There's no single "last" Gen Z person, as it's a birth cohort, but most researchers define Generation Z as those born from 1997 to 2012, making individuals born in 2012 the youngest members of Gen Z, followed by Generation Alpha (starting around 2013). The exact years vary slightly by source, but 2012 is a common end point before Gen Alpha.
Generation Z, also sometimes known as iGeneration, Zoomers, post-Millennials, or Homelanders, are defined by Pew Research Center as those born between 1997 and 2012.
For Gen Z, the 😭 (Loudly Crying Face) emoji usually means something is overwhelmingly funny, cute, or heartwarming, signifying "crying with laughter" or being emotionally moved, rather than actual sadness, often replacing the older 😂 emoji for intense amusement. It's used for exaggerated, positive reactions to things like relatable humor, adorable pets, or touching moments.
Researchers and popular media use the mid-to-late 1990s as starting birth years and the early 2010s as ending birth years, with the generation typically being defined as people born from 1997 to 2012.
That is why the generations today each span 15 years with Generation Y (Millennials) born from 1980 to 1994; Generation Z from 1995 to 2009 and Generation Alpha from 2010 to 2024. And so it follows that Generation Beta will be born from 2025 to 2039.
While other cohorts (e.g., Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, Generation Z) are defined by age brackets, Gen C is defined by its members' digital-first lifestyle and mindset. So whether someone is 10 or 82 years old, they can still be a part of Gen C.
According to Politico, age may play a large role in political ideology of Gen Z depending on how young they were during world events such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Older members of Gen Z leaned progressive while younger members were more conservative, particularly in the United States.
Donald Trump is a Baby Boomer, born on June 14, 1946, making him one of the first in that generation, which typically spans 1946-1964; the Silent Generation precedes this, generally from 1925-1945, with President Joe Biden representing the latter. While Trump shares some traits with the broader Boomer demographic, his formative experiences as a wealthy individual diverged from many of his peers, though he later became a significant political figure for many in the generation.
The Gen Z stare is a generally pejorative phrase coined by social media users to describe a "blank stare that members of younger generations give in situations where a verbal response would be more common" or appropriate.
The 👁️👄👁️ emoji from a girl usually means she's speechless, surprised, or witnessing something awkward, funny, or unbelievable, expressing a "can't believe this" vibe, often with resignation like "it is what it is," or sometimes a slightly judgmental "wow, okay" without being overtly mean, just observing. It's versatile for awkward situations, shocking truths, or when something is so wild you don't know what to say.
The sequence "🗣🗣🗣🔥🔥🔥" means someone is enthusiastically talking about something amazing, excellent, or "lit," using the speaking heads to show they're voicing strong opinions and the fire emojis to emphasize how impressive, attractive, or exciting it is. It conveys intense approval or passion about a topic being discussed.
The 🍋🟩 combination, officially the Lime emoji (🍋🟩), represents a literal lime, symbolizing sourness, Mexican food, summer, or tropical vibes, often formed by combining the Lemon (🍋) and Green Square (🟩) emojis on platforms that support it. It can mean something tart, refreshing drinks (like mojitos), lime green color, or generally mean "lime" in texts.
Generation Z (Gen Z) refers to the generation born from 1997 to 2012. Gen Z is bracketed between Millennials (born from 1981 to 1996) and Generation Alpha. The oldest members of Gen Z are starting their post-education years with careers and possibly families. The youngest Gen Zers are just 13 years old in 2025.
"Rizz" is a term popular with both Gen Z and Gen Alpha, originating from Gen Z creators on platforms like TikTok, but quickly adopted and expanded by Gen Alpha through similar online spaces, essentially meaning charisma or charm, especially in flirting. While Gen Z popularized it, Gen Alpha has embraced it rapidly, even developing variations like "rizzler" or "unspoken rizz" within their own fast-evolving internet slang culture.
Generation Z refers to people born between 1996 and 2010. They're the second-youngest generation, between millennials and Generation Alpha. Gen Z identity has been shaped by the digital age, climate anxiety, a shifting financial landscape, and COVID-19.
Recent research shows that members of the Baby Boomer generation have worse health than previous generations did at the same ages—diabetes, heart disease and other chronic illnesses are more common.
There's no single "toughest" generation, as each faces unique struggles, but Generation X (born 1965-1980) is often cited as the most stressed due to balancing work, family, and finances while facing economic uncertainty, yet they also show high resilience, while younger generations like Gen Z grapple with unprecedented housing costs and climate anxiety, making the definition of "tough" subjective and dependent on the specific challenges faced.
Bill Clinton is an American politician from Arkansas who served as the 42nd President of the United States (1993-2001). He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first baby-boomer generation President.
Social Issues
Just when the New Atheist movement is dying, “America's Gen Z has got religion,” reported The Economist in February. “Because of them, a long decline in the number of Christians has leveled off.” “Gen Z is finding religion.
Trump's political positions are populist, more specifically described as right-wing populist. Politicians and pundits alike have referred to Trump's populism, anti-free trade, and anti-immigrant stances as "Trumpism".
Following the trend, the next generation after Gen Beta is likely to be Generation Gamma, born between 2040 and 2054. As we navigate these changing generations, McCrindle emphasized the importance of understanding their needs, values and preferences to anticipate how they will shape society's future.
The name "Generation Jones" has several connotations, including a large anonymous generation, a "keeping up with the Joneses" competitiveness, and, possibly the original slant, the slang word "jones" or "jonesing", meaning a yearning or craving.
While "Baby Boomers" (born 1946-1964) remains the standard, some newer terms distinguish sub-groups, like Generation Jones for later Boomers (mid-1950s to mid-1960s) who experienced economic challenges, contrasting with earlier Boomers often called Classic Boomers, but generally, there's no single widely adopted new overarching name, just refinements within the existing framework.