zillennials

Ok so what is a zillennial? And how do I know if I am one?

Finally a word to sum up the lost generation I belong to


Ever feel like you’re trapped between millennials and Gen Z? You don’t care about rising house prices or buying all your clothes on Depop? But you do like avocado toast and TikTok? Then you’re probably a zillennial.

The zillennials are a specific group of people born in the mid to late 90s who are essentially an in-between generation who has no clue where they fit in. The middle child of an overbearing older millennial generation and far too cool younger Gen Z.

Zillennials can both relate and feel alienated from the generations either side of them. We watched the same TV shows growing up but we’re worlds apart when it comes to internet trends.

This is everything you need to know about zillennials:

What actually is a zillennial?

According to Urban Dictionary a zillennial is a micro generation of people born “three years before the end of millennials and/or three years after the start of generation z”.

So essentially anyone born between 1992 and 1998. They can sometimes feel “lost” because “they can’t completely identify as being part of a single generation.”

What makes zillennials different to millennials and gen-z?

Millennials and Gen Z have very specific references, cultural moments and behaviours that sums up their generation.

The millennial generation know what it’s like to go to university and pay less than ÂŁ9k. They love avocados and use phrases like “adulting”, “I did a thing”  and “doggo” unironically. They wear their hair in side partings and don’t hate skinny jeans.

Whereas Gen Z actually know how to use TikTok and communicate solely through Snapchat. They wear flared trousers, only shop on Depop and use the word “simp”. They’re activists who have basically been protesting since the day they were born.

But for zillennials they don’t have a specific culture because being born on the boundary of both means you relate to the different generations but you’re not entrenched within one of them enough to say you’re part of it.

A zillennial for example will love avocado toast but gags at using the word “doggo”. They know how to use TikTok but the idea of going on Snapchat to talk to their mates is bizarre, they don’t even have the app.

How do I know if I’m a zillennial?

Apart from it being the year you were born there are key things that give away your zillennial status.

Growing up as a zillennial meant chatting on MSN to your friends, making a Bebo profile and sharing cringe collages on Facebook. You would watch the mid range Disney Channel and Nickelodeon shows – Hannah Montana, Wizards of Waverly Place and iCarly. Oh and of course Tracy Beaker.

The Wii became a thing just as we were reaching 10 years old, which meant birthday parties for the next few years heavily featured Just Dance.

You definitely had an iPod Touch, but equally do know how to use a Walkman. By the time you reached secondary school Jane Norman and Tammy Girl weren’t really the vibe. You would shop at American Apparel, Topshop and New Look. We would plait our hair into fishtail plaits to post on Instagram with a Valencia filter.

As a zillennial the majority of our teenage years were spent on the Internet, which is probably the true difference between us and millennials. We went on Tumblr, WeHeartIt and basically made Zoella into the woman she is today. Sixth form can essentially be summed up as Snapchat Stories and YikYak.

Now the zillennial shops at Glossier, ASOS and makes the occasional Depop purchase. We’ve deleted Snapchat and downloaded TikTok. We know how to make videos but feel practically ancient watching Addison Rae do yet another dance TikTok.

Being a zillennial in your early 20s means you have friends who are still travelling the world whereas others have put deposits down for a flat. Which also makes things super complicated when dating because you end up on a date with someone still living at their parents house or someone on ÂŁ40k.

The over riding feeling of being a zillennial is that of uncertainty, confusion but at least knowing you are a little bit cooler than millennials.

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•These are the signs you’re experiencing millennial burnout