25 Totally Tubular Gen X Nostalgia Memes That Only True 80s Girls Will Understand (July 21, 2025)

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Ely Bulnes • Writer and Editor
Jul 21, 2025 6:00 PM EDT

If you asked a Gen Zer what was the best decade to grow up in, the answer they'd most likely give is the 2000s. They'd say that their childhood was "peak." In their defense, they had totally unrestricted internet access in what was essentially the Wild West of the World Wide Web. They spent their evenings playing Mario Kart, drinking Sunny D, and taking care of their Neopets. If you asked a Millennial the same thing, they'd say the 90s. What could possibly beat 90s grunge music videos on MTV, Tamagotchis, and frosted tips?
However, every Gen X knows that they had the best childhood in the 80s. These youngsters will never understand what it was really like back then — when your mom couldn't text you to come home from a biking adventure, but you knew you had until the streetlamps came on; when kids drank straight out of hoses instead of Stanley cups; when we were all still afraid of artificial intelligence due to The Terminator. The good old days. 

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  • 01
    WOODGRAIN 36 A 9:42 GODDE made with mematic THE BLING OF THE 80'S!
    via @genxhumor
  • 02
    I came from a generation where "Keep talking" meant you better shut up!
    via @genxhumor
  • 03
    WHO KNOWS WHAT THIS IS?
    via @genxhumor
  • 04
    Growing up we didn't have lettuce, we had chips.
    via @genxhumor
  • 05
    70's/80's Child How I lived without a smart phone Atari 2600 ATARI How I lived without an iPod How I lived without Google welaim lostart How I lived without an Xbox, PS3 or Wii How I lived without text messaging How I lived without email, Facebook, or Twitter MUSIC TELEVISION How I lived without YouTube RAND MCNALLY Road Atlas How I lived without GPS How I lived without a Kindle or Nook
    via @genxhumor
  • 06
    Hands up who remembers when text messages used to look like this?! NOKIA message Lreceived 10:20 Read a d
    via @genxhumor

  • Text messages can still look like that if you get yourself a cheap burner phone… But people will assume that you're up to no good!

  • 07
    No quarterbacks. No blockers. No receivers....No teams. Everyman for himself. If tackled...you throw the ball up and someone else grabs and it runs. Where you're from...what is this game called? 1 BENGALS
    via @genxhumor
  • 08
    Mr. Rogers wearing a Bob Ross t-shirt chillin with Steve Irwin in front of a rainbow VIBES
    via @genxhumor
  • 09
    Don't claim to be a football fan if you don't know who this is. LS 9
    via @genxhumor
  • 10
    If you grew up in the 90s you know EXACTLY what these smell like, the texture on the inside and also probably what they taste like
    via @genxhumor
  • 11
    If you drank out of one of these in your teens, chances are you're immune to EVERYTHING
    via @genxhumor
  • 12
    my bathroom floor is always wet bc neutrogena taught me to wash my face like this:
    via @genxhumor
  • 13
    80'S TEXTING
    via @genxhumor
  • 14
    This generation will never know the struggle Jor Band Line News 88635 Animal orts bras. 24612 112180 Godzilla vs. Megalon Emp ries Rescue (CC) cyborg Jet Jaguar meet 68056 black chicken sent by Sea Baseball Cleveland Indians Kan The Simp- Improve. (CC) sons (CC) 4522635 2158277 WUAB Roseanne Grace Under Home (CC) Fire (CC) 2065513 2152093 49 WEAO Sesame Barney & Street 921838 Friends 55 The NewsHour With Jim Lehrer (CC) 43068 WBNX Step by Step Inside Edi- Cops (CC) Cops (CC) 14548 tion 256007370
    via @genxhumor
  • 15
    If you have a favorite pattern, your back hurts when you wake up now Select Card Back OK Cancel ☑
    via @genxhumor
  • 16
    The sole reason Gen-X will live until 100
    via @genxhumor
  • 17
    We knew how to class up paper plates in the 80s
    via @genxhumor
  • 18
    when your mom looks calm in public, but she got that secret grip on ur arm
    via @genxhumor
  • 19
    If you were the type of child that hoarded stickers because you couldn't commit to sticking them on anything... Congrats, * you're now an anxious adult! Lisa Frank
    via @genxhumor

  • I overcame my fear of wasting (read: using) stickers by slapping them onto water bottles in college!

  • 20
    WE ALL KNOW THAT ONE FRIEND WHO STILL HAS ONE OF THESE. - Well, of course I know him. He's me.
    via @genxhumor
  • 21
    TEXAS LAUREN TEXAS LAURA Lone Star Stat TEXAS KYLIE TEXAS KYLE TEXAS 4 KRISTIN DSEY TEXAS MAKAYLA Lone Star Stat TEXAS MADISON Lone Star State TEXAS ADELINE Special shoutout to all the kids who could never find their name shop. at the @eightiesgirls souvenir TEXA MARIS TEXAS VIDIA TEXAS CKENZIE Low Star State MARIA
    via @eightiesgirls
  • 22
    I believe that every purse made between 1975 and 1985 came with a half open roll of these, covered in purse dirt, in it. spe @eightiesgirls CERTS NET WT..63 OZ. spearmint CERTS mints with Retsyn Spearmint CERTS NET WT. 63 OZ. OFICIALLY FLAVORED
    via @eightiesgirls
  • 23
    What our first teachers looked like back in the day: PLAYSKOOL Alphie II ALCHIET MIDDLE SOUNDS se ee 1.1 ou ui ea t oa ՈՌ M OFF SET LEVEL 7 8 4 5 2 ON O 181-1-1-1 X 'LITTLE PROFESSOR Computer Programmed to play six different activities for fun and learning. Matching Music Math TEXAS INSTRUMENT MYSTERY SECRET REPLAY REPEAT CLUE WORD COD LETTER SPELL ON B C D E F G H I J L M N O P Q R S T V W X Y Z # WOOLE DRAGE 22 eak &Spell Peightiesgirls
    via @eightiesgirls
  • 24
    POV: You're a kid in the 80's and you just woke up extra early on a Saturday morning: eightiesgirls wberry cake TRIX RABBI CHARACTE CUTOUTS 8:01 wwwwwww53 @eightiesgirls Hintendo 833
    via @eightiesgirls
  • 25
    These were our PBS childhood heroes @eightiesgirls NEIGHBORHOOD TROLLEY TAUGHT US CARED FOR US TAR BEACH CALMEDUS FAITH RINGGOLD READ TO US
    via @eightiesgirls

Tags

throwback retro childhood nostalgia 80s music Nostalgia Overload nostalgic 80s gen x 90s kids 90s memory lane nostalgia memes gen x memes 1980s
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