Gen Z are Listening to their Parents and Grandparents Music
It’s 2025 and nostalgia is on the menu. Not only are millennials and GenXer looking to reclaim their childhood games, music, and interests, but even GenZ, the cohort born between 1996 and 2015, are rediscovering forgotten classics from their parents’ and grandparents’ eras, Forbes reports. TikTok and other apps are helping to introduce young people to retro tunes and thus bridging a generational divide.
TikTok tunes
According to CLASH, the music culture on the social media app, TikTok — a platform that is popular among GenZer — as “fast food music.” Songs shared through TikTok reels, skits, and clips, like this one, are digested into short sound bites and musicians are constantly battling to make their tunesengaging and viral.
However, while up-and-coming young creators fight to stay on top of the algorithm, golden oldies from the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s sometimes seem to go viral almost effortlessly.
For example, content creators can choose the soundtracks for their videos, and some of the most popular sound clips come from bygone eras. “More Than a Woman,” a classic tune from the iconic 1960’s era pop group, The Bee Gees, has been used by TikTokers for 600,000 videos and 1970’s rock artist Rod Stewart’s songs feature in more than three million videos. TikTokers use its lyrics to humorously relate disappointing or embarrassing experiences.
Golden Oldies
Outside of TikTok as well, young listeners are engaging with old tunes. Forbes points out that, while TikTok plays a role, other pop culture mediums are also connecting GenZers to retro music.
For example, Stranger Things, a hit Netflix show, aired the 1980’s-era Metallica song, “Master of the Puppets,” in their season four finale. The GenX classic subsequently saw an increase in popularity, even making its way to number 40 on The Billboard Hot 100 list and number one on the iTunes rock chart. Hulu, a video-streaming service, brought 70’s icon Bob Marley’s music back to the mainstream by airing a docuseries about his life in 2022.
Young people, ages 25-34, who use the app Yousician to learn a musical instrument, are choosing to learn and play tunes from the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Songs from these periods rank as the most popular tunes on the app.
But it isn’t just the classic music that young people are drawn to, but also the listening mediums.
Elana Zozulya, Yousician’s VP of product management, tells Forbes that, “Among other supporting trends, we see increased cassette tape sales and wired headphones, which shows that Gen Z are bringing a lot of nostalgia-powered trends back that include both music and iconic accessories of the earlier generations.”
Connecting generations
The shared interest in cassette and classic songs that bridges generations may help connect people of different ages. CLASH, for example, shares that while young creators on TikTok using retro tracks may not be aware of the history and cultural significance of the music, many of their viewers are.
The comments sections of these videos are filled with Millenials, GenXers, and Boomers sharing the history of the songs and translating the bygone slang phrases in the lyrics. Viewers also make reaction videos where they showcase the hairstyle and clothing from the era when the music was made.
Some tunes are timeless and a shared appreciation of these tracks, like this one, that intersects multiple generations may be able to connect young people and older people and help them relate to each other. These songs serve as a reminder that music has the power to bring people together, no matter the age.
