Does it strike you that there are only some "peak periods" of decades where the atmosphere is so saturated with the most strikingly distinct aspects of the decade that it overflows, and it's like 3 years of the decade? After that and before that, there are definitely some exaggerated or campy things, but they don't come quite at once.

'80s Peak Period: Late 1982-1985
'90s Peak Period: Late 1991-1994
'00s Peak Period: Mid/Late 2003-2006 (?)

Any conjecture? Like there are things after that, but they are never quite as genuine or fit with the decade. Like the '90s had teen pop and nu metal and the '80s had hair metal, but they were later pop cultural decade crazes.

Well if I had to pinpoint each decade's peak period it would look like this:

Peak 80's:Mid 1984-Early 1987
Peak 90's:Early 1992-Early 1997
Peak 00's:Mid 2004-est.Early 2007

The '50s: 1955-1958
The '60s: 1967-1970
The '70s: 1975-1978
The '80s: 1982-1986
The '90s: 1992-1996
The '00s: 2003-2006

The periods you identified as 'peak' are a bit too broad. I mean 1992-97: that's 5 years, half the decade.

The true peak year for each decade so far:

1950s: Can't tell
1960s: 1967
1970s: 1976
1980s: 1984
1990s: 1995
2000s: probably 2006

The periods you identified as 'peak' are a bit too broad. I mean 1992-97: that's 5 years, half the decade.

The true peak year for each decade so far:

1950s: Can't tell
1960s: 1967
1970s: 1976
1980s: 1984
1990s: 1995
2000s: probably 2006



That's true.

1950s: ?
1960s: 1967
1970s: 1977
1980s: 1984
1990s: 1993
2000s: 2004, early '05

I think a case can be made for 1994 as much as 1993, because in terms of releases, 1993 was a much less important year, even though late 1991-1992 was the "breakout" year for the '90s. 1994 was very much a confluence of early '90s and more upbeat or less grunge mid-'90s trends, though in some ways, like Whitney Houston's The Bodyguard, 1993 was the peak.

That's true.

1950s: ?
1960s: 1967
1970s: 1977
1980s: 1984
1990s: 1993
2000s: 2004, early '05



60's:1967
70's:1976
80's:1984
90's:1994
00's:2004

I think a case can be made for 1994 as much as 1993, because in terms of releases, 1993 was a much less important year, even though late 1991-1992 was the "breakout" year for the '90s. 1994 was very much a confluence of early '90s and more upbeat or less grunge mid-'90s trends, though in some ways, like Whitney Houston's The Bodyguard, 1993 was the peak.


Yeah that's true.  For instance, 1983 was the peak of the early '80s, 1984 was just the best mix of all things '80s.

I myself hold to my theory of epochs within decades.  There are certain things that define each decade, but they rarely continue on for the whole decade.  Moreover, a decade isn't made up of the same culture for the whole time period.  Compare 1982 to 1988.  Do they have similarities?  Yes, they do.  However, there are also a ton of differences.  As such, I have formulated a theory that splits the various decades into epochs.  An epoch, for those who don't know, is a subdivision of a larger period of time.

These epochs are based on the culture of the time and how it relates to other parts of the decade.  No one will deny that 1993 was quite different from 1999.  This is because they're both in two separate epochs that just so happen to be in the same decade.  Really, this theory of epochs is really just common sense, as no decade as a single form of pop culture that continues throughout the whole decade.  Also, their are arguably transition years that mark the transition from one epoch to another.
1977-1979 - Disco Epoch (typified by Disco)
1980-1982 - New Wave Epoch (typified by New Wave and the rise of MTV)
1983 - Transition Year
1984-1986 - Mid 80's Epoch (all the 80's stuff we know and love, some of which carry over into the late 80's)
1987-1989 - Hair Band Epoch (characterized by hair bands, rise of Rap, and economic recession)
1990-first half of 1991 - Pre-90's (characterized by cheesy Dance and Rap music, lots of 80's holdovers)
second half of 1991-1994 - Alternative Epoch (characterized by Grunge, Gangsta Rap, increased media violence)
1995-1996 - Mid 90's Epoch (characterized by emergence of Post-Grunge, West Coast VS East Coast Rap War)
1997 - Transition Year
1998-9/10/2001 - Millennial Epoch (characterized by boy bands, popularization of reality tv)
9/11/2001-2003 - Early 00's Epoch (rise of various 00's things (Rap, reality tv, etc.) combined with 90's holdovers, intense patriotism due to 9/11)
2004-2005 (and probably 2006) - Mid 00's Epoch (reality tv begins to die, patriotism of early 00's is destroyed by Iraq War, etc.)

I myself hold to my theory of epochs within decades.  There are certain things that define each decade, but they rarely continue on for the whole decade.  Moreover, a decade isn't made up of the same culture for the whole time period.  Compare 1982 to 1988.  Do they have similarities?  Yes, they do.  However, there are also a ton of differences.  As such, I have formulated a theory that splits the various decades into epochs.  An epoch, for those who don't know, is a subdivision of a larger period of time.

These epochs are based on the culture of the time and how it relates to other parts of the decade.  No one will deny that 1993 was quite different from 1999.  This is because they're both in two separate epochs that just so happen to be in the same decade.  Really, this theory of epochs is really just common sense, as no decade as a single form of pop culture that continues throughout the whole decade.  Also, their are arguably transition years that mark the transition from one epoch to another.
1977-1979 - Disco Epoch (typified by Disco)
1980-1982 - New Wave Epoch (typified by New Wave and the rise of MTV)
1983 - Transition Year
1984-1986 - Mid 80's Epoch (all the 80's stuff we know and love, some of which carry over into the late 80's)
1987-1989 - Hair Band Epoch (characterized by hair bands, rise of Rap, and economic recession)
1990-first half of 1991 - Pre-90's (characterized by cheesy Dance and Rap music, lots of 80's holdovers)
second half of 1991-1994 - Alternative Epoch (characterized by Grunge, Gangsta Rap, increased media violence)
1995-1996 - Mid 90's Epoch (characterized by emergence of Post-Grunge, West Coast VS East Coast Rap War)
1997 - Transition Year
1998-9/10/2001 - Millennial Epoch (characterized by boy bands, popularization of reality tv)
9/11/2001-2003 - Early 00's Epoch (rise of various 00's things (Rap, reality tv, etc.) combined with 90's holdovers, intense patriotism due to 9/11)
2004-2005 (and probably 2006) - Mid 00's Epoch (reality tv begins to die, patriotism of early 00's is destroyed by Iraq War, etc.)





I would have to say early 1997 strikes me as part of the 1995-1996 epoch you mentioned, later 1997 goes with '98 and '99, and later 2003 is part of the mid-00s. Also, I think 1983 is part of the mid-'80s more in alot of ways, with Madonna and MJ. And later 1989 fits with 1990 and the first half of 1991. But otherwise, really good  :).

The peak of the decade is usually always the middle. For the '00s it is 2003-2006 most likely.

These epochs are based on the culture of the time and how it relates to other parts of the decade.  No one will deny that 1993 was quite different from 1999.  This is because they're both in two separate epochs that just so happen to be in the same decade.  Really, this theory of epochs is really just common sense, as no decade as a single form of pop culture that continues throughout the whole decade.  Also, their are arguably transition years that mark the transition from one epoch to another.
1977-1979 - Disco Epoch (typified by Disco)
1980-1982 - New Wave Epoch (typified by New Wave and the rise of MTV)
1983 - Transition Year
1984-1986 - Mid 80's Epoch (all the 80's stuff we know and love, some of which carry over into the late 80's)
1987-1989 - Hair Band Epoch (characterized by hair bands, rise of Rap, and economic recession)
1990-first half of 1991 - Pre-90's (characterized by cheesy Dance and Rap music, lots of 80's holdovers)
second half of 1991-1994 - Alternative Epoch (characterized by Grunge, Gangsta Rap, increased media violence)
1995-1996 - Mid 90's Epoch (characterized by emergence of Post-Grunge, West Coast VS East Coast Rap War)
1997 - Transition Year
1998-9/10/2001 - Millennial Epoch (characterized by boy bands, popularization of reality tv)
9/11/2001-2003 - Early 00's Epoch (rise of various 00's things (Rap, reality tv, etc.) combined with 90's holdovers, intense patriotism due to 9/11)
2004-2005 (and probably 2006) - Mid 00's Epoch (reality tv begins to die, patriotism of early 00's is destroyed by Iraq War, etc.)



Good stuff. The only things I would change would be to push the beginning of the disco era back to 1976. That year strikes me as the beginning of the disco era. And yeah I would probably include 1997 in that mid-90's epoch.

Good stuff. The only things I would change would be to push the beginning of the disco era back to 1976. That year strikes me as the beginning of the disco era. And yeah I would probably include 1997 in that mid-90's epoch.


I'd say Disco began in 1975, and ended in and includes 1980.  1997 is kind of a mix of mid and late '90s I'd say, based on what I can remember.  It's more old school than 1999 for sure.

I'd say Disco began in 1975, and ended in and includes 1980.  1997 is kind of a mix of mid and late '90s I'd say, based on what I can remember.  It's more old school than 1999 for sure.


1997 was a mix of stuff that's pretty firmly mid-'90s and late '90s. The Whitney Houston and Toni Braxton stuff is mid-'90s, Celine Dion always struck me as sort of 1997ish, the remaining grunge and hard alt rock from then is mid-'90s, and the post-grunge was mid-'90s, but there was also some stuff that's more late '90s, if not severely so: South Park, Hanson, The Spice Girls, etc. Hanson just strike me as a poppified version of mid-'90s kids, with their flannel shirts and long hair. Titanic always seemed to be a mid-'90s thing to me, along with Leonardo diCaprio, not that he wasn't huge through 1998 or anything. But 1997 was still the mid-'90s in many ways. You weren't overwhelmed with teen pop, rap was still gangsta and about the streets, Daria and Beavis and Butthead were still around, MTV still played some music videos, and The Simpsons, though far from its peak around 1993, was still pretty funny.

The disco era didn't really start until 1976 or 1977, and goes up to the middle of 1979, after which disco fell straight out of the charts. Here's my version:

Late 1963-1966 (British Invasion Period)
1967-1969 (The Hippie '60s)
1970-1972 (The '70s Transition)
1973-mid 1976 (The Chest Hair Era)
Later 1976-Mid 1979 (The Disco Era)
Late 1979-Mid 1981 (The Pre-'80s/Post-'70s and New Wave Era)
Late 1981-Early 1986 (The Classic '80s)
Late 1986-Mid 1989 (The Hair Metal '80s)
Late 1989-Mid 1991 (The Pre-'90s/Post-'80s and Vanilla Ice Era)
Late 1991-1994 (The Classic '90s/Grunge Era)
1995-mid 1997 (The Macarena/Alanis Morisette/California Love Era)
Late 1997-Mid 2001 (The Late '90s and Pre 9/11 '00s)
Late 2001-Mid 2003 (The Early '00s)
Late 2003-2006 (The Classic '00s/iPod and Grillz Era)
Guessing:
2007-mid 2009 (The Late '00s)

1997 was a mix of stuff that's pretty firmly mid-'90s and late '90s. The Whitney Houston and Toni Braxton stuff is mid-'90s, Celine Dion always struck me as sort of 1997ish, the remaining grunge and hard alt rock from then is mid-'90s, and the post-grunge was mid-'90s, but there was also some stuff that's more late '90s, if not severely so: South Park, Hanson, The Spice Girls, etc. Hanson just strike me as a poppified version of mid-'90s kids, with their flannel shirts and long hair. Titanic always seemed to be a mid-'90s thing to me, along with Leonardo diCaprio, not that he wasn't huge through 1998 or anything. But 1997 was still the mid-'90s in many ways. You weren't overwhelmed with teen pop, rap was still gangsta and about the streets, Daria and Beavis and Butthead were still around, MTV still played some music videos, and The Simpsons, though far from its peak around 1993, was still pretty funny.

The disco era didn't really start until 1976 or 1977, and goes up to the middle of 1979, after which disco fell straight out of the charts. Here's my version:

Late 1963-1966 (British Invasion Period)
1967-1969 (The Hippie '60s)
1970-1972 (The '70s Transition)
1973-mid 1976 (The Chest Hair Era)
Later 1976-Mid 1979 (The Disco Era)
Late 1979-Mid 1981 (The Pre-'80s/Post-'70s and New Wave Era)
Late 1981-Early 1986 (The Classic '80s)
Late 1986-Mid 1989 (The Hair Metal '80s)
Late 1989-Mid 1991 (The Pre-'90s/Post-'80s and Vanilla Ice Era)
Late 1991-1994 (The Classic '90s/Grunge Era)
1995-mid 1997 (The Macarena/Alanis Morisette/California Love Era)
Late 1997-Mid 2001 (The Late '90s and Pre 9/11 '00s)
Late 2001-Mid 2003 (The Early '00s)
Late 2003-2006 (The Classic '00s/iPod and Grillz Era)
Guessing:
2007-mid 2009 (The Late '00s)


Well said -- I don't think I can argue with any of that, as it's basically what I would've said, too. I do know what you mean about 1997 seeming mid '90s in a way. That and 1998 still had some old school flavor that '99 didn't, even if they were the very beginner "00s" in a way.

For instance, a song like "B*tch" by Meredith Brooks would sound pretty dated now. At the time, it was huge, although it could've just as easily come from, say 1994.

BTW, very quickily, here's my peak years of each decade, although it's always a little debatable (which makes it fun). :)

50s: 1956 (Elvis' breakout year. Rock/malt shop culture gets more popular)
60s: 1969 (I wanted to say 1967, as it was the beginning of the "hippie/Vietnam" era, but it seemed to really peak in excess in '69)
70s: 1976 (Disco breaks out, although 1977 is tied for being exclusively "70s")
80s: 1984 (Thriller/Miami Vice/Reagan/Madonna/MTV flashy '80s)
90s: 1993 (Peak of grunge, first year '80s-like trends are entirely gone)
00s: 2004? (Bush/Kerry election, Green Day's comeback, beginning of Ipod/MySpace mania)

Well said -- I don't think I can argue with any of that, as it's basically what I would've said, too. I do know what you mean about 1997 seeming mid '90s in a way. That and 1998 still had some old school flavor that '99 didn't, even if they were the very beginner "00s" in a way.

For instance, a song like "B*tch" by Meredith Brooks would sound pretty dated now. At the time, it was huge, although it could've just as easily come from, say 1994.


Yeah, 1997 and 1998 are definitely still deep '90s, but they do have early '00s tendencies.  For instance, South Park is generally seen as being rather nineties, but I think it's more of an early '00s show, and six of its 8/2 years have been in this decade.  Plus, the whole tard and f*g thing reminds me more of the early '00s.

South Park is about 70% 00s and 30% 90s (not in terms of when it was aired). The humour.etc though sort of 90s though.

Yeah, 1997 and 1998 are definitely still deep '90s, but they do have early '00s tendencies.  For instance, South Park is generally seen as being rather nineties, but I think it's more of an early '00s show, and six of its 8/2 years have been in this decade.  Plus, the whole tard and f*g thing reminds me more of the early '00s.



I agree that South Park seems more 00's. I think it fits in with the whole animated show craze of the 00's along with Futurama and Family Guy(even though both those shows started in 1999).

There were two waves of '90s animated shows. One was the old wave, led by The Simpsons, and also including The Critic, Duckman, Daria, Beavis and Butthead, and came out in the early '90s. These were characterized by being much more thoughtful and subdued in their humor in some ways. The second wave is 1997-1999, and includes South Park, Family Guy, King of the Hill, and Futurama, which are alot more juvenile. SP's humor always struck me as a bit '90s and vulgar, moreso than FG, which seems pretty '00s and more absurd, campy, and tongue-in-cheek.

There were two waves of '90s animated shows. One was the old wave, led by The Simpsons, and also including The Critic, Duckman, Daria, Beavis and Butthead, and came out in the early '90s. These were characterized by being much more thoughtful and subdued in their humor in some ways. The second wave is 1997-1999, and includes South Park, Family Guy, King of the Hill, and Futurama, which are alot more juvenile. SP's humor always struck me as a bit '90s and vulgar, moreso than FG, which seems pretty '00s and more absurd, campy, and tongue-in-cheek.



Yeah, FG is alot less violent than SP. So I would say that SP is more 90's in terms of the voilence. I also agree about there being two seperate waves of animated shows in the 90's. The first wave feels alot different than the second wave for sure.

South Park is about 70% 00s and 30% 90s (not in terms of when it was aired). The humour.etc though sort of 90s though.



Yeah, I guess, it's more late '90s humor.  The kids are very Gen Y, and I think the humour would probably be shocking as late as 1995.  But the "You killed Kenny" stuff is very 1999.

Yeah, I guess, it's more late '90s humor.  The kids are very Gen Y, and I think the humour would probably be shocking as late as 1995.  But the "You killed Kenny" stuff is very 1999.


SP is something from the late '90s that translates well to the '00s, partially because of the carry-over in the audience, though you don't see nearly as many SP hats, bumper stickers, etc. as you saw about 1997-2002, surely. I don't think it'll pick up as many say 10-year old viewers, though, and that'll be the end of it by the very late '00s.

SP is something from the late '90s that translates well to the '00s, partially because of the carry-over in the audience, though you don't see nearly as many SP hats, bumper stickers, etc. as you saw about 1997-2002, surely. I don't think it'll pick up as many say 10-year old viewers, though, and that'll be the end of it by the very late '00s.


It's very 1999, that's what I'd say. South Park would fit much betten in with 2004 than 1994, but would also fit better in with 1998 than 2008.

It is interesting how so called peak years within the decade wouldn't have anything to do with the supposedly era. I still dislike it most of the time.

2003-2005, true peak years of the 00s.

I wouldn't know most peaks of the 90s but definitely 1994 and 1996.

50's- 1956
60's- 1969
70's- 1977
80's- 1987
90's- 1996
00's- 2005

For quintessential years? Probably this:

1920s - 1926 (jazz/flapper culture fully established, but before Ellington, Mickey Mouse, and talkies)

1930s - 1933 (height of early talkies, FDR and Hitler become leaders of their respective nations, Great Depression at its peak)

1940s - 1945 (climax of World War II, as well as early stages of Cold War)

1950s - 1957 (Tail end of I Love Lucy and McCarthyism, but also the height of Elvis, Buddy Holly, greaser culture, etc.)

1960s - 1967 (breakthrough of psychedelic rock, shows like Batman and Star Trek in their primes, counterculture in full swing)

1970s - 1977 (peak of disco, progressive rock still going strong, peak of early punk, the first Star Wars movie comes out)

1980s - 1986 (late 80s culture like ALF, NES, and Bon Jovi takes off, mid-80s culture still very prominent, last full year with some traces to the early 80s, i.e. Journey, Toto, Atari, Diff'rent Strokes, The Fall Guy)

1990s - 1995 (grunge and Sega are still extremely popular, 1994 movies are released on VHS, initial breakthrough of the Internet, crossroads between early 90s 16-bit games and late 90s 3D ones, Bulls Dynasty begins, the Rachel makes it debut, Alanis Morissette becomes popular, one of the biggest years for cinema in the 90s, huge year for both new-jack swing as well as g-funk beats)

2000s - 2005 (iPods are fully established, 50 Cent and Eminem are still huge, crunk is still in its peak, emo and snap are well-established, XBOX 360 is just released but the 6th generation is still dominant, both the Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance are relevant, Rihanna becomes popular while Kanye West and Beyoncé are still all the rage, The Office premieres, wings haircuts are ubiquitous, dial-up and broadband Internet are roughly matched in popularity, Wikipedia just enters the mainstream, MySpace is dominant)

2010s - Probably 2016 (social conflict is at an all-time high, Netflix/Amazon Prime Video/Hulu are in their prime, MCU still in its peak, live action fantasy blockbusters and Disney remakes still a major fad, The Angry Birds Movie comes out, Zootopia is the definitive neo-Disney Renaissance movie simply in terms of its ability to represent the times, Pokémon GO is set to release any day now)

1950s - 1957
1960s - 1968
1970s - 1977
1980s - 1987
1990s - 1996
2000s - 2008
2010s - Probably 2016 but still too soon to tell

1950s - 1957
1960s - 1968
1970s - 1977
1980s - 1987
1990s - 1996
2000s - 2008
2010s - Probably 2016 but still too soon to tell


Why 2008? It's still definitely a 2000s year, but hardly representative of the decade as a whole. The 2000s were all just about getting us to Obama's election and the Great Recession.

Why 2008? It's still definitely a 2000s year, but hardly representative of the year as a whole. The 2000s were all just about getting us to Obama's election and the Great Recession.


I think 2008 was a culmination of everything that the 2000s led us to.  Bush fatigue, Iraq fatigue, high gas prices, Prop 8, the recession, Windows Vista, Mac vs PC commercials, emo/scene, Obamamania, MySpace and Facebook both equally relevant, etc.  It was all happening at once that year.  No other year of the decade had so much going on all at once.

I've said it before
1950s-1956
1960s-1968
1970s-1977
1980s-1986
1990s-1996, the peak of Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls, election between Clinton and Doyle, peak of 2pac's career and then his death, both a 5th and 6th gen year; it was the peak of all sports dynasties of the 90s. Hell, It was the peak of almost everything that represents the decade.
2000s- either 2005 or 2007
2010s-hard to say, it might be 2016

Bulls Dynasty begins,

It started in 1991....

I think 2008 was a culmination of everything that the 2000s led us to.  Bush fatigue, Iraq fatigue, high gas prices, Prop 8, the recession, Windows Vista, Mac vs PC commercials, emo/scene, Obamamania, MySpace and Facebook both equally relevant, etc.  It was all happening at once that year.  No other year of the decade had so much going on all at once.


Well, it was also well after the popularity of Eminem, 50 Cent, Lil Jon, The Sopranos, Malcolm in the Middle, flip-phones, Gilmore Girls, 6th generation video games, post-9/11 patriotism, etc. Also, how is Windows Vista more definitive to the 2000s than Windows XP?


It started in 1991....


But Michael Jordan's comeback was 1995.

Well, it was also well after the popularity of Eminem, 50 Cent, Lil Jon, The Sopranos, Malcolm in the Middle, flip-phones, Gilmore Girls, 6th generation video games, post-9/11 patriotism, etc. Also, how is Windows Vista more definitive to the 2000s than Windows XP?

But Michael Jordan's comeback was 1995.


2008 was still the flipphone era for most people.  The iPhone was out but was still kind of a novelty then.  The smartphone era truly began in 2010 with the iPhone 4 and the advent of Android phones.

I agree with you though on the music.  2005 was probably the peak for '00s music being that many of the decade's definitive artists peaked that year.

I think 2008 was a culmination of everything that the 2000s led us to.  Bush fatigue, Iraq fatigue, high gas prices, Prop 8, the recession, Windows Vista, Mac vs PC commercials, emo/scene, Obamamania, MySpace and Facebook both equally relevant, etc.  It was all happening at once that year.  No other year of the decade had so much going on all at once.


You do realize that culmination means that the last of what we had during the decade. It's not the same as defining the peak of the decade, which is what this thread is all about. Also, Windows Vista, and all of the crap you said wasn't really around throughout most of the 2000s. So, you really have a warped sense of the past.

As for the peaks:

1950s - 1955
1960s - 1964
1970s - 1976
1980s - 1984
1990s - 1996
2000s - 2005
2010s - 2014

But Michael Jordan's comeback was 1995.


But the Bulls Dynasty was also in the early 90s. Not to mention that 1995 brought nothing to the Bulls, since they didn't even won another NBA Final until 1996.

But the Bulls Dynasty was also in the early 90s. Not to mention that 1995 brought nothing to the Bulls, since they didn't even won another NBA Final until 1996.


They were still super popular in 1995, though, especially with Michael Jordan returning.

I just think 1995 is more definitive to the 90s decade as a whole than 1996 was because the overall spirit that represented the decade was in its peak that year, whereas by 1996, grunge music and fashion were on their last legs, new-jack swing wasn't quite as prominently influential to pop, Sony had overtaken Sega as Nintendo's major rival, and the Internet's increasing popularity was causing things to look a bit more like the Y2K era instead of the 90s as a whole. I also don't consider late 90s teen pop that important to the decade's culture because it was largely just inspired by either r&b vocal acts from the mid-90s like Babyface, Boyz II Men, and All-4-One or early 90s new-jack swing artists and bands like Color Me Badd, and the factors that distinguished it from those artists were mostly ones that made them seem more vaguely 2000s than strictly 90s. 1996 was also a less memorable year for film than 1995 was as a whole, even though Space Jam and Independence Day were pretty significant.

50s peak: 1953-1957
60s peak: 1966-1969
70s peak: 1975-1978
80s peak: 1984-1987
90s peak: 1994-1997
00s peak: 2004-2007
10s peak: 2013/4?-TBD