Xennials, Zillennials and Generation Jones

Generation Jones (about 1954–1965)

Cultural commentator Jonathan Pontell coined "Generation Jones" for people born from roughly 1954 to 1965, the younger half of the Baby Boomers plus the first year of Gen X. The name plays on "keeping up with the Joneses" and on the slang "jonesing," a craving, reflecting a group that grew up expecting the prosperity of the 1960s and came of age in the tougher 1970s instead.

Jonesers were children during the 1960s counterculture rather than part of it. Their formative years came with Watergate, the 1973 oil shock and the recessions of the 1970s and early 1980s, and they entered a job market already crowded by older Boomers.

Xennials (about 1977–1983)

The word "Xennials," a blend of Gen X and Millennials, was coined by writer Sarah Stankorb in a 2014 article for GOOD magazine and later popularized by Australian sociologist Dan Woodman. The most common range is 1977 to 1983, though some writers use slightly different years.

Xennials are often described as having an analog childhood and a digital adulthood: they grew up without home internet or cell phones, then reached their late teens and twenties just as email, the web and mobile phones spread through schools and workplaces. Under Pew Research Center's main definitions, Xennials born through 1980 count as Gen X and those born from 1981 count as Millennials.

Zillennials (about 1993–1998)

Zillennials, also called Zennials, sit on the boundary between Millennials and Gen Z. The most common range is 1993 to 1998, but definitions vary more than for the other microgenerations, from as narrow as 1993–1997 to as wide as 1990–2000.

Zillennials remember a childhood before smartphones, then got their first phones and social media accounts as teenagers. They are often nostalgic for the TV, music and games of the early 2000s, and many say they relate to both Millennials and Gen Z depending on the topic.

Microgeneration FAQ