Nostalgiacore

Nostalgiacore is an aesthetic involving nostalgia and archived history. Most senses of nostalgia focus on childhood/teenagehood TV shows, movies, music, snacks, trends, fashion, video games and other forms of technology, Hangout places (such as malls), books, comics, and many other things.

Visuals

The visual aspect of Nostalgiacore can include pixel-art, low-poly 3D models, the fuzziness of a CRT screen, and whatever else could be associated with it, whether it be famous quotes (i.e, The Legend of Zelda's “It’s dangerous to go alone! Take this.”), sound effects, or the machines the games were played on. It can also include images and other things that were popular during nostalgic times, such as TV shows, music, movies, amusement parks, malls, movie theaters, arcades, stores, fashion trends of the period, etc.

Fashion

In this time period, you either loved or hated some of the most iconic trends that came out.

For example...

Rice Necklaces
Silly Bandz
Slap Bracelets
Tattoo chokers
Butterfly clips
Mood Rings
Printed Cargo, Khaki, or Biker shorts
Airwalks
Long bead necklaces (usually glass beads)
Shutter Shades
Livestrong Bracelets
Animal Print
Colored skinny jeans
Slim Belts
Skirt and jeans combo
Fluro animal prints ( Tiger, Leopard, ect. )

Media

TV Shows

This list has some examples of popular nostalgic shows that people born from the 1990s to mid-2000s may have grown up with. Feel free to add more if you feel some are missing.

Powerpuff Girls (1998-2005)
Robotboy (2005-2008)
Rugrats (1991-2004)
Are You Afraid of The Dark? (1990-2000)
Goosebumps (1995-1998)
Yu-Gi-Oh! (2000-2006)
Beyblade (2001-2005)
The Magic School Bus (1994-1997)
Pokémon (1997- present day)
Reading Rainbow (1983-2006)
Arthur (1996-2022)
Hey Arnold! (1996-2004)
Dexter's Laboratory (1996-2003)
SpongeBob SquarePants (1999-present day)
My Life as a Teenage Robot (2003-2005)
The Fairly OddParents (2001-2017)
Care Bears (1985-2006)
The Backyardigans (2004-2010)
Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996-2002)
Recess (1997-2001)
Max and Ruby (2002-2019)
Little Einsteins (2005-2009)
Fetch with Ruff Ruffman (2006-2011)
Wonderpets (2006-2009)
Super Why (2007-2016)
WordWorld (2007-2011)
Invader Zim (2001-2006)
Maggie and the Ferocious Beast (2000-2002)
Oswald (2001-2003)
Pucca (2006-2008)
Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)
Digimon (1999-2001)
Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go! (2004-2006)
Totally Spies (2001-2013)
Samurai Jack (2001-2017)
Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends (2004-2009)
Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! (2006-2010)
Total Drama (2007-2014)
Drake and Josh (2004-2007)
iCarly (2007-2012)
Time Warp Trio (2005-2006)
MegaMan NT Warrior (2003-2006)
Adventure Time (2010-2018)
The Amazing World of Gumball (2011-2019)
Tenkai Knights (2013-2014)
Mixels (2014-2016)
Bubble Guppies (2011-present)
Yin Yang Yo! (2006-2009)
The Angry Video Game Nerd (2004 - Present)
Classic Game Room (1999-2019)

Video Games & Consoles

Around this era, video games have quickly became a hot new hobby, with everyone vying for the top consoles. After school, you'd see an older sibling playing or even play some yourself, know without further ado, some of our most loved video games/consoles!:

Nintendo 64
Nintendo GameCube
Nintendo Game Boy Color/Advance
Nintendo DS (especially Nintendogs)
Nintendo Wii (especially Wii Sports)
Sony PlayStation
Sony PlayStation 2
Sony PlayStation Portable
Microsoft Xbox 360
Pac-Man series
Space Invaders
Frogger
Mortal Kombat series
Street Fighter series
Crash Bandicoot series
Spyro the Dragon series
Banjo-Kazooie duology
Rayman series
Final Fantasy series (from the first one through XII)
Super Monkey Ball
Super Mario platformers (especially Super Mario World, 64, and Sunshine)
Mario Kart series (especially 64 through Wii)
Sonic the Hedgehog series (especially the Classic, Advance, and Rush trilogies)
Pokémon series (from Red/Blue/Yellow up until Black 2/White 2)
Mega Man series (especially the Mega Man X subseries, the Mega Man Battle Network subseries, and Mega Man Legends)
Minecraft
Roblox
Blockland
Tamagotchi Connection virtual pets
Various flash games
Animal Jam
Space Invaders (1978)
Super Mario Bros. (1985)
The Legend of Zelda series (1986 - Present)
Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)
Super Mario 64 (1996)
Pac-Man (1980)
Donkey Kong (1981)
Pokémon series (1996-Present)
Final Fantasy series (1987 - Present)
Mega Man series (1987 - Present)
Contra (1987)
Battletoads (1991)
Mortal Kombat series (1992 - Present)
Street Fighter series (1987 - Present)
Galaga (1981)

Movies

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010)
Wargames (1983)
The Wizard (1989)
Pixels (2015)
Wreck-it Ralph (2012)

Food

Whether you're a '90s kid about to plop down for the After-School programs or a 2000s baby gearing up for a marathon with Hawaiian punch and pizza, snacks play an enormous part in Nostalgiacore. If you're already into Nostalgiacore, you may consume many popular snacks depending on what generation you're in. Here are a couple of snacks that steal our little hearts.

This is for you, '90s and 2000s kids!

Fun Dip
Hubba Bubba Bubble Tape
Dunkaroos
Trader Joes Fruit Wraps
Instant Oatmeal with Dinosaur Eggs
Eggo Waffles
Danimals
Push Pop
Ring Pop
Handi-Snacks Breadsticks and Cheese Dip
Gushers
Pop Rocks
Laffy Taffy
GoGurt
Hi-C
Nerds
Fla-Vor-Ice
Warheads
Sixlets
CapriSun
Hawaiian Punch
Juice Barrels
Juicy Juice
Chuck E Cheese
Kraft Macaroni and Cheese Dinner- Spiderman
Jujubes
Razzles
Candy Jewelry Necklaces/Bracelets
Dots
Cosmic Brownies
Kid Cuisine
Nik n' Nip Mini Drinks
Lunchables
Trolli
Tyson Lightning McQueen Chicken Nuggets

Subgenres

Arcadecore

Arcadecore is a particular subgenre of Nostalgiacore ^{(or Glowwave?)} with a heavy focus on how it felt to be a kid or teenager in the 80's, 90's, or 2000s running around an arcade; something of a crossroads between Vaporwave and Kidcore. This aesthetic includes cheap plastic toys, neon signs, pizza, arcade games like Donkey Kong and Pac-Man, the patterns on the carpet floor, etc. It can also draw a lot of heavy influence from arcades of the 80's, 90's, and 2000s which can include a lot of neon colors, arcade cabinets, ticket booths, arcade tokens, etc. Arcade pizzerias that were popular in the time like Showbiz Pizza, Chuck E. Cheese, and businesses of that nature (which can lead to a lot of crossover with the Five Nights At Freddy's franchise) are another influence. The fashion is generally pretty low-key; a simple pair of jeans/shorts/skirt, t-shirts or hoodies centered around retro arcade games and retro-themed kids products, cheap plastic costume jewelry, simple sneakers (or light-up ones if you feel like getting fancy), it's not an overly flashy aesthetic fashion-wise, considering what it's source material is, though that isn't to say that this couldn't change in the future.

Saturationcore

Saturationcore is an aesthetic found mostly on TikTok. It includes, but is not limited to saturated colors, fisheye lenses, and '90s inspired fashions. This aesthetic is trying to mimic the look of a lot of Hype Williams music videos from the '90s.