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Xennials: The Bridge Between Generations
- Retro Sonya
- Jun 22
- 18 min read
Updated: Oct 22
Before I start this rant, I want to clarify something. This does not apply to all Gen Xers who are content creators or run 80s nostalgia pages and websites. Many of my fellow Gen X content creators are some of my favorite people to interact with and hang out with. However, there are some bad apples we've gotta deal with in these groups. It goes like this:
Gen X Gatekeepers vs. Xennials
In this post, I am addressing those who flaunt a superiority complex while promoting generational conflicts. It's perplexing how they think that will accomplish anything meaningful by doing this. Let me break it down for you.
My mother and her younger sisters were all Gen X. They passed their toys, hairstyles, music, and fashion down to me. They weren't gatekeeping anything. I was the only child they did that for. Maybe it was because I was born in the early 80s, and they wanted me to share in what they loved at that time.
So, why are these Analog Gatekeepers trying to invent the idea that the 80s were strictly their domain? Not all of them are jerks to younger generations—or older ones—but let's unpack some misunderstandings and reasons why they push back so hard against us Xennial hybrids! Especially when we claim any slice of the 1980s decade!
The Xennial Experience:
I was born in 1983, and honestly? That year feels like a perfect glitch in time—right between Gen X and Millennials. We grew up on VHS tapes and cassette mixtapes, memorized Nintendo cheat codes, and thrived on Saturday morning cartoons. The soundtrack of our childhood? 80s synth, neon vibes, and the kind of optimism you only see in old movies and retro games.
And yet, here we are—often misunderstood. It goes like this:
Man buns, cancel culture, and “woke” wars? That wasn’t us! That’s not what my generation created. But somehow we get painted with that brush because we’re not “officially” Gen X—kicked out of it by the gatekeepers.
Let me be clear: we don’t need to fit into those stereotypes. We don’t need to fight over who owns the 80s or who had it worse!
Embracing Our Hybrid Identity:
Sure, I might relate to some Millennials—after all, we all survived dial-up internet. But I also relate to Gen X, especially because I was there in the early '80s and '90s. I recorded on a VCR and went to roller rinks under spinning disco balls.
That’s the beauty of being a Xennial. We comfortably exist in between, cruising a neon-soaked highway where everyone’s playlist can mix Duran Duran and Ace of Base without missing a beat.
At the end of the day, gatekeeping the 80s is as silly as rewinding a tape with a pencil and pretending that makes you superior.
No generation is better. And no amount of neon glow will change that. So, why can't we all just hit play, enjoy the tunes, and appreciate the culture that shaped us all?
🌓 It’s Not Always “This or That” — Life Is a Spectrum: 🌈✨
People love their tidy labels. ((“You’re either Gen X or you’re Millennial,”)) they say—like life is a light switch that can only flip this way or that way.
But the world isn’t just a black and white experience.
The world doesn’t fit into neat categories everyone agrees on. Some of us live in the glowing gradient in between—filled with nuances that make us who we are.
People will often shrug off memes that become popular. Here’s my response to the negative stereotypes slapped on us:
"I'm too old to blame Boomers, but too young to be called Gen X. Raised on VHS and shaped by dial-up internet. Not blaming capitalism or eating Tide pods—just vibing with Gen X while saying, 'Talk to the hand! While not fitting in with the Millennial stereotype since 1983."
And then they ask,
((“Who said anything about blaming another generation?”))
Well... memes imply it. While Gen X pushes back against those of us who don't fit into their stereotypes, they tell us,
((“No gray areas allowed!”))
Sorry, but we Xennials don’t live by your rules. We don’t need your stereotypes.
Not fitting in completely with either generation is what sets us apart. If the shoe doesn't fit, why wear it? That’s exactly what it means to be a Xennial. We are the in-betweeners and the rebels who don’t fit into anyone’s tired boxes.
You can buy the T-shirt here:
That's the complexity of being a Xennial: We appreciate both analog and digital, cartoons and YouTube, mixtapes and streaming playlists—all at once.
Our experiences can’t be reduced to someone else’s labels. We’re as complex as a synthwave sunset, shifting from one hue to the next, refusing to fit into anyone’s tired old binary.
So, what does it really mean to be a Xennial?
It means recognizing the uniqueness of our time and identity, embracing the nostalgia of the 80s while also hailing the technological advancements of the 90s and beyond. Every moment spent in the colorful glow of neon lights and the echoing soundtrack of our youth shaped us profoundly.
😩 Xennials Are Exhausted! (Like a Cassette Tape Played Too Many Times)
Can we take a moment for us Xennials? You know, the bridge between Gen X and Millennials? We’re that forgotten little mini-generation. We had analog childhoods and digital adulthoods. We remember landlines and LimeWire. We watched E.T. in the '80s and coded on MySpace in the 2000s. We are the mixtape generation that got smushed between Gen X grunge and Millennial TikTok thirst traps.
And somehow... just somehow... every time someone in their early 30s throws a tantrum, we get lumped in like:
“Well you’re a Millennial too!”
NO. WE. ARE. NOT. We are Xennials—a glorious 3.5-inch floppy disk of trauma, humor, and rugged resilience. We never had safe spaces—we had detention, dodgeball, and dial-up.
Xennials are like a VHS/DVD combo player. We’ve got the analog scars and digital downloads to prove it. And spoiler: we survived without emotional fidget toys.
We had Scripture.
When I was 7, my grandma told me: “Your only shelter is in Jesus. Now go play in traffic, dinner’s at 6.” And they think I need a trigger warning?
Back in my day, we had unsafe jungle gyms, metal slides that burned our thighs, and teachers who called us “soft” if we cried. And yet… somehow we made it, because:
“The Lord is my refuge and my fortress.” — Psalm 91:2
Not “Karen in HR.”
I found out what a safe space was right around the same time I found out my back has a warranty expiration date. But I've known about safety in Jesus since I could sing "Jesus Loves Me" in off-key Sunday School harmony.
You get the point.
🧓 “You’re a child just like her…”
Ok, Todd! 🙄
Now, to all my Gen Xers who are reading this, who lump us with the safe-spaces crowd, this section is for you.
True story: I was 16 years old, rocking flared jeans and deep in my DC Talk phase, when some Gen X guy in his 20s (you know the type—frosted tips, smelled like Axe, thought they were deep because they owned a lava lamp) pointed at a 5-year-old clutching a juice box and said:
“You’re a child just like her.”
👁️👄👁️
Um… sir? I am two SAT tests away from being your coworker. She just learned to read. I just learned to drive. We are NOT peers. I have acne. She has nap time.
The only thing she and I have in common is that neither of us thinks you’re cool.
It’s wild how the math just stops mathing when people want to defend their imaginary generational borders. 😆
They’ll throw you and your 12-years-younger cousin Ashley into the same Millennial box like:
((“Yep, same generation. Deal with it.”))
But then turn around like:
((“1980 and 1981? WHOA. Different species. One’s Gen X, the other’s basically a TikTok influencer.”))
Make it make sense, Todd. 🙄
The truth? Gray areas exist. Generations aren't exact science — they're vibes, culture, context. You can’t box people in like action figures from different toy lines. Some of us were born in the analog age and raised through the digital shift. We had landlines and AOL. Cassettes and Napster. That’s Xennial energy.
So, don’t come at us with hard lines when your generational math adds up like a Speak & Spell with dead batteries. 💁♀️🔋
In the 90s, teenagers had a different experience than younger children, particularly when it came to technology and social interactions. Teenagers navigated the tail end of a pre-internet world, experiencing a mix of traditional media like music from the radio and tapes, and the burgeoning internet, while younger children had more exposure to the growing digital landscape.
((And yet you wan't to demand "safe spaces" like the wimps you are lol!))
That video was obviously of kids around my age, the Xennial age, who were playing at a park on a merry-go-round. Imagine gatekeeping things that came out in 1990 when you were already 17. 🙄
Ohhh Brenda…
Xennials didn’t grow up with safe spaces — we grew up with rotary phones, dial-up rage, and being told to “walk it off” after getting hit in the face with a dodgeball the size of a beanbag chair.
You’d think some would understand this by now. And maybe some do, while others never cared to. But we definitely don't fit into these tired old stereotypes.
But guess what, Brenda? My generation didn't need safe spaces. We just needed Jesus and a Discman that didn't skip when we walked too fast. We survived high school before cell phones, when group projects meant actually meeting at someone’s house, and group chats were just passing notes while ducking teachers. Ya feel me here? I think you know where I'm goin' with this.
🎙️ Xennial at 16 vs. the 5-Year-Old Millennial: Not the Same, Dudes.
We didn’t demand safe spaces in the '90s. The only thing I demanded was that my mom not pawn my VCR, which my grandpa bought me for my birthday, for money.
Funny that! They told me to sit with the kindergarteners like we were all one happy Millennial family. I felt like I got put at the kids’ table at Thanksgiving… but I was fixing to graduate from High School. My brain hurt from all the Algebra and piles of homework, but apparently, I still qualified for crayons.
Look, Gen X, we love y’all—but the superiority complex is giving ‘unbaptized Pharisee’ vibes. The only one who’s truly superior is Jesus Christ, and He washed people’s feet.
Y’all won’t even admit we had it rough. “Safe space?” Get real! We didn’t even get privacy.
Our AIM messages were public family property, and MySpace didn't even exist yet.
But sure… tell me again how I’m part of the safe space generation. 🙄
🏆 The Irony of Participation Trophies for Gatekeeping? 😂🏁
Here's a laugh for you: every time someone says,
((“Xennials is just a made-up term by Millennials who want a special trophy.”)) -Mathias
I can't help but chuckle.
Spoiler alert: All the dates for these generations are made up. A professor or sociologist decided on a year range, and boom—there you have it. Congratulations, everyone gets an invisible trophy!
And here’s the real kicker — these Analog Gatekeepers will go to epic lengths to protect what they see as “special” to them. That could mean their favorite movies, the sacred status of their mixtape collections, or their generational label itself. And hey, fair enough — we all treasure the things that shaped us.
But then they’ll turn around and tell Xennials we’re just Millennials trying to feel “special.” The irony is almost cinematic. 🍿✨
It’s like someone guarding their prized Atari games and telling you you’re silly for caring about your own memories, too.
((“You can’t have a special name for your in-between experience — only our special names count.”)) 🤷♀️
Gatekeeping what matters to them? Totally fine. Xennials carving out a label for what matters to us? Suddenly, we’re the ones looking for a gold star. 🏅
Spoiler: If there was a participation trophy for nostalgic contradictions, they’d be the first ones in line for it. 🏆
So next time someone says, ((“Stop making up terms,”)) I’ll just smile and say, “Hey, don’t worry—you can keep your trophy. You earned it by gatekeeping.”
🎸 We’re Not Gen X “Wannabes”—Just Nostalgic Superfans! 📼💖
And let’s clear this up once and for all: We’re not pretending to be Gen X just because we love the 80s. We’re simply celebrating what we actually grew up with — cartoons, mixtapes, hair bands, and neon-soaked movies that shaped our childhoods.
It’s like accusing someone of being a “wannabe” because they still enjoy their favorite cereal. Sorry, pal — my Rainbow Brite doll and I were there, thank you very much. 🍿✨
When we drop an “80s vibes forever!” in a comment, we’re not trying to sneak into the Gen X clubhouse — we’re just enjoying the cultural playground we spent half our childhood on.
And yes, we did technically grow up more in the 90s, too — so let’s call it what it is: multi-era nostalgia with zero gatekeeping required. 😎
So next time someone says we’re “wannabes,” I’ll reply: “Hey, I’m just rocking my fanny pack and cassettes like it’s 1991. Chill.” 😂🎧
This brings us to our next point.
🏆 Participation Trophies? Was that even a thing in the '80s and '90s? 🤷♀️✨
Let’s talk about those participation trophies people love to mention. Spoiler alert: We didn’t invent them. Boomers and Gen X parents did. They were the ones handing them out so no one would feel left out at soccer practice.
Most of us Xennials were just kids who rolled up to games hoping to score one good goal, never hearing the term “participation trophy” until we were adults.
So to all the gatekeepers telling us we’re just looking for a medal? Keep your trophies—we never wanted them in the first place!
And here’s my favorite part:
Every time someone says, ((“Xennials is just a made-up label for Millennials who want a trophy,”))
I’m like:
Nah, it’s a made-up label for kids who didn’t get invited to Gen X’s pizza party or the Millennial TED Talk.
We weren't handed participation trophies as kids. We actually had to win in order to earn a trophy! Yet as teens, they tried to tell us to go sit with the kindergartners and call it “progress.” Sure, Todd. 🙄
So to the analog gatekeepers still clutching their mixtapes and gatekeeping like it's their full-time job—listen up: We didn’t grow up with participation trophies. You handed them to the younger Millennials like they were candy at a PTA meeting. Isn't it ironic? Don't you think?
🔍 Why Don’t Gatekeeping Gen Xers Want to Be Lumped with Us? 🤔✨
Maybe the real question is: Why don't Xennials want to be grouped with the stereotypes of crybabies, SJWs, and avocado toast? And safe spaces? Like, gag me with a hairball, dude!
When you see Gen Xers pushing back hard against being grouped with Xennials, it’s tempting to assume they’re just bristling at the tired stereotypes — the cancel culture stuff, the avocado toast jokes, the “crybaby” clichés. But honestly? That probably isn’t the real reason at all.
More likely, it’s that they fought to craft their own identity, separate from both Boomers and Millennials, and they’re fiercely protective of it. Gen X came of age in a very particular time — rebellious, analog, a little cynical — and they’re proud of it. To them, the idea that someone born just a few years later could share that cultural DNA feels like a threat to that uniqueness.
They built their image on being independent, anti-establishment, “never sell out” types — and they don’t want that blurred. In their minds, if you didn’t grow up fully steeped in the Gen X scene (the music, movies, politics, and attitude), then you can’t possibly understand what it meant to them. And yeah, that’s less about cancel culture and more about legacy and self-definition.
However, what they overlook is that Xennials do remember all those same rad moments — we just experienced them as kids instead of teens.
And there’s plenty of room for all of us to appreciate what was awesome about those years without drawing harsh lines in the sand. But for some gatekeeping Gen Xers, protecting that boundary is like protecting their favorite vinyl record — fragile, personal, and just a bit sacred. 🎧🖤
This is why I reject the gatekeeping mentality and any sense of generational pride. If younger generations want to embrace the 80s, who are we to tell them they can’t?
Let’s change the narrative.
📺 Generational Wars on an 80s Page? Let’s Just Change the Channel: 😂✨
🎬 It’s Meme Time — Gatekeeping Edition! 🤦♀️📼
And then there are the Analog gatekeepers who seem to think they’re empowering everyone by fanning generational flames.
You know the ones — they’ll post a Brady Bunch meme with all the characters labeled like,
Boomers: “I’m popular.”
Millennials: “I’m cute.”
Gen X: “I hate this family.”
And there you have it — the aggressive gatekeeping in its natural habitat.
They’re even calling Gen Z “Cousin Oliver,” as if the '80s were a secret club that only they had the password to.
It’s baffling. When I’ve stated under this “80s Rewind” posts that we should stop the generational wars and learn to appreciate the innovators from every age, I get responses like, ((“Get a life, Francis!”)). Heck! They even compared me to cousin Oliver. That's rich!
Ah, cousin Oliver... disliked, unaware, and better off left unmentioned. 🤣
Imagine gatekeeping the 80s this hard! Enjoying the 80s and 90s doesn’t need a secret Gen X handshake, Mathias.
Spoiler alert: Xennials—also called “elder Millennials or young Xers”—were right there beside you. We all wore the neon, rewound tapes, and thrived on that glorious chaos.
Spoiler alert #2: Boomers created most of the '80s culture they love. And who kept that culture alive? You guessed it — the rest of us.
The irony is so thick you could cut it with a hair crimper. 💇♀️✨
And thanks again for pointing out the irony, though. This sounds like:
Jan:
((“Millennials just think they’re cute, and Boomers act like they invented everything!”))
I can see Mathias, the admin of the 80s rewind page, cheering Jan on from the Analog Gatekeepers Clubhouse now:
((“PREACH, JAN!”))
Marcia (arms crossed, full Boomer mode):
“Sure, Jan. I paid for the ‘80s, thank you very much.”
Cindy (the youngest one in curls, aka Elder Millennials):
“Uh, I was literally there. Just... shorter.”
Turns out the Brady Bunch was the original generational battlefield after all. But seriously, why not just enjoy the nostalgia without all the infighting?
We’re all here for the same thing — the music, the movies, the memories.
We can dish it out, too.
Coming this fall to VHS only:
Todd & Mathias: Analog Gatekeepers™
“Protecting the 80s from the people who actually made it happen… and the kids they passed it down to!”
All while Boomers sip black coffee and shake their heads like,
“We paid for all of this… and y’all still arguing about it?”
Analog Gatekeepers™ — brought to you by selective memory, emotional detachment, and the belief that anyone born after 1980 is ruining everything.
Neon signs sold separately.
((“How about we all stop taking everything so seriously? It’s just a fn joke!”))
-Tracy
🤔It’s just a joke… apparently, only when they’re telling it. 😏
You know they just jokingly left us out of the '80s nostalgia party while lumping us in with cancel culture, TikTok trends, and everything Gen Z stands for. 🙄
Desperately reaching for reasons to say “we are not the same” — like we didn’t live through the same neon-soaked chaos. Reality check: we were shaped by both the 80s and 90s. There were no safe spaces. No social media. No “likes,” no hashtags. Just cassette tapes, CRT TVs, and surviving gym class dodgeball like warriors.
So no, you can’t lump us in with things we didn’t even have access to. We didn’t cancel culture — we burned mix CDs and had AIM away messages that were more dramatic than daytime soap operas. 🎧🔥
But yeah, keep on saying: ((Don't you ever put Millennials with Gen X ever again!))
Who’s crying, Tracy? Pretty sure it’s not the elder Millennials — we’re too busy living our best neon-soaked lives. It’s those analog gatekeepers melting down the moment they realize we were right there too, sharing the same 80s memories they thought were theirs alone.
Yeah, we know how much they love cracking jokes about ((“GenY(whiners)”)) while losing their minds over elder Millennials who share in their precious 80s nostalgia.
So, here are more Analog Gatekeepers jokes that will knock your leg warmers off.
Now, let's roast the Analog Gatekeepers, shall we?
To all my Gen Xers out there: I triple dog dare you to eat a slice of avocado toast.
Not because you’re turning into a “snowflake”… But to show the world that you can be tough, sarcastic, and still eat green mush on carbs without losing your street cred.
Spoiler alert: Millennials didn’t invent it. Your grandma probably served it in 1973 and called it “California Toast” or something equally groovy.
So go ahead, Todd — take a bite, crank some Duran Duran, and embrace the guac life.
Yet Todd, the Analog gatekeeper, has too much pride to take a bite of avocado toast…Because he thinks Millennials invented it.
((“We are not the same,”)) he mutters, clutching his Blockbuster card like it’s a sacred relic.
Relax, Todd — it’s just toast, not a TikTok challenge. 🥑😎
🎤 Analog Gatekeepers be like: (("Back in my day, we didn’t have Wi-Fi—we had Hi-Fi.")) Cool story, Todd Vinyl. That still doesn’t mean you get to revoke my right to remember Saturday morning cartoons. 😂
🎤 They’ll say: ((“Xennials didn’t really live the 80s.”)) Meanwhile, we were out here rocking slap bracelets, playing with Rainbow Brite, and dodging lawn darts like it was an Olympic sport.
🎤 Analog Gatekeepers: ((“We had to earn our nostalgia!”)) Us: “Pretty sure watching The NeverEnding Story 12 times and crying every time counts.”
🎤 Too young for Gen X in 1988, but somehow the same as someone who was born the year I started middle school? Math is math… until it's generational politics.
🎤 They treat the 80s like a private treehouse: NO XENNIALS ALLOWED! Password: Must hate avocado toast and know how to rewind a VHS with a pencil.
🎤 They swear only Gen X remembers the pain of a cassette tape unraveling. Sweetie, I had a Fisher-Price tape recorder in '86 and rewound that thing like it was my job.
🎤 Analog Gatekeepers act like we didn’t suffer. Excuse me—I survived dial-up, Oregon Trail dysentery, and being told to walk to school in a blizzard “because it builds character.”
🎤 They call us “Millennials with trauma”...No, honey. We’re Xennials with receipts. And a mixtape collection to prove it.
We weren’t Millennials trying to crash your nostalgia party. We’re not looking for your approval. We’ve got our own vibe, our own memories, our own lane. And there's more where that came from.
🚀 Gatekeeping Gen X: Stop Gaslighting Us Already! 🔥
And then there are the Gen X gatekeepers who love to gaslight us — calling Xennials “crybabies,” lumping us in with the cancel culture crowd, and acting like we’re trying to crash their party. Spoiler alert: We’re not looking for an invite. 😎
Just because we don’t fit 100% into their mold doesn’t mean we’re secretly trying to steal their Walkman. We’re not their labels. We’re not their tired stereotypes. And we sure as heck don’t need their approval to appreciate the neon-tinted world we grew up in. 📼⚡
To my fellow Xennials who follow 80s pages that constantly post about generational wars, put-downs, and gatekeeping: If it isn’t lifting you up — unfollow, block, mute, do what you gotta do. ✂️
Your nostalgia should feel like a favorite mixtape, not someone telling you that you’re “not allowed” to dance to the songs you grew up with.
And if someone still doesn’t like our generation? That’s cool too — they can hop in their DeLorean and drive 88 miles per hour straight down the road. 🕶️Hit the road, Jack! And don’t you come back no more. ✌️💜
🌟 Xennials: Our Experience, Our Vibe — Even If Nobody Else Gets It 💜
Not everyone will understand what it’s like to be a Xennial — and honestly? That’s okay. Our story is a little bit Gen X and a little bit Millennial, with its own weird, wonderful flavor that doesn’t fully match up with either one.
We grew up in a world that was analog and digital — flipping between Atari and Nintendo, cassette tapes and CDs, handwritten notes and instant messaging. 📼💻And that shaped us into a bridge between generations, balancing the easygoing grit of Gen X and the tech-forward energy of Millennials.
So when people try to put us into a tidy box — or when they can’t quite “get” who we are — it’s fine. We don’t need them to. Our experiences speak for themselves, and we wear them like a favorite vintage tee. Heck, even Boomers scratch their heads at our mix of nostalgia and adaptability — and that’s all part of the charm. 😄✨
We may not always fit their labels, but we’re happy to live in that in-between space. That’s where the real magic is. 🌈
Finding Unity Over Division
When you look at these Gen X Analog Gatekeepers who act like they need to establish some kind of “we’re better than you” status, it really begs the question: what’s the point? 🤷♀️
It’s one thing to love the culture that shaped you — we all feel that. But pushing other generations down or declaring yourself superior? That just feeds division. It turns nostalgic appreciation into exclusion and gatekeeping instead of something we can share across generations.
And honestly? It never actually proves anything. It only steals the fun and camaraderie of looking back together at what we all survived — whether that was mixtapes, dial-up internet, or even fidget spinners. 😄
At the end of the day, clinging to generational “superiority” is just a shaky shield for insecurity. Imagine how much better it would feel if we dropped the need to compete and just celebrated the memories that connect us all. 💜✨
Because at the end of the day, these generational wars are futile distractions.
Every one of us—whether spinning vinyl records or texting emojis—carries unique experiences and stories that deserve celebration. But none of those differences matter as much as the bonds we can build.
We should focus on what truly matters: shared memories, music, lessons, and the joy of nostalgia.
When we choose unity and compassion, we’ll find there’s more that connects us than the things that divide us. That’s a legacy worth leaving.
We can appreciate the Boomer architects who built this neon playground. We can appreciate the Gen X crew who partied in it. And we can appreciate the Xennials, Millennials, and even Gen Z who dance through it today — Cousin Oliver and all. 🎶💜
At the end of the day, nostalgia isn’t some exclusive VIP list. It’s a big, glowing mixtape that keeps spinning for whoever hits play. 📼🎧
Catch you on the flip side, legends. ✌️💜
P.S. Don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter—you’ll score 2 FREE 80s-inspired tracks right in your inbox. Let’s keep those retro vibes rolling! 🎶📼
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