How to spot a 'zillennial' in the wild, according to TikTok

• Zillennials are the micro-generation on the cusp between the millennial and Gen Z groups.
• TikTokers have been posting videos about the traits that make zillennials unique.

On TikTok, discussions about the differences between the millennial and Gen Z generations are hugely popular and divisive, but what happens when you don't identify with either? Or, possibly worse, with both?

Enter "zillennials." Born roughly between 1990 and 2000, and are part of a micro-generation on the cusp of both the millennial and Gen Z groups.

TikTokers who identify as zillennials say they don't feel the stereotypes about either generational group speaks to them, or that they relate to both groups and don't know where they belong.

Some users have been attempting to define this liminal group by offering suggestions on some of the general behaviors they believe are unique to this micro-generation, many of which suggest zillennials operate somewhere in between the stereotypical Gen Z or millennial way of life.

How TikTokers think you can identify zillennials

One TikToker posted a video saying you can spot a zillennial in public because they'll typically be wearing straight-leg jeans that aren't too baggy or too tight — a neutral option compared to the skinny jeans that millennials are famous for, or the wide-leg pants that many people associate with Gen Z.

A user who goes by @zozoakz also said she's noticed that zillennials tend to prefer posting pictures of themselves hanging out with friends on social media, compared to millennials who are typically known for posting selfies and Gen Zers for taking blurry photos to create an unbothered aesthetic that has become synonymous with their generation.

A number of other users said zillennials can relate specifically to the millennial generation because they spent most of their childhoods without social media or the latest technology, meaning they still remember having experiences like going to Blockbuster to rent physical movies or owning a flip-phone.

However, they were also still relatively young when internet culture started to develop, and it became part of their lives in their earlier years, uniting them with Gen Zers who have also grown up alongside the increasing popularity of social media, as opposed to older millennials.

One user said he remembers when the song "Crank That" by Soulja Boy came out in 2007, sparking one of the first viral dance crazes, and watched creators who posted in the early days of YouTube fame.

Since 'zillennial' is hard to define, there has been some pushback and debate about the stereotypes surrounding it

Because zillennials are stuck in an in-between zone between millennials and Gen Z, there are often disagreements among the group about which of the two generations they should identify with most. One user equated the experience of trying to pick a side to watching your parents fight and knowing you inherited both of their worst traits.

Another user posted a comedic sketch acting as a typical zillennial and made several jokes suggesting that she is "basically Gen Z" and would never want to be associated with the millennial generation, but some zillennial commenters said they completely disagreed with those remarks and dislike being compared to Gen Z more than to millennials.

Another user, @loosytoosy, suggested that there are actually several "types" of zillennials, acting them out in a TikTok sketch.

She said that some zillennials are "in denial" about their age and try to blend in with Gen Z by spending "way too much time on TikTok," while others deliberately want to separate themselves from Gen Zers who are still in school, by saying stuff to them like, "When I was your age I had a flip phone."

It seems that zillennials aren't all that easy to spot after all, even for other zillennials.

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