Y2K (2024)

WARNING! Not to be confused with the McBling aesthetic, which is defined by femininity and the wide use of pink, that characterized the Mid 2000s. McBling and Y2K are two different aesthetics!

Y2K (also known as Cyber Y2K, Futuristic Y2K, or Kaybug) is an aesthetic that was prevalent in popular culture from roughly 1997 to 2004, succeeding the Memphis and Grunge eras. Named after the Y2K Bug, it is characterized by a distinct aesthetic period, encapsulating fashion, hardware design, music, and furnishings shining with tech optimism — sometimes literally. Some of its aspects include tight leather pants, shiny clothing, silver eyeshadow, spiky updos, Oakleys, gradients, translucence, and Blobitecture. Most Y2K aesthetics rely on the use of technology and slick futuristic looks, signaling the optimism for the 3rd Millennium/21st Century. The Y2K Era ended around the end of 2004 and was succeeded by the Frutiger Aero and McBling eras.

Y2K aesthetics are mostly classified as a subcategory of another futuristic aesthetic, Retro-Futurism. Some elements of Y2K also cross over with Vaporwave, another Retro-Futurist aesthetic, since it shares Vaporwave's angst towards late-stage capitalism, and its nostalgia for a future that never came. However, the Y2K aesthetic has not yet been explored by the Vaporwave scene as much as earlier, more ubiquitous periods, such as the '80s/Early '90s neon aesthetics like Synthwave and the aforementioned Memphis.^[1]

History

Y2K has its origins in the underground UK rave scene of the Late '80s/Early '90s, as well as the early works of the Sheffield-based Designers Republic. First signs of the Y2K aesthetic going mainstream appeared around 1995 to 1996, with the release of Windows 95, the start of the Internet boom, the original PlayStation and Nintendo 64 being released, the movies Hackers and Scream, the PS1 game Wipeout, Pokemon being released in Japan, the Spice Girls, Robyn, Moloko, and Backstreet Boys debuting in Europe, and the music video for Michael and Janet Jackson's "Scream". Campaigns like Nintendo's "Play It Loud" era might have been a precursor to Y2K, as well.

The Y2K Era became well-defined by 1997, replacing the Core '90s Era which had been known for its grittier aesthetics such as Grunge. The Spice Girls' single "Wannabe" was released in the U.S. and gained international popularity, leading to a new era in teen pop, and in a Super Bowl ad that year the Spice Girls heralded the arrival of "Generation Next". Limp Bizkit also debuted that year with Three Dollar Bill, Y'all which led to the mainstreaming of nu-metal, post-grunge started to become popular with bands like Creed, Hanson released "Mmmbop", and more music videos by artists such Puff Daddy ("Mo Money Mo Problems"), Will Smith ("Gettin' Jiggy wit It", "Men in Black"), and the Spice Girls ("Say You'll Be There") were done in the Y2K style. WWF entered the edgier Attitude Era and had gotten rid of its Memphis aesthetics (from the New Generation Era) by March 1998, in an attempt to compete with rival companies WCW (which, coincidentally, probably adopted more elements of the actual Y2K aesthetic compared to its competition) and ECW. South Park and King of the Hill premiered, and Cartoon Network debuted the Toonami block which mainstreamed anime in the U.S. The PS1 and N64 were now in full-swing with games such as Final Fantasy VII and Goldeneye. The movies Titanic and Men in Black was released which are regarded as Y2K phenomena. Y2K fashions such as frosted tips, soul patches, and JNCOs were becoming popular. The Y2K Era then took off in full force from 1998 to 2000, with things such as Pokemania, Limp Bizkit, NSYNC, TRL, The Matrix, TOM replacing Moltar on Toonami, and Britney Spears hitting their peak popularity. Y2K peaked around late 1999/early 2000, coinciding with the turn of the millennium and apex of the dot-com bubble.^[2]

The Y2K Era gradually declined from 2000 to 2004 as the contentious 2000 U.S. presidential election, the dot-com bubble bursting, 9/11, the anthrax scares, and the Iraq War dampened optimism for the new millennium. However, residual aesthetics from the era still remained popular during this time. 2004 was the last hurrah of the Y2K aesthetic. Cartoon Network switched from the Powerhouse to CN City era, with most of their '90s programs ending and Toonami moving to Saturday nights (Sara's new full-bodied redesign was anime-esque and sported '00s emo hair). Nickelodeon went through a similar transition as well, with '90s Nicktoons, the SNICK block, and pre-movie SpongeBob SquarePants ending. The final major "nu metal" albums were released in 2004. McDonald's retired the McDonaldLand characters (except for Ronald) and rebranded from "We love to see you smile" to the infamous "I'm lovin' it". The first Web 2.0 conference was held in October 2004, early social media sites such as MySpace were rising in popularity, and the sixth generation of video game consoles had their last major year of popularity. Marvel's Blade series, known for its heavy use of Y2K aesthetics and music, ended. The Rock retired from WWE, and Brock Lesnar temporarily left to join the NFL, leaving John Cena to become the face of the company.

By 2005, the Y2K aesthetic had more or less vanished completely. After Y2K ended, it gave way to the McBling and Frutiger Aero/Skeumorphism aesthetics, which contained similarities to Y2K but were also distinct in their own right. Since the Mid-Late 2010s, Y2K Era imagery and pop culture has begun to make a resurgence in various circles of the Internet, niche entertainment, and even mainstream entertainment due to the 20-year nostalgia cycle. Examples of Y2K revival songs include "1999" by Charli XCX, "2002" by Anne Marie, and "Motivation" by Normani.

Modern Times

Some have taken an interest in the aesthetic in recent times. Evan Collins coined the term in 2016 and runs the Y2K Aesthetic Institute along with Froyo Tam. They archive parts of the aesthetic, such as graphic designs, flyers, game console designs, video game concept art, fashion, etc. and chronicle both art from the era the aesthetic was popular, as well as modern depictions of the aesthetic. Tam has also made Ferrite Core DX and other open-source typefaces inspired by Y2K typography.

Another example of modern-Y2K aesthetics being used is the indie puzzle game known as CROSSNIQ+, which utilizes the more bold, thick-line aesthetics seen in Y2K cartoon styles. Also run by Krieger and The Y2K Institute is u::r::here, a free virtual gallery dedicated to showing off Y2K art and aesthetics.

So far there is only one community forum that is based on Y2K aesthetics and that is Agora Road's Macintosh Cafe. Which coins itself as a "nostalgic Y2K community".

• The aesthetic seems to be breaking into pop culture, such as the Charli XCX and Troye Sivan song 1999.
• DV-i is a music artist seeking to revive the feel of Y2K techno and drum and bass. Porter Robinson (under the alias of Virtual Self) also creates Y2K-inspired electronic music. Dance System incorporates Y2K visuals and ambient into 2000's house music in his debut album Where's the party at?.
• Virtual YouTuber Yuuki Takemoto experienced the Y2K Era, and incorporates it into her videos and art.
• The artist named "Ivy Hollivana" seems to invoke a lot of the Y2K imagery in her music videos.
• In NYC there is a store called happy99 which takes inspiration from Y2K styled art, toys, fashion and even architecture, They even have promos in their twitter where one is inspired by Y2K CGI and VFX while the other video is inspired by PS1 era games like Parappa the Rapper and DDR.
• The band PC Music (which many people consider Eurodance on steroids) made an album in 2022 called Planet 1999, Which features elements of Y2K such as Zip Drives, Furbies, Classic Mac computers and the mascot of the video evolving like a Pokémon or a corrupted version of Vibri from Vib Ribbon at the end of the album.
• Kaizo Slumber is a Drum n' Bass, Jungle, and Breakcore musical artist, that incorporate various visual key elements from this aesthetic in his clips.
• The clothing company Champion in 2022 had a shirt with a caterpillar on it that had a very Y2K Style to it.
• Many LGBTQ artists during pride month like to combine the concept of pride with the Y2K aesthetic.
• The recent "Neo-Y2K" movement has modernized the Y2K aesthetic, incorporating elements of modern digital art, Glitchcore, Vaporwave, and various video game aesthetics and blending them with the color palettes and themes of Y2K. Notable artists of this aesthetic microgenre are Nuphory, TRAELMYX (also known as::Y2KAE::, Vulpeox, and kur0myx), and SAM WAITIN. The microgenre is also much more closely related to the musical scene compared to old-school Y2K aesthetics, with all three of the aforementioned artists making some form of dance music.

Visuals

Graphics and Art

Y2K aesthetics use both 2D and 3D art. 2D art usually features thick lines, bold minimalism, and heavy use of iconography. 3D art is more blobby looking, has more gradients, and looks very shiny. Common colors used in Y2K art are, but not limited to, chrome, icy blue, ocean, bright oranges, glossy white, and black (for lineworks).

One of the earliest definers of the Y2K aesthetic is the Designers Republic, a Sheffield-based graphic design studio best known for their work on the video game series Wipeout as well as various album artwork, especially for artists on the electronica label Warp Records. Founded by Ian Anderson and Nick Phillips in 1986, they were best known for making art that subverts brash consumerism and the uniformity of corporate culture (similar to what Vaporwave has done since then). Like vaporwave, much of their work also drew inspiration from Japanese anime (which was beginning to rise in popularity around the same time).

Toys and Technology

Being that this was the era that the cell phone was first starting to become popular among your average consumer, you can find a lot of nods to the original models of cell phones (such as the original Nokia phones or the clamshell/flip phones) within the Y2K subculture. Also popular around this time was the Blobject, a type of design product (often a household object) distinguished by smooth flowing curves, bright translucent colors (part of the then-popular clear craze fad) such as Bondi Blue for Apple products of their time, and Atomic Purple for Nintendo consoles, and an absence of sharp edges. The word is generally held to be a portmanteau, a contraction of "blob" and "object." The VideoNow, Game Boy Advance Video, HitClips, Aibo and JuiceBox are some examples of Y2K Era technology, and electronic toys like Poo-Chi, iDog, iZ, iCybie, Furby, Digimon Digivices and Tamagotchi are some examples of Y2K Era toys.

Blobitecture

Blobitecture, also known as 'blobism’, is a term given to a post-modern architectural style characterized by curved and rounded building shapes, or 'blob architecture'. Blobitecture buildings appear to have an organic form that is soft and free-flowing, yet comes together to produce a complex whole. Blobitecture buildings started popping up around the Late '90s/Early 2000s to reflect a lot of the trends at the time, giving the buildings something of a "futuristic" look at the time (by the standards of what constituted futuristic at that time period).

Fashion

Y2K is a very new concept, but with certain brands that were popular at the time still existing, one could easily predict these brands could potentially play a huge role in Y2K. Basically, you'd either look like a Late '90s/Early 2000s raver or a member of a boy band from the time. Also, it should be noted a lot of Holosexual aesthetics and style can turn up in Y2K fashion as well (due to its usage in futuristic fashion at the time). Cyber Y2K is commonly misinterpreted as an alt streetwear type of style, which is why it is commonly referred to instead as "Futuristic Y2K". Low-rise skirts are usually really popular in this aesthetic.

Media

Movies

• The Lawnmower Man (1992)
• Hackers (1995)
• Biodome (1995)
• Batman Forever (1995)
• The Fifth Element (1997)
• Batman and Robin (1997)
• Gattaca (1997)
• Spawn (1997)
• Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)
• The Cube (1997)
• Blade (1998)
• Run Lola Run (1998)
• Small Soldiers (1998)
• American Beauty (1999)
• Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
• Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)
• Pokemon: The First Movie (1999)
• Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century (1999)
• The Matrix (1999)
• X-Men (2000)
• Charlie's Angels (2000)
• The 6th Day (2000)
• Toonami: The Intruder (2000)
• Batman Beyond: Return of The Joker (2000)
• Antitrust (2001)
• A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
• Donnie Darko (2001)
• Josie and the puss*cats (2001)
• Osmosis Jones (2001)
• Spy Kids (2001)
• Toonami: Lockdown (2001)
• Spider-Man (2002)
• Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)
• Minority Report (2002)
• Equilibrium (2002)
• Blade II (2002)
• Scooby-Doo (2002)
• Spy Kids 2 (2002)
• The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002)
• The Master of Disguise (2002)
• Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)
• Toonami: Trapped in Hyperspace (2002)
• S1M0NE (2002)
• Lilo & Stitch (2002)
• Agent Cody Banks (2003)
• The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
• Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003)
• Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003)
• The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
• The Cat in the Hat (2003)
• Cube 2: Hypercube (2003)
• I, Robot (2004)
• Catch That Kid (2004)
• Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004)
• X2: X-Men United (2004)
• Blade: Trinity (2004)
• Cube Zero (2004)
• Pinocchio 3000 (2004)
• Robots (2005)
• Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
• Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3D (2005)
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
• Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World (2011)
• Cloud Atlas (2012)

TV Shows

• Space Ghost Coast to Coast (Cartoon Network/Adult Swim, 1994-2004)-animated
• ReBoot (Canada, 1994-2001)-animated
• Transformers: Beast Wars (syndicated, 1996-1999)-animated
• Superman: The Animated Series (Kids' WB, 1996-2000)-animated
• Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (ABC/The WB,1996-2003)
• Dexter's Laboratory (Cartoon Network, 1996-2003)-animated
• Trauma: Life in the ER (1997-2002)
• Teletubbies (UK, 1997-2001, revived in 2015)
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer (The WB/UPN, 1997-2003)
• Toonami (Cartoon Network, 1997-2008, revived in 2012)-anime
• Daria (MTV, 1997-2002)-animated
• Spawn (HBO, 1997-1999)-animated
• Shadow Raiders/War Planets (syndicated, 1998-1999)-animated
• Voltron: The Third Dimension (syndicated, 1998-2000)-animated
• Cousin Skeeter (Nickelodeon, 1998-2001)
• Sex and the City (HBO, 1998-2004)
• Pokémon (Japan, 1998-)-anime
• The Powerpuff Girls (Cartoon Network, 1998-2005, revived in 2016)-animated
• Cowboy Bebop (Japan, 1998-1999)-anime
• Batman Beyond (Kids' WB, 1999-2001)-animated
• URL With Phred Show (Noggin, 1999-2002)-animated
• The Amanda Show (Nickelodeon,1999-2002)
• The Future is Wild (Discovery Channel, 2002)
• Futurama (Fox/Comedy Central, 1999-2003, revived in the 2010s)-animated
• Digimon (Japan, 1999-2003)-anime
• Angel (1999-2004)
• Between the Lions (PBS, 2000-2011)
• Static Shock (Kids' WB, 2000-2004)-animated
• Buzz Lightyear of Star Command (ABC, 2000-2001)
• Undergrads (Canada, 2001)-animated
• Alias (ABC. 2001-2006)
• 24 (Fox, 2001-2010)
• Dark Angel (2001-2002)
• Smallville (The WB/CW, 2001-2011)
• Cubix: Robots for Everyone (Korea, 2001-2004)-animated
• Totally Spies! (France, 2001-2006, revived in the 2010s)-animated
• Zentrix (Hong Kong, 2001-2004)-animated
• Taina (Nickelodeon, 2001-2002)
• Justice League (Kids' WB, 2001-2003)-animated
• Lizzie McGuire (Disney Channel, 2001-2004)
• Cyberchase (PBS, 2002-)-animated
• Kim Possible (Disney Channel, 2002-2007)-animated
• Ozzy and Drix (Kids' WB, 2002-2004)-animated
• Sonic X (Japan, 2003-2005)-anime
• Teen Titans (Kids' WB, 2003-2006)-animated
• Spider-Man: The New Adventures (MTV, 2003)-animated
• Boohbah (UK, 2003-2006)
• Code Lyoko (France, 2003-2007)-animated
• Lilo & Stitch: The Series (Disney Channel, 2003-2006)-animated
• Ōban Star-Racers (France, 2006)-animated
• WWF Attitude Era
• WWE Ruthless Aggression Era

Video Games

When people think of Y2K gaming, most could tell us about the fifth (PlayStation, Nintendo 64, Sega Saturn, GameBoy Color) and sixth (Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, GameBoy Advance) generations of consoles, as well as arcade hardware such as the Sega Naomi and Konami System 573 their respective lines of games, and their low-poly visuals (particularly noticeable in the 5th gen games).

During the Late '90s and Early 2000s, Sega had attempted to make one last console before they went out of business. The Dreamcast, released in 1999, had shown Sega's ability to make creative and innovative games. The most Y2K-esque game was 1999s Space Channel 5, a rhythm game intended for a "casual female audience" that was applauded for its retro art style and soundtrack, encapsulating a lot of what people admired about Y2K aesthetics.

Another Dreamcast game that could be considered Y2K-inspired is 2000's Jet Set Radio, which, while not having the slick designs of Space Channel 5, captured other aspects such as Japanese punk fashion and early 2000s hip-hop. Jet Set Radio would also use iconography-inspired graphics for its UI. Jet Set Radio Future, its 2002 sequel, integrated even more Y2K aesthetics into its art and gameplay.

Rez, released by Sega/UGA in 2001 for the Dreamcast and 2002 for the PS2, had a wireframe-y Y2K aesthetic, as the game centered round a computer virus nicknamed Swayzak invading the mainframe of a computer to reveal the true being at her core.

Yet more Sega games that embodied this aesthetic are Sonic R (1997), Sonic Adventure (1998), Sonic Adventure 2 (2001), and Sonic Heroes (2003), particularly SA1 with its janky-yet-charming visuals and atmospheric Y2K music.

On the Sony end of the spectrum, no game series does a better job of embodying the Y2K aesthetic than the Wipeout series, with art done by the aforementioned Designers Republic, even with recent iterations like Wipeout HD (2008) and Wipeout 2048 (2012). Metal Gear Solid, developed by Konami, had a lot of Y2K aesthetics too.

Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere also used a Y2K futurism aesthetic in its user interface, fictional aircraft designs, and soundtrack.

Other companies attempted to use Y2K aesthetics as a promotion for consoles, controllers, and games. Even Flash games on websites had the Y2K aesthetic, such as Cartoon Network's Toonami games (Toonami: Trapped in Hyperspace in particular being a whole 3D FPS similar to Y2K aesthetic games Descent and Virus: The Game).

Some other games that could be considered Y2K aesthetic are Ridge Racer, PaRappa the Rapper, Half-Life, Gex: Enter the Gecko, Marvel vs. Capcom and its sequel Capcom vs SNK, Xenosaga, Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex, Sinistar Unleashed, Friday Night Funkin', Unleashed, Dropship: United Peace Force, Red Alert 2, Pokémon Puzzle League, Dance Dance Revolution, Wario Ware, Pop'n Music, Slap Happy Rhythm Busters, Kingdom Hearts, Vib Ribbon, Planet Dob, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, Lego Island, Bust a Groove, and Cave Story.

Recently, the Indie game scene started to get inspired by the Y2K revival wave and the developers to revisit the aesthetic. One of the first games is CROSSNIQ+, a puzzle arcade game mimicking the Dreamcast puzzles made by Max Kriegler. Another example is Hypnospace Outlaw, and its upcoming sequel, Dreamsettler, with Hypnospace Outlaw, a game taking place in 1999, having its last parts of the game taking place in an upgraded operating system with Y2K stylization, and its upcoming sequel Dreamsettler taking place in 2003, with a OS inspired by Y2K stylized operating systems of its time, like Mac OS X and Windows XP. The upcoming indie games Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, Neon White, and varied indie first-person shooter games SPRAWL, Ghostware: Arena of the Dead, and EXOCIDE, all yet to be released soon, embrace this aesthetic as well.

Other

Y2K aesthetics were used in architecture, such as the Encounter Restaurant at LAX, which opened in 1997, and was the filming location of the US music video for Moloko's "Fun For Me."

Even theme park attractions used the Y2K aesthetic. One of the earliest examples of Y2K could be considered The ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter, which opened at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom park in December 1994. Disney would later capitalize on the Y2K aesthetic with DisneyQuest, a virtual reality entertainment center located in Walt Disney World's Downtown Disney, with a second location in Chicago, Illinois. They also had the ESPN Zone dining and interactive experiences in major cities. On the other side of the pond, Sega opened Sega World Sydney in Darling Harbour, Australia, and Sega World London at the Trocadero in London. Sega also partnered with DreamWorks to establish GameWorks, a series of arcades found at major cities

Music

Since Y2K was about embracing the future, the tone of music also reflected this. Electronic music was the go-to genre to capture this era as a musician. Record labels associated with Y2K include System Records and Eldia.

The most well-known music associated with Y2K is big beat, a subgenre of electronic music that used "heavy breakbeats and synthesizer-generated loops and patterns". Bands and music producers such as The Prodigy, The Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, The Crystal Method, Junkie XL, and Propellerheads performed this music during the '90s. However, the genre has since become less prevalent in the mainstream, with modern examples being few and far in between.

Another known genre at the time was trance, that became more modernized and mainstream. Famous DJs from this period like Push, Ferry Corsten, Tiësto, Chicane, PPK, ATB, Signum, and Lange demonstrated well the euphoric and futuristic vibe of the Y2K aesthetic. Other tracks that became hits during the turn of the Millennium were "Better Off Alone" by Alice Deejay, Darude "Sandstorm", and Rank 1's "Airwave".

Other genres used during the Y2K Era were jungle, drum n' bass, and trip-hop (like Portishead, Massive Attack or Tricky). Much like big beat (and what ultimately inspired big beat to begin with), these genres have a heavy emphasize on techno-style music, with fast beats and use of synthesizers. To this day, these genres are still used in EDM scenes all over.

Bubblegum Eurodance was also common during the Y2K Era. Aqua, the Scandinavian band responsible for the 1997 hit "Barbie Girl", is often attributed as being the most popular example of this genre, with an honorable mention going to the Italian Eiffel 65, known for their 1998 single "Blue (Da Ba Dee)".

The Y2K aesthetic can also be seen in the music video to the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Californication". The video takes the form of a fictional open-world video game that depicts each of the band members on an adventure in a California setting.

R&B and hip-hop also transitioned from the Golden Age/Gangsta Rap & G-Funk Era into the Bling/Shiny Suit/Jiggy Era (also known as the Hype Williams Era, because of the prevalence of these visual cues in his music videos). Many R&B and hip-hop artists used Y2K aesthetics in music videos, such as TLC in their "No Scrubs" video, Jennifer Lopez in "If You Had My Love" or Janet Jackson in "Doesn't Really Matter".

Resources

External links to help get a better understanding of this aesthetic:

• Y2K Institute Twitter
• Y2K Institute Tumblr
• Y2K Institute Instagram
• CROSSNIQ+ Twitter
• u::r::here Twitter
• The Designers Republic
• A collection of TOM 2 era Toonami framing devices

Vendors

• JNCO
• Kikwear
• O-Mighty
• UFO
• BeWild
• Cyberdog
• Hackney

Playlists

• "Y2K (Early 00's)" Spotify playlist by Indie Monster
• "Y2K ANGEL" Spotify playlist by josephina666
• "Y2K music" YouTube playlist by Yuuki Takemoto
• 90s to Y2K Pop Spotify playlist by Kyle Aagard
• "Y2K Futurism" Spotify playlist by Jaime Veiro
• "Y2K Trance Classics" Spotify Playlist by StarLotus
• "Y2K Rap" Spotify playlist by Rose Bennett
• "Y2K Pop" Spotify playlist by Alec Dawson
• "Y2K" Spotify playlist by m.quintos1
• "y2k" Spotify playlist by achooro

References