This Quiz Will Reveal Who's A 90s Baby, And Who's A True Millennial

Who's a true child of the 90s, and who's a millennial? They look the same, but the differences are huge to anyone on the inside. The working definition of a millennial is everyone born between 1981 and 2001, so that they reached young adulthood at the turn of the millennium (get it? hence the term "millennial"?). Inside that span, however, there are two main groups: the 80s-90s kids, born between 1981-1991, and the next generation, born between 1991-2001. One group is old enough to remember dial-up internet over phone lines, and one has no idea what that even sounded like. One group is native to broadband internet and touch-screen technology, and the other people still think that's newfangled luxury stuff (maybe in the back of their minds, but it's still there).

This quiz will separate the 90s kids from the later millennials, or Generation Z-ers. For 90s kids, or Generation Y, Facebook grew up at the same time they did. It was exclusive at first (remember that?), and slowly spread to cover the planet. GenZ started toddling over to the family computer with Facebook and other social media outlets already a firm presence. Quick—is Google an internet startup, or a global behemoth? A person's gut response reveals what was true in those early growing-up years. So a 90s, GenY child will say Google's a startup, and a GenZ-er will think of Google as the universal presence we know today. Try to answer these questions as fast as possible. Good luck!

Question 1

True or False: Twitter is still a startup platform with a lot of upside potential.

The birth of Twitter was puzzling for those who watched it happen. Why the heck would anyone want to know 140 characters about anybody else's random thoughts or breakfast? It took a while to take hold, and it's not quite universal—yet. For better or worse, though, when the news starts basing every broadcast on what anyone can see in Twitter posts, it's clear that something big has happened. True or False: Twitter is still a startup platform with a lot of upside potential.

Question 2

True or False: Smartphones are a really cool luxury, but it's possible to get by fine without one.

Smartphones came into their own in the mid-2000s. For 90s kids, it's still a rush to remember that the whole internet, with graphics and everything, is right there on the phone in their hands. So cool! Instantly resolve any dispute over trivia, right then and there! Not to mention being able to have a boarding pass for an airplane, or tickets to an event, right there on the phone—it's pretty convenient. True or False: Smartphones are a really cool luxury, but it's possible to get by fine without one.

Question 3

True or False: Blogging is open to everyone and is a democratizing force on the internet.

It's hard to remember back when people used "web logs" or "blogs" as a main means of communicating with each other. "Blogging" revolutionized mass communication in the 90s. A few websites grew to be huge internet presences, which meant—surprise, surprise—that they were hugely influential in the culture, too. Some of those voices became giants, and now take up a lot of cultural bandwidth. True or False: Blogging is open to everyone and is a democratizing force on the internet.

Question 4

True or False: Sean Combs used to be a big deal, but we've moved on.

Pop music is everywhere—not just on YouTube but also on the radio in the car, streaming online, playing in stores, and on television shows like America’s Got Talent. The music of the time provides a kind of background music for people's lives. We don't all like to admit that we like some of the most inescapable songs, but they're stuck in our heads anyway. Who our favorites are says a lot about when we grew up. True or False: Sean Combs used to be a big deal, but we've moved on.

Question 5

True or False: Kendrick Lamar winning a Pulitzer Prize cemented the end of his career.

Rappers finally got mainstream respect in the late 90s and early 2000s. Important artists within rap are important artists, period. Some have been around a long time, though, and while that means those artists can grow with the audience and stay relevant, some of them don't quite do that. Mainstream acceptance can sink a career. True or False: Kendrick Lamar winning a Pulitzer Prize cemented the end of his career.

Question 6

True or False: Bruno Mars songs are a guilty pleasure, and the words to at least one of them are stuck in our heads.

Bruno Mars turned into a pop superstar in 2010, and he's had multiple number one hits since then in the U.S. and internationally. He had a fun turn on SNL, too, making fun of his own ability to sing in almost any style of music in a Pandora parody sketch. He's weirdly okay, even though everybody's grandma probably likes him, too. True or False: Bruno Mars songs are a guilty pleasure, and the words to at least one of them are stuck in our heads.

Question 7

True or False: Lady Gaga and songs like "Telephone" were part of what it meant to be a teenager and young adult.

Everyone has an opinion on Lady Gaga, good, bad, or indifferent, and everyone's definitely heard of her. Who really grew up listening to her, though? It makes a difference what the norm for a pop star was when we were growing up, and what looked like a brand new thing exploding across an already full pop stratosphere. True or False: Lady Gaga and songs like "Telephone" were part of what it meant to be a teenager and young adult.

Question 8

True or False: Owning a Vote For Pedro t-shirt pegs a person's age pretty accurately.

Cult movies that people watch over and over again form a vocabulary—and the rare movies that are part of how true millennials communicate are different from the ones 90s kids use. This shows up in direct quotes, but also in more veiled references, like the grandpa glasses Napoleon wears in Napoleon Dynamite becoming popular among the people who were of the age to really get into that movie. True or False: Owning a Vote For Pedro t-shirt pegs a person's age pretty accurately.

Question 9

True or False: Kingdom Hearts is a mashup game that riffs on everything that came before it.

At the turn of the millennium, videogames cross-pollinated with anime culture. Videogames are still a big part of millennials' lives whether we're 90s kids or true millennials. For true millennials, the two exist seamlessly in the same space, while 90s kids have a gaming base of old-school games that form the backdrop into which anime characters arrived later. The idea of which games are classics is colored by that experience for both groups. True or False: Kingdom Hearts is a mashup game that riffs on everything that came before it.

Question 10

True or False: Fallout has grown with the audience and remains important.

The Fallout franchise is old but it's really popular—the early games are ridiculed by the younger players, but the newer ones build on previous successes. Part of the appeal is that it's a post-apocalyptic setting with an alternate version of America. The personalities of Hamilton and Jefferson show up in the game and it's pretty great. The game provides both great gameplay and acute social commentary, with constantly hanging RPG elements. True or False: Fallout has grown with the audience and remains important.

Question 11

True or False: Storytelling and roleplay mechanics are worse than in previous versions.

The Elder Scrolls games create a real dividing line between 90s kids and true millennials. Skyrim is a great hack-and-slash game that defined the RPGs of the 2000s, and the game hasn't aged well, but it's still a classic and remains popular with true millennials. Players who are 90s kids complain that the gameplay has been dumbed down in the newer iterations, and that the game feels less immersive. True or False: Storytelling and roleplay mechanics are worse than in previous versions.

Question 12

True or False: The bare bones nature of Minecraft is one of its strengths.

Older generation gamers and true millennials find inspiration in the Minecraft story. The designer was the first independent game developer to strike it rich. It's a story of how a tiny operation could build an enormous gaming empire, using YouTube and worldbuilding elements, with simple graphics and a bunch of building tools. The building tools helped players build mods, which led to improved gameplay and an online community. True or False: The bare bones nature of Minecraft is one of its strengths.

Question 13

True or False: Ocarina was the greatest game in the series.

The Legend of Zelda series has been going on ever since true millennials can remember. Only a true 90s kid could remember playing this game on the old Nintendo entertainment system, and those consoles are valuable vintage finds online. The game survives by keeping core gameplay elements: fighting huge cartoon monsters, and genuinely interesting puzzle solving. There's a controversy about which game in the series is the best, though. True or False: Ocarina was the greatest game in the series.

Question 14

True or False: Final Fantasy XIII plays itself and that installment is a total joke.

Final Fantasy: It's games and movies, and it's more an anthology than a series. It's a bunch of RPGs that all stand alone, since none of them have anything to do with each other. The larger joke is Final Fantasy's name—nothing about it has ever been final. For 90s kids, it was a staple of their childhoods, and they think the series started to die after the seventh installment. True millennials just think of it as a series that never seems to end. True or False: Final Fantasy XIII plays itself and that installment is a total joke.

Question 15

True or False: Playing the game over time reveals an overarching story, and it's enjoyable to watch that story play out.

Does anyone remember Halo? It's another classic alien invasion first person shooter. Before Halo, people played Doom and Quake; Halo set a new standard and changed the way this type of game evolved in the future. True millennials and 90s kids alike play this through, and all enjoy the mystery of the Master Chief—because that green helmet never comes off, anyone can project themselves into the character. True or False: Playing the game over time reveals an overarching story, and it's enjoyable to watch that story play out.

Question 16

True or False: Most people think it's a fad from childhood, and therefore find it a little childish.

Pokémon is a multi-leveled world. Some people enjoy it ironically; some genuinely like it. Some true millennials do still play it, and so do 90s kids. Both age groups grew up with it and both groups still enjoy playing it from time to time. It was such a huge cross-platform phenomenon that everyone recognizes the references. It continues to be a guilty pleasure for both segments of the generation. True or False: Most people think it's a fad from childhood, and therefore find it a little childish.

Question 17

True or False: the internet ruined Guitar Hero.

How many years has it been since Guitar Hero came up? True millennials never played this, but their older 90s siblings played it constantly for a while. The game predated online gaming—Guitar Hero was that special game that required physical attachments to modify gameplay, and it let players live out fantasies of rock stardom. The game finally got online connectivity, allowing downloads of favorite songs, and then people stopped buying the new installments. True or False: the internet ruined Guitar Hero.

Question 18

True or False: Betty White's most known for The Golden Girls.

Go figure—feisty old ladies are in. Along with Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who could have predicted the resurgence of now-nonagenarian Betty White as a pop icon? While 90s kids' parents have warm memories of Betty White from their own childhoods, true millennials come to Betty on their own terms. She's definitely funny, she's genuinely nice, and she speaks the truth—core to humor that achieves viral status. True or False: Betty White's most known for The Golden Girls.

Question 19

True or False: Nicky Minaj is mainly known for dance moves.

Nicki Minaj is the first woman to become a superstar in both hip hop and pop music. She's a true innovator. Minaj uses her platform to craft a consciously in-your-face empowered image, and it's not just an image—she maintains control over as many parts of her career as she can. She stays in the driver's seat of the business and the art of her career. She's also responsible for introducing the world to twerking. True or False: Nicky Minaj is mainly known for dance moves.

Question 20

True or False: To be complete, superheroes have to be funny.

Robert Downey Jr. rehabilitated his life and his career with a series of movies, the most influential of which was Iron Man. The character of Tony Stark is the perfect millennial hero: smart, self-aware while also being incredibly egotistical, inventive, honest even when he shouldn't be, and, of course, funny. For 90s kids, he still represents a departure from traditional superheroes; for true millennials, his brand of hero is what they grew up with. True or False: To be complete, superheroes have to be funny.

Question 21

True or False: Memes are mostly for commentary.

Internet memes came into their own as 90s kids were growing up, and 90s kids really turned memes into the global means of communication and instant commentary we know now. They're a perfect blend of irony and cultural relevance, and get an idea across faster than almost anything else can. Because true millennials grew up with memes already in place, their take is different—memes are just a way to build community and be funny. True or False: Memes are mostly for commentary.

Question 22

True or False: Mr. Krabs is too mean to SpongeBob.

The SpongeBob SquarePants theme song can get almost any millennial singing along with at least part of it, whether the person is a 90s kid or a true millennial. The staying power of the show and it being everywhere for so long has had a curious effect, though. Older millennials identify mainly with SpongeBob himself, and younger true millennials identify with the side characters, like Plankton and Patrick (and even Squidward). True or False: Mr. Krabs is too mean to SpongeBob.

Question 23

True or False: The boundary-pushing elements stay interesting enough in each installment to make the repetitiveness tolerable.

The 90s kids were in college when Assassin's Creed rolled around. When it came out, there was nothing like it. It pushed the limits of what consoles at the time were capable of. There was fast gameplay, and an emphasis on parkour and assassination, and it maintained a story set in major periods of history, rewriting them. True millennials notice that the game is repetitive, and older players notice but don't care. True or False: The boundary-pushing elements stay interesting enough in each installment to make the repetitiveness tolerable.

Question 24

True or False: Fortnite players are naive about the finer points of gameplay.

There are some games that all millennials appreciate equally. Fortnite builds on elements in previous games. This game appeared on the scene in a fully finished form, rather than a free beta that players later buy when the game is finished. It's also truly cross-platform: a player on a PC can run into a player who's on an XBox. It beats Player Unknown's Battlegrounds on a number of fronts, and it being free is a big one. True or False: Fortnite players are naive about the finer points of gameplay.

Question 25

True or False: Facebook is for grandma's and her cat pictures.

Facebook dominates us all so much that people now rebel against it, but it struggled to get to where it is now. It started out as just a place to post pictures of classmates in college so that people could put names to faces, and connect to their friends online. It grew to include comments, then notes and groups and events, with ever-evolving rules. What's it for now, anyway? True or False: Facebook is for grandma's and her cat pictures.

Question 26

True or False: Vine might as well have never existed.

Only in the age of the internet—the internet has now been around long enough that there is such a thing as internet archiving. Platforms can do two things: grow slowly and turn into something as huge as Google, or experience fast and massive growth only to die suddenly and disappear. There's a platform that hits the sweet spot between 90s kids (who remember it) and true millennials (who don't): Vine. True or False: Vine might as well have never existed.

Question 27

True or false: The early internet had real anonymity.

Snapchat was one of what seemed like an endless stream of new-fangled "apps" that were supposed to revolutionize the internet—again. The real revolution seems to be who uses this app anymore and what they use it for. Kids from the 90s can all have a moment of nostalgia for when the promise of anonymity was part of the appeal of social media. Snapchat's whole appeal was that posts vanished! True millennials have a different experience. True or false: The early internet had real anonymity.

Question 28

True or False: Taylor Swift's success is on some level a huge joke on her audience.

Taylor Swift is of an age where for 90s kids, she is a little too young to be a true pop idol, and for true millennials, she's exactly right. In any case, she's certainly one of the top-selling artists of the past ten years (someone must be buying those songs!). True millennials accord her the status of a pop superstar, and 90s kids tend to like her only ironically. True or False: Taylor Swift's success is on some level a huge joke on her audience.

Question 29

True or False: Pink still speaks for a generation of people who fall outside conventional social norms.

Pink has cultivated a "bad girl" image that is now interestingly at odds with her staying power and longevity in the music industry. The "bad girl" thing made more sense when she was actually a young upstart; now, not so much. It's hard to maintain the image of an outsider with a career as successful and as arguably mainstream as Pink's has become. True or False: Pink still speaks for a generation of people who fall outside conventional social norms.

Question 30

True or False: Selena Gomez' stardom is just normal pop stardom.

Selena Gomez is a hugely popular performer and regularly has hits climbing the charts. True millennials respond to her just like she's any other pop star, and don't have a wider investment in her success. For 90s kids, though, she's incredibly problematic, because she started out on the Barney and Friends television series, which they watched as very young children. It's distinctly weird for 90s kids to see anyone from Barney as an international heartthrob. True or False: Selena Gomez' stardom is just normal pop stardom.

Question 31

True or False: Sheeran fans really are kind of embarrassing.

Ed Sheeran is wildly popular; he's the latest in a long line of teenage heartthrobs. A lot of 90s kids and true millennials alike begrudgingly admit that he's a really talented artist. The problem is that his fans remind 90s kids of what they were like as young teens, which is the reason Sheeran makes them uncomfortable. True millennials are close enough to being teens themselves that they aren't as uncomfortable. True or False: Sheeran fans really are kind of embarrassing.

Question 32

True or False: Drake has overcome his early image and now sits firmly in his place as a music legend.

Drake has achieved real stardom as a chart-topping rapper. However, 90s kids remember him as a cast member on Degrassi; The Next Generation, which makes him seem oddly inauthentic as a rapper. Try as they might, for 90s kids, accepting Drake as the star he is presents some difficulties. Being from Canada, he might seem like a transplant anyway, but this conflict doesn't really exist for true millennials. True or False: Drake has overcome his early image and now sits firmly in his place as a music legend.

Question 33

True or False: Beyoncé is the most important woman pop star on the planet.

The pop goddess now known as Beyoncé started as part of a group called Destiny's Child. Her fan base is deeply devoted to her, and spans multiple generations; the release of Lemonade cemented her place as a worldwide icon. Her fans come from the entire spectrum of the millennial generation (plus more outside that range). Those who have been with her longer, however, since the Destiny's Child days, have a deeper investment in her career. True or False: Beyoncé is the most important woman pop star on the planet.

Question 34

True or False: Streaming is still basically anarchic.

Streaming music online used to be heretical, and got 90s kids in trouble more than once. Remember getting cease and desist notices from the phone company? Spotify took what had been an illegal activity (which most 90s kids engaged in anyway) and made it legal. It's now a completely normal way of sharing playlists, and convenient, too. The music industry cried that streaming would crush careers and the whole industry, but that doesn't seem to have happened. True or False: Streaming is still basically anarchic.

Question 35

True or False: Pandora is a good way to find new music.

Pandora is another streaming service, but with a different twist—it introduces songs that have points in common with other songs that the listener likes. It works best if the listener gives songs a thumbs-up or thumbs-down. It's convenient for finding a good mix of music even when the listener doesn't have anything specific in mind. There was actually a sketch on SNL about how it worked. True or False: Pandora is a good way to find new music.

Question 36

True or False: Podcasts are an accessible way to express ideas and haven't yet hit saturation.

Podcasts started as an underground thing, but they're now incredibly mainstream. Major media outlets make them these days, but there are still small startup ones with devoted followings. They have so far managed to avoid the fate of blogs, but the older ones like "Welcome to Night Vale" have the most traction. Podcasts, for the time being, are still possible to do on a small scale and make an outsize impact. True or False: Podcasts are an accessible way to express ideas and haven't yet hit saturation.

Question 37

True or False: Sewing is a skill that's enjoying a rebirth.

Handcrafts enjoyed a resurgence in the 90s, so 90s kids grew up learning how to make things using a whole bunch of techniques their moms and grandmas knew. Making soap, jewelry, and especially duct tape wallets (or anything else) were all popular. Sewing decorative patches onto one's clothes was popular, too, and arguably more widespread because it's easier—if one can't actually sew, it's possible to safety-pin the patch on and it still works. True or False: Sewing is a skill that's enjoying a rebirth.

Question 38

True or False: Brand-new jeans that come already ripped look pretentious.

Ah, fashion. Ripped jeans were in, and then out again, and now they seem to be in. Thank goodness acid-washed jeans aren't making a comeback. The degree to which the artfully placed rips on jeans look cool or just plain silly depends. Was that something from childhood, and therefore sort of silly looking now, or is it kind of a rockstar look that doesn't look silly now at all? (Or are those jeans just really old and legitimately ripped from wear?) True or False: Brand-new jeans that come already ripped look pretentious.

Question 39

True or False: Wearing makeup is now more than just a goth thing and is more normal for all genders.

Instagram has made professional makeup techniques accessible to everyone. Innovative looks can spread like wildfire, and there's a joy to the creation of something artistic and creative (and fast) that one can wear around town. "Look of the day" posts act as an equalizer and make all kinds of beauty valuable, and that includes gender-nonconforming people as much as cis-gendered folks. True or False: Wearing makeup is now more than just a goth thing and is more normal for all genders.

Question 40

True or False: Nail art is a fun, small act of rebellion that surprises other people and challenges their assumptions.

Technical innovation in nail polish has produced colors that would have been impossible while 90s kids were growing up—people can get iridescent colors with holographic chips, or colors that shift through a whole rainbow. Decorative decals on nails are another innovation that became absolutely commonplace, with offerings that range from Jamberry home businesses to professional nail salons that offer fun graphics. True or False: Nail art is a fun, small act of rebellion that surprises other people and challenges their assumptions.

Question 41

True or False: Bebe Rexha is still pretty unknown.

Pop moves really fast. Ironically, establishing a career takes years. This is partly because all the stars of the previous years are still around producing new music—just look at the Rolling Stones, or even Tony Bennett continuing to be a thing. One of the established ways to make it big is to partner with an already-established artist and get them onto the new artists' release; then the new artist can piggyback on the other's success. True or False: Bebe Rexha is still pretty unknown.

Question 42

True or False: YouTube is an established pathway to stardom.

Dua Lipa started her career as a young teen by posting covers of hit songs on YouTube. It seemed like a silly thing to do at the time, maybe, but she's become a legitimate pop star now, with a record deal and even an appearance on SNL. The whole phenomenon of YouTube stardom is baffling to 90s kids, oddly enough, but to true millennials, it's just part of the norm of how the digital world works. True or False: YouTube is an established pathway to stardom.

Question 43

True or False: Sadly, the ugly sweater mines have been depleted and the trend has died.

The kids of the 90s invented the trend of reverse-chic, where people basically dressed up like profoundly unfashionable grandpas. So, the tragically unhip became the ultra-hip—which can be hard to keep track of. One of the trends that really took off was wearing elaborately ugly holiday sweaters, preferably with all kinds of stuff sewn onto them. These things were mostly found at thrift stores, for only a few bucks. True or False: Sadly, the ugly sweater mines have been depleted and the trend has died.

Question 44

True or False: Hipsters have ruined plaid.

Oh, those hipsters and their plaid. This subset of 90s kids popularized and commercialized what had previously been actual handcrafts and genuinely rare things, like vintage glassware. Craft breweries proliferated, to the point where there seems to be one in any random square mile, and the brews will almost always be served up by plaid-clad servers, possibly sporting muttonchops. It's a shame, because plaids are kind of fun. True or False: Hipsters have ruined plaid.

Question 45

True or False: RuPaul is a culture warrior.

Drag has become more mainstream, and it's mainly because of RuPaul and the wildly successful show, Ru Paul's Drag Race. It's now possible to find "drag queen story hours" in some public libraries, which make a start at letting small children see the range of humans in the world. Becoming mainstream has in this case been a boon, though, rather than ruining something. Normalization means that it's starting to be more, well, normal. True or False: RuPaul is a culture warrior.

Question 46

True or False: Usher is an established giant

Usher is another international superstar that started as a child actor. The way he's perceived by anyone depends on whether or not the person grew up with the child star version from Moesha, or the already-established pop giant. Usher's constant innovation has kept his career fresh, as have appearances on Broadway and on tv shows like The Voice. True or False: Usher is an established giant.

Question 47

True or False: Snoop Dogg is still unbelievably gansta and still a hero, even more so now.

Snoop Dogg created controversy as easily as breathing for a few years, there, and in the process became an underdog hero. He was the definition of gangster rap, and was routinely vilified for it, but never backed down. He has a popular series of online videos where he narrates nature videos of wild animals, and also does cooking shows occasionally with Martha Stewart. True or False: Snoop Dogg is still unbelievably gansta and still a hero, even more so now.

Question 48

True or False: Justin Timberlake's recent Superbowl halftime appearance started a downward slide for him.

Justin Timberlake is one of the only people to successfully make the transition from child stardom to adult stardom without making people hate him in the process. The secret probably lies somewhere in his ability to poke fun at himself, as we see in his multiple appearances on SNL. He's another star that had breakout success while 90s kids were growing through their teens. True or False: Justin Timberlake's recent Superbowl halftime appearance started a downward slide for him.

Question 49

True or False: The violence in some of Rihanna's songs made some fans feel betrayed.

Rihanna is another pop superstar that straddles the whole millennial generation, with fans from the 90s group and fans from the true millennial end of the era. Her solo work and her collaborations with other artists have helped her achieve a level of success rarely seen in music, ever. One song, with controversial white rapper Eminem, "Love the Way You Lie," was both an international hit and drove some of her fans away. True or False: The violence in some of Rihanna's songs made some fans feel betrayed.

Question 50

True or False: When Kesha's newest release comes out, it will be a major event.

Kesha's career has spanned years that would normally make her an icon for both sections of the millennial generation, but only 90s kids have really had a chance to see her at her peak so far. The artist has produced only one new release in the last five years, because of ongoing legal problems. Perhaps predictably, some fans are eagerly rooting for her return, and some fans are less enthusiastic. True or False: When Kesha's newest release comes out, it will be a major event.

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