Pop culture quiz: The best 1990s entertainment moments. Do you remember them?

OK, admit it. You’ll always have a soft spot for the decade of your teenage years.

If you grew up in the 1990s, like me, hearing a Nirvana song reminds you of where you were when Kurt Cobain died, seeing Kool Aid in the supermarket brings back memories of dyeing your hair in the sink, and the popularity of One Direction makes you scoff and think fondly of the world’s best boy band, New Kids on the Block.

Take this quiz to see if you were a real 1990s teen– and not just a poser shopping at Urban Outfitters this year for Sub Pop records and cut-off jean shorts!

>> Also check out our related quiz, “Beyond AOL – Do you remember the best 1990s technology?

36 Signs You Were a 1990s Teen – Entertainment Edition

1. You’d see any movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio
2. You went to a New Kids on the Block concert (pre-comeback)
3. You watched the 90210 spinoff The Heights

4. You pretended to be 17 to see the movie Kids
5. You stayed up late reading Anne Rice’s Interview with a Vampire, not Twilight
6. You went to see Scream on opening weekend
7. You collected actual records—including the latest releases by bands like the Smashing Pumpkins
8. On every teen show you watched growing up, any time a character smoked a joint or took a sip of alcohol they would get into a deadly car accident
9. You know the lyrics to every Eazy E, NWA, or early Snoop Dog hit song
10. You stayed up late to watch Saturday Night Live with Dana Carvey and Mike Meyers


11. You tuned into MTV Headbanger’s Ball one day to find that host Riki Rachtman had cut off his hair, cementing the pop culture turn from heavy metal to grunge
12. You thought of Brandy as “Moesha”
13. You saw Dazed and Confused in the theater and wanted to be hazed
14. The only reality show you watched growing up was MTV’s Real World
15. You vividly recall the romances of Ben and Gwen, Gwen and Brad and Brad and Jen
16. Friends actually seemed funny to you when it aired on NBC’s ‘must see’ Thursday nights
17. You watched ABC every Friday night during their tween/teen-friendly TGIF programming block
18. Kris Kross made you want to jump (jump)

19. Marilyn Manson was the ‘evil’ influence of your day, derided by conservative parents everywhere
20. You were disillusioned by the downfall of Milli Vanilli
21. You knew the real names of every Spice Girl, from Posh to Scary
22. You still associate Jim Carrey with In Living Color
23. The only ‘out’ gay teen you knew was Rickie on My So Called Life
24. Your school orchestra or band played the Jurassic Park theme song
25. You had an Urkel shirt and/or commonly used the refrain, “Did I do that?!”
26. Your mom had a crush on Kevin Costner
27. You knew Katie Holmes as the Dawsons Creek chick

28. Jacob who?! You chose between team Brandon or team Dylan. You’ll always remember the tragic moment when Dylan and Brenda broke up to REM’s “Everybody Hurts”
29. When you were in high school, Seinfeld was only on TV once a week
30. Melrose Place was must-see TV for your parents, teachers and older cousins
31. You grew up alongside Zach Morris, watching him transform from skinny high school student to bloated college frat boy
32. You remember where you were when Kurt Cobain died– and you weren’t in diapers
33. You watched endless ZZ Top videos courtesy of Beavis and Butthead
34. You were a fan of the man who “lived down by the river” on SNL
35. You first saw Leonardo DiCaprio on Growing Pains
36. You actually believed that Rosie O’Donnell was straight and was in love with Tom Cruise

What’s Your Score?

0-9 points:

You may watch Roseanne reruns on cable, but you are no 1990s teen! Your lack of knowledge of the ‘slacker’ decade suggests you are more familiar with the new 90210 than the classic saga of Brandon and Brenda. We recommend rifling through your mom’s closet for her 1990s photo albums; maybe you’ll learn something!

10-24 points:

Not bad! You show a fair knowledge of 1990s entertainment milestones and likely watched Urkel put the moves on Laura every Friday night. But you are no pop-culture junkie! You probably spent more time at the mall than in front of the boob tube. Shame!

25-36 points:

Congrats! You are a hardcore 1990s teen, in touch with all the major pop culture milestones. Your impressive recall suggests you had a subscription to Sassy magazine, lusted over Dylan McKay and were into vampires way before they were cool. For the good of today’s youth, pass on your 1990s memories to a youngster so they understand the significance behind their Doc Martens and Smashing Pumpkins t-shirts.

About Leslie Koch

I'm a New Yorker with a passion for travel and art. I founded DowntownTraveler.com after returning from a year-long backpacking trip around the world. Find me on Twitter at @leslietravel.