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Young people of all ages find comfort in music, fashion and media movements that feel like they were made just for them.

For as long as there have been subcultures in history, there have also been people who like to immortalise earlier ones as ‘vintage’. Bear in mind, a lot of styles overlap and trends rapidly change, but here are some that have been reimagined thanks to TikTok - are any of them yours?

The small-town return: Grunge

If your off-duty looks consist of bedhead and yesterday’s T-Shirt, you would have fit right in with the grunge movement.

Grunge is an alternative rock genre which emerged in the mid-1980s, often attributed to Seattle, USA, and surrounding towns. A defining sound of Generation X, the music explored themes of social alienation, isolation and a desire for freedom - and young people today have found solace in the genre since the start of the pandemic. Grunge fashion screams “Whatever, man” with slogan Tees, ripped jeans and plenty of plaid, all second-hand.

With the shift away from fast fashion and increasing popularity of ‘thrifted’ trends, the core of grunge is mostly staying authentic. That’s not to say it isn’t popular - the grunge fashion hashtag has over 101 million views on TikTok.

Back in full colour: Y2K

While millennials and zillennials might feel that noughties fashion isn’t old enough to be vintage, the pre-social media nostalgia of the ’90s and ’00s came back in a sweeping fashion trend known as Y2K, a numeronym for the year 2000. Films like Mean Girls and Bratz are a time capsule of millennial trends: rhinestone jeans, phone charms, butterfly clips, armbands and funky electronics are everywhere.

So you might well consider it a subculture, as it was all about kids and teens - no parents allowed! The ����tv started the idea of ‘children’s programming’ with Children’s Hour in 1946, and in the ’90s children's channels like Disney, Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon largely shaped Y2K culture. Cartoons, books and music were all about kid-focused marketing and giving young people a distinct space from grown-ups.

Possibly more polished than original Y2K kids, Y2K trends today feature shiny materials, pleated skirts and pastel accessories (think life-size Polly Pocket). Why has it struck a chord with TikTokers in particular? Probably because it’s fun!

Making waves: Counterculture of the ’60s and ’70s

The '60s and '70s gave rise to many western subcultures including beatniks, hippies, mods and rockers (absolutely not to be confused with one another). Much like grunge, the movements not only differentiated themselves, but directly opposed the social and political patterns of the larger culture they belonged to. These countercultures were born out of anti-war protests, civil rights struggles and youth upset during some really turbulent times. Feminist and LGBT+ movements were also making strides, with messages of acceptance, equality and radical social change at the heart.

Flared jeans, fur and curtain fringes are back, as well as witchy shawls and skirts, in a mix of ’70s record store chic and ’60s festival hippie. The trends have introduced a new generation of young people to music moguls of the time, such as Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac, and the flowing fashion and revolutionary spirit along with them.

The e-movement: Emo, Scene and Mall Goth

Anyone who grew up in the ’80s to late 2000s would probably get annoyed at these subcultures being lumped together, but the e-kids of TikTok are the lovechildren of all three. Let’s go back to the start: emo - short for “emotive-hardcore” - is another post-punk subgenre from the mid-1980s, characterised by emotional and confessional lyrics. By the 2000s, black eyeliner, skinny jeans and black hair with a sweeping fringe became synonymous with emo.

Scene evolved from emo, heavily influenced by Japanese styles such as kawaii and Harajuku street fashion, with more neon colours and patterns. ‘Mall goth’ is another subculture of the ’90s, originally a nickname criticising those who dabbled in the goth scene, associated with nu-goth and industrial music.

In the late 2010s, the e-kids (the name originally derived from e-girl, meaning ‘electronic girl’) emerged 100% online, combining many of the trends that started with emos, scenekids and goths. The aesthetic has since been popularised by TikTok, and many musicians on the e-kid scene found fame on the platform. E-kids can be identified by stripy jumpers and centre-parted hairstyles, but are more likely to have a cleaner makeup style with distinctive undereye stamps (such as hearts) instead of panda-eyes. 17th-Century France called - they want their mouches back!

Those who were a part of the original subcultures might feel protective over something that was different when they were growing up, and worry that reducing it to a TikTok trend devalues their significance. But think of it this way: each time a subculture cycles back, a new generation gets to celebrate all that was wonderful and important about it.

This article was published in March 2023