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Gen Z Wants to be an “Optimistic Millennial” on The Viral List

The “In Your 20s” life-advice trend, the confusing-but-captivating boy band Boy Throb, and Millennial optimism are going viral…

Written and Edited by the YPulse Editorial Team

Dec 5 2025
North America, Western Europe

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Gen Z is romanticizing “Millennial era optimism”—the more hopeful lives Millennials seemed to have in the early 2010s
Young creators are sharing advice about things to do (or avoid) in their 20s, from big risks to niche decisions
Gen Z is loving viral boy band Boy Throb—except no one can tell if they’re sincere or a stunt

Gen Z are yearning for their “Millennial Optimism Era” Gen Z is romanticizing the 2000s (again). This time, set to the indie-folk heartbreak hit “Blood” by The Middle East, Gen Z creators on TikTok are showing the archive pics that make them wish for the years where Millennial-core ran wild. Despite Millennials notoriously being dubbed cringe online, Gen Z is now after the days where chevron prints, statement necklaces, and unironic Pinterest motivation ruled early social media. But they aren’t just looking to bring back the aesthetic—really, they wish they had the same “delusional optimism” mindset Millennials had in their...