As strange as it seems, many generations find a connection to years before their time. Gen Z was born between 1997 and 2012, yet the generation leans heavily on nostalgia for an era they’re not old enough to remember. Due to this, Gen Z revived multiple genres that millennials had forgotten decades ago.shoegazeWe’ve seen a significant resurgence of shoegaze in the last five years. One of the leaders of the returning genre is Wisp. The singer-songwriter is a pioneer of zoomergaze, a newly created subgenre of shoegaze characterized by a Gen Z artist’s interpretation. Zoomergaze artists lean heavily on 90s shoegaze, incorporating similar distortion effects and ethereal vocals. Shoegaze has recently become increasingly popular on TikTok. Nu MetalAnother genre that is making a surprising comeback is nu-metal. Additionally, nu-gaze has returned, blending elements of shoegaze with 2000s nu-metal. Nu-metal giants such as Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, and System Of A Down have all made comebacks in recent years. Artists such as Poppy and Grimes have incorporated elements of nu-metal into pop hits, which has played well with Gen Z. Since then, Gen Z has fueled a massive resurgence of 2000s nu-metal on TikTok. Expect to see a complete return of nu-metal in the coming years as Gen Z takes over the airwaves.indie sleaze rockBands such as Geese, The Last Dinner Party, and Wet Leg are reminiscent of the indie sleaze rock movement between 2006 and 2014. Many Gen Z musicians grew up during these years, and the genre is making a huge comeback. Geese is leading this comeback, as definitive elements of indie sleaze rock are all over their critically acclaimed 2025 release, Getting Killed.easycoreAdmittedly, we haven’t forgotten about pop-punk or easycore, as you can’t watch a single 2000s movie without one of these songs used for a cliché transition. Mostly, we didn’t expect pop-punk to see a revival through a new generation. It feels like the millennials own pop-punk and the subgenre, easycore, but Gen Z is making a case otherwise. The younger generation are either young siblings of a millennial or even their children. Therefore, they grew up on easycore bands of the 2000s, making them just as nostalgic as we are. Pop-punk bands of the last decade, such as Hot Mulligan, are Gen Z favorites. Aside from that, we’ve seen multiple young Gen Z easycore bands emerge in the last decade. Bands such as Meet Me @ The Alter, Magnolia Park, and Ben Quad are leading a new generation of pop-punk and easycore. Photo by Sarah Morris/WireImageThe post 4 Genres Gen Z Revived That Millennials Forgot About appeared first on VICE.