Zillennials (sometimes called Zennials) are the micro-

generation A generation refers to all of the people born and living at about the same time, regarded collectively. It can also be described as, "the average period, generally considered to be about 20–⁠30 years, during which children are born and gr ...

of people born on the

cusp A cusp is the most pointed end of a curve. It often refers to cusp (anatomy), a pointed structure on a tooth. Cusp or CUSP may also refer to: Mathematics * Cusp (singularity), a singular point of a curve * Cusp catastrophe, a branch of bifurca ...

of the

Millennial Millennials, also known as Generation Y or Gen Y, are the Western demographic cohort following Generation X and preceding Generation Z. Researchers and popular media use the early 1980s as starting birth years and the mid-1990s to early 2000 ...

and

Generation Z Generation Z (or more commonly Gen Z for short), colloquially known as zoomers, is the Western world, Western demography, demographic Cohort (statistics), cohort succeeding Millennials and preceding Generation Alpha. Researchers and popular me ...

demographic Demography () is the statistical study of populations, especially human beings. Demographic analysis examines and measures the dimensions and dynamics of populations; it can cover whole societies or groups defined by criteria such as edu ...

cohorts in the

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and the rest of the

western world The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to the various nations and state (polity), states in the regions of Europe, North America, and Oceania.

. Researchers and popular media cite birth years for this micro generation from the early 1990s to the early 2000s. The majority of this cohort graduated high school and reached adulthood at some point during the

2010s File:2010s collage v21.png, From top left, clockwise: Anti-government protests called the Arab Spring arose in 2010–2011, and as a result, many governments were overthrown, including when Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi was Death of Muammar Gadd ...

decade, and they are often the children of younger Baby Boomers and Gen Xers. Zillennials are described as the kids and toddlers of

9/11 The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial ...

, making them the first group to grow up in a post-9/11 world. Their outlook on life was further shaped by later crises such as the

Great Recession The Great Recession was a period of marked general decline, i.e. a recession, observed in national economies globally that occurred from late 2007 into 2009. The scale and timing of the recession varied from country to country (see map). At ...

of 2008 and the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. Additionally, this cohort witnessed the digital transition of the 2000s and 2010s throughout their childhood and youth: from dial-up Internet to high speed mobile LTE Internet, from corded home phones to cell phones, from home computers to

mobile devices A mobile device (or handheld computer) is a computer small enough to hold and operate in the hand. Mobile devices typically have a flat LCD or OLED screen, a touchscreen interface, and digital or physical buttons. They may also have a physical ...

with the capability to connect to the Internet, and from cellular flip phones to

smartphones A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, which ...

Terminology and birth year definitions

The term ''Zillennial'' is a

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of words Other names that have been proposed for these cuspers include the ''Snapchat Generation'' by Ubl, Walden, and Arbit, and ''MinionZ'' by Smit. Although the birth years of the micro-generation are not specifically defined, Zillennials are born on the

of the

generation and

, i.e. near the end of the

generation and the beginning of

. Authors Hannah Ubl, Lisa Walden, and Debra Arbit define the Millennial/Gen Z cuspers as those born from 1992 to 1998, as does Mary Everett, writing for '' PopSugar'' and ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

''. A '' WGSN'' case study on Zennials stated that micro-generations are "typically smaller groups born in bursts of time that extend only six years, versus the 15 years a generation" and defines Zennials as those born from 1992 to 1998. Others have defined Zillennials as those born from 1993 to 1998, including Deon Smit, Maisy Farren, writing for ''

Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character tra ...

'', Lindsay Dogson, writing for ''

Business Insider ''Insider'', previously named ''Business Insider'' (''BI''), is an American financial and business news website founded in 2007. Since 2015, a majority stake in ''Business Insider''s parent company Insider Inc. has been owned by the German publ ...

'' Mexico, and Chloe Berger, writing for ''Fortune''. Other sources have identified their own ranges for Zillennials.

Ketchum Inc. Ketchum Inc. is a global public relations firm, offering marketing, branding, and corporate communications services in the corporate, healthcare, food and beverage, and technology industries. George Ketchum founded the firm as a Pittsburgh-based ...

defines ''GenZennials'' as those born from 1992 to 2000.https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DLN1wQTV4AI6d63?format=jpg&name=large Fullscreen, LLC defines the Millennial/Gen Z cusp group as those born from approximately 1993 to 1999 in their research. Mary Donahue defines the cuspers as those born from 1995 to 2000.

Characteristics and traits

While generational boundaries are a fluid space, Zillennials are influenced by both

Millennials Millennials, also known as Generation Y or Gen Y, are the Western demographic cohort following Generation X and preceding Generation Z. Researchers and popular media use the early 1980s as starting birth years and the mid-1990s to early 2000 ...

and

. According to a WGSN case study, many Zillennials tend to feel more aligned with Millennial sentiments and assume they are Millennials by default. They are characterized as being "raised less by optimistic Boomers and more by skeptical Xers and pragmatic Gen Jonesers, who raised them to focus more on the practical rather than the aspirational." According to a study done by Fullscreen, while Zillennials are comfortable with technology and social media, they acknowledge it is a "love-hate relationship" with both, each coming with their respective good and bad. However, a majority of them do believe that technology is making the world a better place. The study also found the cohort to be more creative and more likely to self-identify as a minority than other generational cohorts. They are more diverse than Millennials before them. Diversity and independence are the traits used most often by the cohort to describe what will set their micro-generation apart. Patrice Peck, writing for ''

Cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Food and drink * Cosmopolitan (cocktail), also known as a "Cosmo" History * Rootless cosmopolitan, a Soviet derogatory epithet during Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign of 1949–1953 Hotels and resorts * Cosmopoli ...

,'' stated that Zillennials were between the ages of 18 and 29 during the

2020 United States elections The 2020 United States elections were held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. Democratic presidential nominee, former vice president Joe Biden, defeated incumbent Republican president Donald Trump in the presidential election. Despite losing seats ...

, and were the "key to ousting then-president

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

and sending Joe Biden and

Kamala Harris Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who is the 49th vice president of the United States. She is the first female vice president and the highest-ranking female official in U.S. history, as well ...

to the White House." In a 2022 interview for

eMarketer eMarketer is a subscription-based market research company that provides insights and trends related to digital marketing, media, and commerce. History eMarketer was founded in 1996, and is headquartered in New York City. 93 percent of the co ...

Abercrombie & Fitch Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F) is an American lifestyle retailer that focuses on casual wear. Its headquarters are in New Albany, Ohio. The company operates three other offshoot brands: Abercrombie Kids, Hollister Co., and Gilly Hicks. As of Februar ...

's VP of Marketing & Brand Strategy, Megan Brophy, shared that their target demographic were 25 to 29 years old, calling them "Zillennial" since the group had "a bit of both Gen Z and millennial mentality". Between 2020 to 2022, A&F rebranded based upon what they learned from their target demographic in a new

TikTok TikTok, known in China as Douyin (), is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 15 seconds to 10 minutes. TikTok is an international version ...

era with Zillennials telling them that they “wish to make the best of every single day.” They want their every day lives to be just as exciting as any weekend plans, not wanting to just live for the weekends nor just to work. Additionally, VP Brophy went on to say that Zillennials along with TikTok are creating the culture in 2022.

Terminology and birth year definitions

Characteristics and traits

See also

References

Further reading