Mike's Meanderings

Millennial Hopecore

I'm Millennial. Born in 1986, I grew up with AOL, had a Facebook account in 2005. My first Pokémon, was Pokémon Red on a GameBoy Pocket (also red). I remember taking digital cameras to bars in college, and uploading photos to social media. Smart phones didn't exist! I've lived through the following "once in a lifetime" events, all before 40!

  • 9/11 Attacks
  • Subsequent 20 year war in the Middle East
  • The Great Recession (I graduated college the year it hit!)
  • COVID 19
  • The ongoing rise of American Fascism

I've learned that at least one journalist has called us the "unluckiest generation in U.S. history".

We're one of the most well educated generations in American History, and one of the largest. We've been blamed for killing numerous industries, from Olive Garden to Diamonds. These are not great losses, IMHO.

Over Christmas, I learned the term "Millennial Hope Core". I was not familiar with this term, and had some questions.

Millennial Hope Core

There was/is a TikTok trend of Gen Z making fun of what they consider "Millennial Cringe". What is Millennial Cringe? Apparently, it's:

  • Skinny jeans
  • High waisted everything
  • Side parts in our hair
  • Anything about "Adulting"
  • "weird flex but OK."
  • Excessively self-deprecating and dark humor
  • The Millennial Pause

I get it. Especially the humor one. Someday, my autobiography will be called "If you don't laugh, it just seems sad."

Now out of this "Millennial Core" came a Zoomer discovery of 2010's indie rock aka "stomp clap hey" music. This is music that contains the Millennial whoop, something I just learned about while typing this.

What was going on in the United States at this time? We were a couple years into Obama's Presidency, which was a really big deal for us. I was working in Chicago at the time, and remember the massive party at Millennium Park in 2008 following his election. This was a time of hope. That things would get better. Obama felt hopeful. will.i.am made a song about it! That banks would be reigned in. That Republican war-mongering would be pushed out. That student loan and healthcare reform were around the corner. The world felt primed for change. Remember Glee?

I would argue, the worlds become harder since then, but that's for another time.

Why now?

So, Gen Z, primarily on TikTok, have rediscovered what Millennials were listening to in the 2010's. They saw our "stomp clap hey" music (thanks Mumford and Sons) and recession pop (Thanks Lady Gaga and Kesha!). Apparently, this was first criticized in the way that younger generations poke fun at older generations. I suspect that as time went on, they realized that the music was fun. Even if it was dumb.

I found a Millennial Hopecore playlist on Spotify, and have been listened while I type. And god damn is it fun. It's upbeat.

I do think it's worth mentioning that despite the hope, I feel that Millennials have mostly been self-aware of the realities around us. If you need an example, look at Pumped Up Kicks from Foster the People.

I love that younger generations are discovering this music, and while it started making fun of "Millennial Cringe", it shifted into "Millennial Hopecore". That's cool. I'm glad we can give something nice into the world, even if it's cheesy.

Nostalgia is a word derived from Greek words for "homecoming" and "pain". Listening to this music, it makes me nostalgic. I remember houseparties and bar-hopping with friends. I didn't like my job, but I KNEW it would get better. It was a time of endless IPA varieties at breweries. As we entered into the 2016 election, those feelings faded. I like being reminded of these times. They were formative, and I was young.

I'll leave you all with the immortal words from Fun, in their 2011 hit "We Are Young":

Tonight

We are young

So let's set the world on fire

We can burn brighter than the sun

#100DaysToOffload: 7