Nickelodeon went through a similar transition as well, with '90s Nicktoons, the SNICK block, and pre-movie SpongeBob SquarePants ending. Cartoon Network switched from the Powerhouse to CN City era, with most of their '90s programs ending and Toonami moving to Saturday nights. New aesthetics such as McBling, UrBling, Surf Crush, and 2K1 appeared at this time, initially running concurrent with Y2K.ΔΆ004 was the last hurrah of the Y2K aesthetic. The Y2K Era gradually declined afterward due to events such as the Dot-com Bubble Burst, 9/11, and the War on Terror, though residual aesthetics from the era still remained popular during this time. Y2K peaked around late 1999/early 2000, coinciding with the turn of the millennium and apex of the Dot-com Bubble. The Y2K Era then took off in full force from 1998 to 2000, with things such as Pokemania, Limp Bizkit, NSYNC, TRL, The Matrix, TOM replacing Moltar on Toonami, and Britney Spears hitting their peak popularity. Y2K fashions such as frosted tips, soul patches, and JNCOs were becoming popular. The movies Titanic and Men in Black were released which are regarded as Y2K phenomena. The PS1 and N64 were now in full-swing with games such as Final Fantasy VII and Goldeneye. South Park and King of the Hill premiered, and Cartoon Network debuted the Toonami block which mainstreamed anime in the U.S. WWF entered the edgier Attitude Era and had gotten rid of its Memphis aesthetics (from the New Generation Era) by March 1998, in an attempt to compete with rival companies WCW (which, coincidentally, probably adopted more elements of the actual Y2K aesthetic compared to its competition) and ECW. Limp Bizkit also debuted that year with Three Dollar Bill, Y'all which led to the mainstreaming of Nu-Metal, post- grunge started to become popular with bands like Creed, Hanson released " Mmmbop", and more music videos by artists such Puff Daddy (" Mo Money Mo Problems"), Will Smith ("Gettin' Jiggy wit It", "Men in Black"), and the Spice Girls ("Say You'll Be There") were done in the Y2K style. and gained international popularity, leading to a new era in teen pop, and in a Super Bowl ad that year the group heralded the arrival of "Generation Next". The Spice Girls' single "Wannabe" was released in the U.S. The Y2K Era became well-defined by 1997, replacing the Core '90s Era which had been known for its grittier aesthetics such as Grunge. Campaigns like Nintendo's " Play It Loud" era might have been a precursor to Y2K, as well. First signs of the Y2K aesthetic going mainstream appeared around 1995 to 1996, with the release of Windows 95, the start of the Internet boom, the original PlayStation and Nintendo 64 being released with games such as Wipeout and Super Mario 64, Pokemon being released in Japan, the films Hackers, Trainspotting, and Scream being released, the Spice Girls, Robyn, Moloko, and Backstreet Boys debuting in Europe, and the music video for Michael and Janet Jackson's "Scream". Y2K has its origins in the underground UK rave scene of the late '80s/Early '90s, as well as the early works of the Sheffield-based Designers Republic. Due to the McBling aesthetic also being confusingly referred to as "Y2K" (or "Trashy Y2K") on social media, some have referred to the actual Y2K as Cyber Y2K or Futuristic Y2K to distinguish between the two. Since the Mid-Late 2010s, the Y2K aesthetic has made a resurgence in popular culture and social media. Y2K aesthetics are mostly classified as a subcategory to Retro-Futurism, but some elements also cross over with Vaporwave, since it shares Vaporwave's angst towards late-stage capitalism, and its nostalgia for a future that never came. The Y2K Era ended around 2004 and was succeeded by the Frutiger Aero era. Most Y2K aesthetics rely on the use of technology and slick futuristic looks, signaling the optimism for the 3rd Millennium or 21st Century. Some of its aspects include tight leather pants, shiny clothing, silver eye shadow, spiky up-dos, Oakleys, gradients, translucence, and Blobitecture. Named after the Year 2000 problem, it is characterized by a distinct aesthetic period, encapsulating fashion, hardware design, music, and furnishings shining with tech optimism-sometimes literally. Y2K (also known as Kaybug or Cybercore) is an aesthetic that was prevalent in popular culture from roughly 1997 to 2004, succeeding the Memphis Design and Grunge eras and overlapping with the McBling, UrBling, Surf Crush, and 2K1 aesthetics. ATTENTION! Not to be confused with the McBling aesthetic, which was popular from 2000 to 2008 (partially overlapping with the actual Y2K aesthetic) and is also commonly lumped under the "Y2K" umbrella term on social media.
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