My ex bought a used VHS tape of “Rocko’s Modern Life” from the local video store for the Princess not long ago, and the 3 of us sat down to watch it last weekend when he visited. There was an episode in which Rocko and his friend Heffer (a bull) go to a farm, and Heffer somehow ends up hooked up to a milking machine and becomes very fond of it. Fortunately, the joke sailed right over the Princess’ head, but her dad and I got it. 
2-12 here. Obviously, I don’t remember much. I remember One Saturday Morning on ABC. My parents didn’t and still don’t have cable so my exposure to AYAOTD and CEIA and shows of that nature was limited but I remember them vaguely. My strongest memory is of everyone in my class running to our lockers in school at every possible moment to try and prevent our tamagotchis from dying. God, we must have been pains in the ass.
Collaborate and listen.
I’m 21. So my cultural memories of the 90s are mostly of the late 90s - before then, I was pretty unaware of pop culture.
Until I was 12 or so, MTV was a mysterious, naughty thing that I only saw when my bad-boy rocker uncle, 5 years my senior, came over and turned it on. When I was a kid, I only listened to the Beatles and Yes - picked up from my dad - so I’d always protest when Uncle Richard turned on MTV. (I was like a curmudgeon even at age 6.)
The Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, Jane’s Addiction - the only exposure I had to bands like that came in the form of posters in the rooms of my friends’ older brothers, rooms that always smelled of incense. Grunge rock, alt rock - all that stuff was before my time. It was something naughty, edgy, mysterious, and obtuse.
I do remember some things. Pogs, for instance - those stupid milk caps that people collected, and the “slammers” that were used to flip them. Skateboards - all the cool kids had them. Michael Jordan was the man - when I broke my wrist at age 9, I got a black and red Bulls cast on my arm even though my dad was a hardcore Knicks fan.
But my real memories of the 90s were 96 through 99 - these were my “coming of age” years when I started to become concerned with being “cool,” and consequently became conscious of the pop culture of the time.
So here goes:
JNCO jeans. I had jeans big enough to fit 2 people, with the crazy embroideries on the sides.
Hair-dye jobs on guys with the top part blonde and the bottom part with the brown roots showing. I had that too, in middle school (1998.)
Video games - the only system I had until 6th grade was an NES, so I missed a lot of games. In '96 I got an N64 and a PS, and played the hell out of Goldeneye and Turok: Dinosaur Hunter. But mostly Goldeneye. I was so fucking obsessed with that game that I even learned how to read Cyrillic, from a teach-yourself book that I bought, because I was so enthralled with the aura of political intrigue that Russian carried. (Well, that and my best friend at the time was Russian and I thought his family was super awesome and “exotic.”) Also played a lot of FFVII - was totally stunned by the story and the amazing graphics for the time.
Hockey - played youth hockey in 6th and 7th grades. Boy did I love checking guys against the boards. I fell over a lot at first, so Tubthumping (I Get Knocked Down) was my official theme song for that year. I actually got the whole album by Chumbawamba and listened to it a lot - I really enjoyed all the songs on it, not just the big radio hit.
Other music I remember:
Sixpence None the Richer (Kiss Me)
Cardigans (Lovefool)
Wallflowers (Three Marlenas, One Headlight)
Lauren Christy - Magazine, Breed
Paula Cole (Where Have All the Cowboys Gone, I Don’t Wanna Wait)
Shaun Colvin (Sunny Came Home)
Hanson (Mmmbop, etc)
Lorena McKinnitt (Mummer’s Dance)
Natalie Imbruglia (Torn)
OMC (How Bizarre)
White Town (I could Never Be Your Woman)
Sister Hazel (All for you)
Counting Crows (Mr. Jones)
Third Eye Blind (Semi-Charmed Life [I remember when I first heard it, I was riding with my friend Jordan in the back of his mom’s Navigator, and he goes, “A BRITISH rap group?” Apparently he thought the singer’s voice sounded British.)]
Dishwalla (Counting Blue Cars)
And of course, the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies and Squirrel Nut Zippers and that whole swing craze, which inspired me to take up saxophone in 7th grade.
I could go on forever - perhaps I’ll add more tomorrow but I gotta go to bed.
Nothing says “the 90s” like the internet, especially AOL.
Does anyone else remember canceling the call waiting feature on their phone because it would kick you offline? Man, that sucked.
*8, and then the number, if I remember correctly.
Loosing my virginity to Def Leppard. Good times.
I was what I usually call a proto-goth in High School… black jeans, black t-shirt, and a black button up shirt on over it, unbuttoned. Long LONG hair… which I remember fondly, but don’t miss the hassle of.
I didn’t watch much TV then, but I remember Saturday nights was Star Trek:TNG at my house.
After graduating from High School, I moved to Montana, which was about 10 years behind the curve. That song with the trumpets… “I’ve noticed you around… would you go to bed with me?”
Having a kid in 1996 pretty much ended the 90’s, though the ex-wife and I used to attend the fetish night at a local club, till it caught on fire.
Good times. I wish I weighed now, what I weighed then. Hehehe
I was 10-20 in the 90s so it mostly involved me going to secondary school and college to do my A-levels with a bit of work afterwards. Since I came out at school at age 13 the 90s was pretty much the decade of suffering for me and I don’t have that fond memories of it.
Still, the things I did like about it were Deep Space Nine and Babylon 5, playing Rifts with my friends and getting into Battletech (the lore, not the actual game with models), trance and house being the music of clubs (my heart still lives in 1997 for that), actually going to gay clubs for the first time which I then did pretty much non-stop for three years before quiting cold turkey.
I was a bit of a late bloomer with the internet, didn’t get into it until 2000 (and discovered quite quickly it’s vast capacity to meet people for sex, fantastic!).
All four of them at once!??!
Hah! I remember going offline to compose message board postings and then going back online to psot them. 'Cause dial-up was fucking expensive.
For me 90s was all about Internet. And fan fic. That was probably because I was isolated and miserable living in Korea during my teenage years, though. I was born in '82 and moved to Korea in December of '94, so most of my American childhood (that I remember) was late 80s and early 90s. Babysitter’s Club. Reading Rainbow. 3-2-1 Contact. Square One TV. Treasure Trolls. Rollerskating rinks. Nancy Drew. R. L. Stine.
Dude…that’s so 90s.
I graduated high school in 1991, ending four years of crushing pain, so immediately the 90’s were better than the 80’s. Even so, the decade was still one long kick to the crotch for me. Good riddance!
But, Beavis and Butthead are still funny. I remember going to the theater with my brothers to see Beavis and Butthead Do America. We laughed till we were in tears. No, I’m not going to watch it again to see how wrong I was. I prefer to leave one of my few happy 90’s memories intact.