15 Epic ’90s and 2000s Trends New Jerseyites Will Never Stop Loving

Regardless of the generation, many New Jersey residents look back on the past when they were young as some of the best years of their lives.

From CDs and rental DVDs to the all-too-familiar noise of dial-up internet, there’s a lot to be nostalgic about from the 1990s and 2000s.

We gathered the ’90s and ’00s things we think millennials (and Gen Z) miss the most.

1: Playtime Is Over 

Many formerly beloved toys from the ’90s and 2000s are now discontinued.

Case in point? You’ll be hard-pressed to find toys like Transformers and Tamagotchi on store shelves.

2: No Fake News 

Politics has always been a dicey topic, but many would agree it was much less toxic in the ’90s.

Back in the day, people could disagree and have their own opinions with less of a chance of the opposing person thinking they were a bad person.

3: Life of the Party 

Get-togethers were often more connected affairs in the ’90s and 2000s than they are now. The reason? Social media wasn’t around or as big.

Since people didn’t keep up on a daily (or hourly or minute) basis with each other’s lives, it was often more of a novelty to meet up with friends and relatives back then.

4: Don’t Call 

Being reachable by phone 24/7 isn’t all it’s made out to be.

In the ’90s and the 2000s, it was harder for bosses to track down their employees for after-hours work, and the feeling of not always being able to be contacted was a freeing feeling that younger generations have a hard time fathoming.

5: Shop ‘Til You Drop 

Remember when shopping malls were the ultimate place to be?

Despite the conveniences of online shopping, it’s natural for many people who lived through the ’90s and 2000s to miss indoor shopping malls, complete with stores like Sears and EB Games.

6: Pain and Age Gain 

Most of the items on this list are subjective, but this one is most definitely not: Anyone who lived through the ’90s and 2000s is older now than they were then.

Naturally, some people miss their younger bodies, which were perhaps equipped with better health.

7: Affordable Living 

It’s no secret that everything has gotten more expensive in recent years, let alone since the ’90s. Back then, it was easier for people to afford to live a comfortable life.

By the time the 2000s came around, middle-class families were already losing ground on living an affordable life, according to the Economic Policy Institute.

8: Boxed In

While smartphones have improved in cameras and operating systems, you can’t slam your phone shut after a call anymore.

It would have been laughable in the ’90s and 2000s to buy phone protectors to prevent a broken phone in the event of a small fall.

9: I’ll Be There For You 

Spoilers were much harder to come by on television in the 1990s and early 2000s.

There was something about knowing that millions of Americans were watching the same show for the first time at the same time that made it extra special.

10: Enjoy the Show 

Gone are the days when people held up their lighters at concerts. While that’s probably in everyone’s best interest health-wise, nowadays, people use their phones in the same scenario.

But it goes beyond that. It can be difficult to enjoy a concert when there’s a sea of smartphones in front of you recording it.

11: Bye Bye Blockbuster 

Endless scrolling through countless options on Netflix has some people missing the age of video stores. There was something so satisfying about browsing through Blockbuster to pick out a Friday night movie or two.

And with fewer movie choices, picking out movies was easier too.

12: Game On

Arcade video games used to have much more substance in the 90s than they do now (when you can even find them).

Claw machines and bad ticket games abound compared to the past.

13: I’m Lovin’ It

If you lived through the ’90s, you likely remember the McPizza, which was developed in the ’80s and ran until almost the 2000s. Originally, McDonald’s served an entire pizza pie directly to one’s table.

They then shrunk their McPizzas to personal sizes before doing away with them altogether.

14: Old School Sports

Sports don’t always feel as fun as they used to in the ’90s and 2000s.

Even soccer had more flair to it than it does now, though many Americans may not mind it.

15: No Scrubs