Millennial optimism
2020s trend and neologism
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Millennial optimism is a 2020s cultural trend and neologism that emerged on TikTok in 2025. The term has been described as encompassing late Generation Z's nostalgia for 2010s Millennial youth culture and has been connected to the 2026 is the new 2016 trend.[1][2]
History
The phrase "millennial cringe" was originally used by Generation Z to disparage Millennial youth culture in the 2010s, which British GQ noted contemptuous towards the Millennial generation's "tendency towards sincerity".[1][2][3][4][5][6]
