Not Even Funny. It’s A Big Source Of My Stress

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#11 This Place Was A Friday Night Out

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#12 Who Had A Car Stereo That Had A Removeable Faceplate?

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Gen Xers grew up during a time of significant events. They faced the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, leading to a focus on safe sex. They witnessed history unfold with the end of the Cold War, marked by the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991. They saw both the triumph of the first successful space shuttle flight in 1981 and the tragedy of the Challenger explosion five years later. Gen Xers lived through the U.S. government’s anti-drug efforts, epitomized by the “just say no” campaign, and they also navigated the energy crises of the ’70s and ’80s.

#13 Some Humor Needs No Explanation

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#14 Peak Genx – Riding Your Bike Down The Middle Of The Street, Standing On The Banana Seat, No Helmet

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#15 My Daughter Found My Old Walkman, So I Left Her A Note

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Gen Xers are known for being resourceful and independent due to their latchkey upbringing. They value a work-life balance, having seen their parents’ work demands affect family time. Their cynicism can be attributed to the economic and societal challenges they faced during their childhood and early adulthood.

#16 Anyone Else Remember These Ashtrays?

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#17 I Feel Like As A Gen-Xer, This Resonates With Me

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#18 X’ers Were Scrappy Little Hooligans

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Now, aged 43 to 58, the “Coolest Generation” finds joy in simple activities like trips to Costco or Target, cozy Friday nights in, excitement over a new shower or lawnmower, and even crafting jelly from hand-picked crabapples.

#19 I Mean, It Seemed Believable At The Time

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#20 The Emotional Damage This Inflicted Upon Me Lives With Me To This Day

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#21 Anyone Remember The Metal Lid You Had To Use A Butter Knife To Pop Off?

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To offer a point of reference and comparison with Gen X, we’ve gathered information about the next two generations. The revolution was influenced by millennials, also known as Generation Y. Born between 1982 and 1994, they’re digital natives, seamlessly incorporating technology into their daily routines. They moved from an analog to a digital world. Unlike earlier generations, millennials face intense competition due to the economic crisis, prompting them to strive for better qualifications. Unlike their Generation X parents, they’re ambitious and determined to achieve their goals.

#22 Does Anyone Else Still Do This?

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#23 Oh, Ain’t This The Truth

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#24 Has Happened More Than Once!!!!! Especially About 9/11

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Generation Z, aged 8 to 23, will be the leaders in the future. They’re also called centennials, born between 1995 and 2010, and came into the world with tablets and smartphones. Who are they? They’re the Internet generation, it’s part of them – in their homes, education, and how they socialize. Finding jobs might be even harder for them than for Generation Y. They’re tech-savvy but might prioritize screens over people. Yet, they use the Internet for social causes. They expect instant results due to their digital lives and are influenced by YouTubers. They can multitask but have shorter attention spans. As consumers, they’re independent and demanding, and their future jobs might not exist yet.

#25 “Nobody Puts Baby In A Corner!”

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#26 Who Hid In These Clothing Racks In Department Stores As A Kid When Shopping With Their Parents?

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#27 Stuck In The Middle With You

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Continue scrolling for a dose of nostalgia and fun from the Gen X era – the generation that gave us leg warmers and the modern smartphone. Upvote your favorite ones and drop a comment on the ones that resonated with you the most.

#28 I Feel Like Gen X Is The Only Generation To Just Embrace This Reality

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#29 Not A Gen Xer, But The Ones I Know Are Exactly Like This

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#30 Only Genx Has This Specialized Skill

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#31 The Blockbuster Strikes Back

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#32 My God… We Suffered… Suffered So Much

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#33 Adulting Is Far Less Glamorous Than I Was LED To Believe It Would Be

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#34 The Annual Mrs. Roper Bar Crawl, Hillcrest San Diego. This Should Be A National Event And Possibly A Federal Holiday

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#35 Who Else Had The Amazing Hot Air Popcorn Popper? Worked Like A Charm – If You Liked Dry Popcorn

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#36 It’s A No Brainer Really

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#37 Just Had To Leave This Here. Had No Choice In Fact

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#38 Seems Just About Right For Us

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#39 This Reality Hits Harder Twenty-Nine Years Later When I’m In My Early 50’s

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#40 The Best Part Of Getting A New Cassette

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#41 I’m Just Going To Leave This Right Here

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#42 How We Used To Check The Weather

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#43 How Many Of Us Had Grandparents With This TV?

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#44 This Sums Up The Genx Music-Purchasing Experience

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#45 What Non Horror Movie Scenes Traumatized You As A Child?

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#46 Phil Basically Raised A Generation

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#47 Did We All Eat Goulash Growing Up? I Loved This…

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#48 Time For Timer Commercial

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#49 Yes We Turned Out Just Fine

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#50 Who All Laid On One Of These Bad Boys As A Kid?

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#51 I Learned Opera From A Cross Dressing Rabbit

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#52 The Joys Of A Sugar Stick Dipped In Different Colors Of Sugar…

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#53 Were You One Of The Ones Who Thought It Was Real?

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#54 Let’s Get Down To Brass Tacks. Every House Had These Coasters

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#55 Who Remembers Mr. Bones Candies?

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#56 Fisher Price Activity Center

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#57 For My Cake Day I Went To See “The Big Lebowski” In Costume. How’d I Do?

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#58 Who Had School In A Portable?

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#59 So… Umm… There’s That

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#60 We Ate King Dongs And Listened To Gregorian Chants. What A Time To Be Alive

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#61 Trying To Think Of A Clever Caption, But I Can’t Top This

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#62 I Wonder What This Week’s Big Misunderstanding Caused By A Partially Overheard Conversation Will Be!

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#63 Who Else Grew Up Learning To Question Authority From This Character?

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#64 Ah, The Good Old Days Lol

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#65 If You Used One Of These, You Belong Here

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#66 I Thought This Sub Would Appreciate This Cosplay From Superman (1978)

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#67 Yes We Did. F**king Gop Idiots

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#68 The Day After?

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#69 If Anyone In Your Family Sewed, In The 60s,70s Or 80s They Had One Of These. My Mom Had A Few

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#70 Took A Family Vacation To Oregon. Had To Visit Gen-X Mecca

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#71 Every Grandchild Got This In Their Stocking When We Gathered At Grandma’s Christmas Day

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#72 This Post Needs To Be 25 Characters But I Think The Fella Below Said Enough

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#73 How Very

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#74 I’ll See Your Bowl Cuts, And Raise You Two Afro Puffs

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#75 I Can Smell This Picture

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#76 I Suspect We Can All Relate To This

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#77 What’s Another Truth About The 80’s You’d Like To Share?

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#78 You Probably Had One Of These In Your Fridge While You Were Growing Up

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#79 Most Accurate Description Of Growing Up Gen X

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#80 You Can Add Driving During The Day In Any Season, Really

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#81 Whether It Was Shepard’s Pie, Tuna Casserole, Or Spaghetti Sauce… It Was Served In This

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#82 In My Youth, This Was A Michelin Star Restaurant. Did Anyone Else Think It Was Special?

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#83 I Listened To Hours Of Dr. Demento And Dr. Ruth Westenheimer On One Of These

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#84 I Had This Exact Mini Stereo! Did You?

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#85 I Would Spend Hours In This Store Just Looking

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#86 Omg Fashion Plates!! Who Else Played With These?

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#87 Who Remembers This? National Geographic Was A Portal To The Rest Of The World

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#88 Sit, Ubu, Sit. Good Dog. Does Anyone Remember This?

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#89 What Was Your “Must See” Movie You Shared With Younger Generations?

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#90 Whenever I Hear The Title “Surgeon General” This Is The Guy That Pops Into My Mind

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#91 Now You Have $47 Fees On $52 Tickets

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#92 Anyone Else Remember Reading Reader’s Digest?

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#93 Childhood Toys Roundup: This Parking Garage (Ding, Ding, Ding)

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#94 Now Look At Them Yo-Yos! That’s The Way You Do It!

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#95 I Was Looking For A Used Graphing Calculator On Ebay. I Bought This Also, Because I’m A Grown-Up

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#96 I Think We All Remember This

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#97 This Post Is To All The Genx’s With Uncommon Names And The Bitter Sting Of The Gift Shop Keychains

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#98 Who Thought “Ring Around The Collar” Was Going To Be A Bigger Problem Than It Actually Was?

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#99 Is It Just Me Or Were These The Height Of Sophistication Back In The Day?

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#100 Everyone Here Knows The Answer To The Question You’re Thinking Right Now

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#101 Did Anyone Else Have This Toy As A Kid? This Is My Original One From The 1970s

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#102 How Many Of Us Still Bear The Scars?

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#103 Who Else Had A Sticker Album?

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#104 For Some Reason Saloon Doors On Your Kitchen Were Popular Among Our Parents

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