70s • 80s • 90s

GEN X NOSTALGIA

TV • MUSIC • MOVIES • TOYS • FADS • COMMERCIALS
Raised on rabbit ears. Record stores. Mall arcades. MTV. VHS. Saturday morning cartoons. Video-store Fridays. And whatever was on before somebody found the remote.
Explore the 80s Explore the 90s 90s TV Hub
Latest Video
Now Playing Latest Smells Like Gen X Video Legit 80s One-Hit Wonders That Owned the Decade
CH 70 70s CH 80 80s CH 90 90s
Retro television nights collage TV Shows Mix Tapes Forever retro cassette collage Music Be Kind Rewind retro VHS banner Movies Retro toy box treasures collage Toys Totally rad 90s fads collage Fads Retro TV snack break nostalgia Commercials
Choose a Decade

70s, 80s and 90s Gen X Nostalgia

Explore music, movies, television, toys and pop culture from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. Start with the decade you remember best.

Explore 1970s nostalgia 70
1970s Music, Movies, TV and Toys

1970s Nostalgia

Explore 1970s music, classic movies, television, toys and the pop culture that shaped early Gen X.

Explore 1970s Nostalgia →
Explore 1980s nostalgia 80
1980s Music, Movies, TV and Toys

1980s Nostalgia

Explore 1980s music, movies, television, toys, mall culture, video stores and the decade's biggest trends.

Explore 1980s Nostalgia →
Explore 1990s nostalgia 90
1990s Music, Movies, TV and Toys

1990s Nostalgia

Explore 1990s music, movies, television, toys, CD culture and the final years before everything went online.

Explore 1990s Nostalgia →
Popular Collections

Classic Toys and Music

Browse classic toys and music by decade, including year-by-year countdowns, major genres, memorable toy lines and the stories behind them.

Classic Toys

Toy Collections

Browse action figures, dolls, games, electronics, collectibles, Christmas toys and year-by-year guides to the playthings Gen X remembers.

Browse All

Top Toys by Year

Find the published toy countdowns organized by year.

1970s Toys

70s Toys

Classic playsets, dolls, games and toys from the 1970s.

1980s Toys

80s Toys

He-Man, G.I. Joe, Transformers and the biggest 1980s toy lines.

1990s Toys

90s Toys

Furby, Tamagotchi, Pokémon and the biggest 1990s toy crazes.

Browse All Toy Posts
Music by Decade

Music Collections

Browse top songs by year, Billboard countdowns, albums, artists and genre guides covering the music of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.

Browse All

Top Songs by Year

Billboard year-end countdowns and song guides by year.

1970s Music

70s Music

Classic rock, soul, funk, disco and the biggest songs of the 1970s.

1980s Music

80s Music

Pop, rock, new wave, R&B, rap and the biggest songs of the 1980s.

1990s Music

90s Music

Grunge, hip-hop, R&B, pop and the biggest songs of the 1990s.

Browse All Music Posts
Start Here
Best 70s TV Shows Iconic 80s Commercials Best 80s TV Shows Forgotten 90s Toys Best 90s TV Shows 90s Movies That Defined Us
Recently Published

Latest Articles

Read the newest Smells Like Gen X articles, including countdowns, in-depth stories and nostalgia from across the 70s, 80s and 90s.

Browse All Articles
New on Video

Latest Videos

Watch the newest Smells Like Gen X videos about music, movies, television, toys and forgotten pop culture.

Browse All Videos
About Smells Like Gen X

Researched and Remembered

Smells Like Gen X is built for people who still remember rabbit ears, record stores, mall arcades, Saturday morning cartoons and whatever happened to be on before somebody found the remote.

TV Music Movies Toys Fads Commercials

Smells Like Gen X mixes researched history with lived-it memory to revisit the television, music, movies, toys and pop-culture detours that shaped Generation X.

The site blends deep dives, rankings, forgotten moments and memory-joggers with an authentic Gen X voice — the kind that remembers dubbing VHS tapes, waiting all week for a show and wearing out the same cassette until the liner notes practically fell apart.

What you’ll find here TV, music, movies, toys, commercials and the weird little pop-culture moments other sites usally skip.
The voice behind it Gizmo — a longtime media pro with a genuine lived-in Gen X perspective, not a sterile content-mill recap.
About the Site Meet Gizmo
New Posts by Email

Get New Gen X Nostalgia

Get new articles, videos and countdowns covering 70s, 80s and 90s nostalgia delivered to your inbox.