Gen Alpha Wants These Items From Millennial Culture

Remember the joy of flipping your phone shut after a call? Or the rush of collecting Pokémon cards at school? If you're a millennial, those were the memories of your youth. Fast forward to 2024, and all of those formerly iconic trends are back again. This time around, it's Gen Alpha who are spearheading them. From Y2K fashion to retro tech, everything millennials loved is back. Generation Alpha is exploring it all and bringing it back, thanks to influencers on TikTok and Instagram.

But why now? It's more than nostalgia. Social media is driving this revival in ways they couldn't before. TikTok is the perfect breeding ground. Viral challenges and influencer content can turn old-school items into must-have pieces overnight. One video of a flip phone or Y2K outfit quickly finds its way into the eyeballs of millions of viewers. Instagram does its part, too. Influencers and brands rehash retro styles, adding a twist to old trends. Micro-trends spread like wildfire. Even niche products go viral, and brands are cashing in on this trend with limited-edition collections. They capture the attention of Millennials and Generation Alpha.

Let's now have a detailed insight into those iconic trends that made a big comeback in 2024.

Written by Maria ParkerFacts checked by Mason Jones

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Table of Contents

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Low-Rise Denim Jeans
Flip Phones
Y2K Aesthetic
Disposable Cameras
Pokémon
Wired Headphones
But why are these patterns repeating?
The Power of Nostalgia in Millennials
Sources

Low-Rise Denim Jeans

Now if you were living it up in the early 2000s, then of course you remember low-rise jeans. They were all over the place, on celebrities, in music videos, on every rack at your favorite store. Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Paris Hilton made them famous. They wore midriff-baring tops and bedazzled belts. Showing off your hips was where it was at.

Britney Spears wearing low-rise jeans in 2004, alongside TikTok user griselosangeles showing low rise jeans.in 2024.

Low-rise jeans are back. They've caught Gen Alpha's attention. TikTok influencers are rocking them in Outfit of the Day posts. While the originals were all about tight-fitting cuts, today's version often features a looser fit. It pairs this with oversized jackets to put a new twist on the trend.

Google Trends data since 2004 for "low rise jeans"

Google Trends data above shows that there has been an increase of around 900% in searches for "low rise jeans" at its peak in August 2024, from its low between 2006 and 2018

Flip Phones

Before smartphones took over our world, the coolest accessory was a flip phone. Owning a Motorola Razr was pretty much something, and it felt quite badass when you closed it with one hand. Fast-forward many years later, and guess who's back? Flip phones, but this time with a modern upgrade. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip blends nostalgia for flip phones with high-end tech. It serves Gen Alpha and Gen Z, who find a perfect link to the past in foldable smartphones.

A selection of top tiktok videos involving flip phones

On TikTok, you'll notice a throwback to flip phones. Check out the #FlipPhoneChallenge, which was a popular trend in 2022, where users showed off their chic devices and documenting their "digital detox" journeys. Google search data shows a growing interest in "flip phones", also peaking in 2021 and 2022 but still remaining strong in 2024 at over 500% of the searches from 2008.

Google Trends search volume for "flip phone"

Y2K Aesthetic

The early 2000s were all about bold, shiny, and fun clothing. You couldn't escape the Y2K aesthetic that came along with its metallic fabrics, butterfly clips, and tiny sunglasses. The early 2000s meant neon colors, holographic makeup, and more denim than one knew what to do with—now all of this defines the era. While it was fading out in the late 2000s, here it is again in full force in 2024. Gen Alpha and Gen Z influencers are going nuts over it. They're remixing it with streetwear and modern accessories.

Tiktok user wish4tyn14 showing some of the differences between an original Y2K outfit and the new take on it.

And it's denim leading the charge. Searches for 'denim' have surged in the past year. Denim shorts, double-denim outfits, and low-rise jeans are back in style. For boys, too, the trend in double-denim looks is going big on TikTok under hashtags like #DoubleDenim.

Search interest for "double denim" has doubled from 5 years ago, according to Google Trends (above)

Another Y2K staple, cargo pants, has made an amazing comeback this year, with back-to-school season seeing awesome demand. And who can forget about the Converse? A sneaker staple for Millennials, they are now in trend globally after hitting $2.4 billion in revenue in 2023, and still remaining over $2 billion in 2024, up from $983 million in 2014.

Search interest for "cargo pants" since 2004. Interest peaked in November 2023, and may be set to rise again with Fall approaching.

Disposable Cameras

Before Instagram filters, there were disposable cameras. You'd snap a few shots and then wait to see if they developed into something decent. In 2024, there has been a huge revival of this photographic tool of yesteryear. Gen Alpha and Gen Z influencers are using disposable cameras. This will add a raw, unfiltered vibe to their feeds. It will be a refreshing contrast to the over-polished, edited images we are used to.

One-time-use cameras are cluttering Instagram's photo dumps. The hashtag #DisposableCamera is trending, there is also a popular trend of giving disposable cameras to strangers and getting them to take photos. With the global disposable camera market estimated at around $836 million in 2022, based on current growth trends, it is expected to continue growing and reach $1.2 billion by 2030. Companies like Fujifilm at one point were switching focus to their healthcare imaging line, this has now changed with the renewed popularity of film-based and disposable cameras. It seems Gen Alpha and Gen Z love the old retro ways to capture moments.

Searches for "disposable camera" on Google Trends since 2004 show interest increased by more than 300% from 2016 to 2022.

Pokémon

For millennials, Pokémon was an obsession in childhood. Many fell in love with Pokémon. They collected cards, played the video games, and watched the animated series. Although the craze has never really gone away, it's back. Nostalgia and Gen Alpha's new love for the franchise have fueled it. Whether it's through trying to catch 'em all with Pokémon GO or trading cards, Gen Alpha takes to the franchise in a way most familiar and new.

A selection of the top TikTok videos when searching for Pokemon cards, many of the videos have millions of views.

Card unboxing videos are huge on TikTok; some rare cards have been resold for thousands. According to data collected by Statista, the number of Pokemon cards produced worldwide has increased from 2.1 million in 2018, to 11.9 million in 2024, helped largely by TikTok and other social media trends. Videos with the hastag #PokemonCards have millions of views. Influencers share their card collections and battle online. As millennials look on from the sidelines, a sense of déjà vu pervades.

Searches for "pokemon cards" on Google Trends since 2004. Interest spiked in 2021 at over 400% levels in 2010. It has dropped to about half of the peak since, but remains strong.

Wired Headphones

Before wireless earbuds, it was those legendary wired headphones. Their wires would tangle in your pocket. It was the ultimate rite of passage. Every millennial alive has surely been there. These wired wonders are making a comeback as a statement accessory. Some of the Gen Alpha influencers have been spicing up their outfits with corded headphones to give a retro angle in their modern style.

TikTok user yourguyjhi sporting wired headphones

TikTok videos of styles featuring corded headphones are going viral. Watching this trend be in motion yet again, for Millennials, feels like a throwback to a simpler time—that is, before Bluetooth was a thing. It was estimated that the market size for wired headphones was around $26 billion in 2022, and is estimated to grow to around 112 billion by 2029, based on current growth trends. With Gen Alpha and Gen Z leading the way in bringing back the trend.

Google Trends search interest for "wired headphones". Notice the gradual increase in search interest since 2016, with a spike currently happening and also in 2022.

This return isn't a coincidence. It is due to the app TikTok. Influencers there have great power over what is cool and what is not. One viral video can pull a forgotten trend out of the back of the closet and into the limelight again. But it's not just about following what's in; there's a deep sense of nostalgia at play. These trends appeal to Millennials as they remind them of their youth. Gen Alpha is discovering them for the first time and giving them a modern twist. And brands are playing a big part in this. Companies like Converse, Samsung, and even Fujifilm have not been left behind. They have latched onto a wave of nostalgia, using influencers to hawk their retro products. But it's a win-win: Millennials get to relive what's past while Gen Alpha gets to see these trends for the first time.

The Power of Nostalgia in Millennials

It's almost like watching these trends make a return to their screens, thereby seeing a bit of their childhood resuscitated to life. It's fun, familiar, and a little surprising to see Gen Alpha embrace the things that actually define Millennial culture. Brands have found a sweet spot in riding this wave. They are relaunching and releasing new products and campaigns that cater to millennials' 90s and 2000s memories. For instance, Converse has cashed in hard on its nostalgia value, hitting both millennials and Gen Alpha. The result? The brand hit a new all-time high of $2.4 billion in 2023 sales. And just like that, the power of nostalgia is marketing. Whether it's fashion, tech, or pop culture, these trends have shown that what's old can become new again. In 2024, these retro favorites will be bigger than ever.