As strange as it seems, many generations find a connection to years before their time. Gen Z was born between 1997 and 2012, yet the generation leans heavily on nostalgia for an era they’re not old enough to remember. Due to this, Gen Z revived multiple genres that millennials had forgotten decades ago.
shoegaze
We’ve seen a significant resurgence of shoegaze in the last five years. One of the leaders of the returning genre is Wisp. The singer-songwriter is a pioneer of zoomergaze, a newly created subgenre of shoegaze characterized by a Gen Z artist’s interpretation. Zoomergaze artists lean heavily on 90s shoegaze, incorporating similar distortion effects and ethereal vocals. Shoegaze has recently become increasingly popular on TikTok.
Nu Metal
Another genre that is making a surprising comeback is nu-metal. Additionally, nu-gaze has returned, blending elements of shoegaze with 2000s nu-metal. Nu-metal giants such as Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, and System Of A Down have all made comebacks in recent years. Artists such as Poppy and Grimes have incorporated elements of nu-metal into pop hits, which has played well with Gen Z. Since then, Gen Z has fueled a massive resurgence of 2000s nu-metal on TikTok. Expect to see a complete return of nu-metal in the coming years as Gen Z takes over the airwaves.
indie sleaze rock
Bands such as Geese, The Last Dinner Party, and Wet Leg are reminiscent of the indie sleaze rock movement between 2006 and 2014. Many Gen Z musicians grew up during these years, and the genre is making a huge comeback. Geese is leading this comeback, as definitive elements of indie sleaze rock are all over their critically acclaimed 2025 release, Getting Killed.
easycore
Admittedly, we haven’t forgotten about pop-punk or easycore, as you can’t watch a single 2000s movie without one of these songs used for a cliché transition. Mostly, we didn’t expect pop-punk to see a revival through a new generation. It feels like the millennials own pop-punk and the subgenre, easycore, but Gen Z is making a case otherwise. The younger generation are either young siblings of a millennial or even their children. Therefore, they grew up on easycore bands of the 2000s, making them just as nostalgic as we are.
Pop-punk bands of the last decade, such as Hot Mulligan, are Gen Z favorites. Aside from that, we’ve seen multiple young Gen Z easycore bands emerge in the last decade. Bands such as Meet Me @ The Alter, Magnolia Park, and Ben Quad are leading a new generation of pop-punk and easycore.
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