As teens, many of Us would have cringed if our parents listened to our music — whether grunge, R&B or emo — and we didn’t even have an eye roll emoji to deploy when Mom sang along in the car. Now it’s a different story. The biggest pop stars on the planet are as beloved by 30, 40 and 50-somethings as they are by kids. Acts like Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan unite strong women with their music, style and sass — whether they’re a 44-year-old mom negotiating a raise or a fourth grader begging to get her ears pierced.
It’s great news for the music industry: These stars sell out stadiums in seconds and rake in millions via merch. Data from analytics platform Luminate shows that while Roan is most popular with Gen Z (aged 13 to 28), 49 percent of her fans are older. Carpenter, too, is equally loved by Gen Z and millennials as well as being huge for the emerging Gen Alpha (born after 2010), even if these kids don’t yet understand some of her raunchier lyrics.
Journalist and “Not Another Mummy Podcast” host Alison Perry is 46 and loves taking her 14-year-old daughter to concerts. “Back in my teens, I was a huge boy band fan, but my parents didn’t get the appeal,” she tells Us. “Now, my teen and I are into the same music. My theory is there’s so much awful stuff happening in the world, millennial and xennial parents are finding simple joy in pop music. We need kick-ass tunes about ex-boyfriends and kick-ass tunes about female friendship.”
Perry has taken her daughter to see Gracie Abrams, Olivia Rodrigo and Swift’s Eras Tour, and thinks that the trend is key to bonding with a screen-obsessed generation. “Teens have always been in their bedrooms, but losing them to screens is like a different level,” she says. “We can still connect via loving the same music and sharing those moments.”
From Taylor Swift to Chappell Roan: The Pop Girlies Are Sticking Together
One positive about screens? Kids have access to decades of music instead of whatever is on in the car radio — which could be why the lines are blurred between teen pop and typically grown-up tunes.
Then there’s the fact that many young artists cite ‘90s stars as major influences. Rodrigo has namechecked Alanis Morissette as a source of inspiration, and covered songs by Avril Lavigne and No Doubt on her Sour tour. “She’s creating sort of a radio-friendly version of the pop-punk millennials grew up with, so to them, it feels nostalgic and familiar,” says Forbes music journalist Hugh McIntyre. “Whereas among her younger [listeners], a lot of them are discovering it for the first time.”
According to a GWI report, 40 percent of Gen Z are nostalgic for the ‘90s, despite not being born then — a term that’s been defined as “anemoia.” Spotify data shows that ‘90s music is even the second most popular genre among Gen Z.
You only have to walk down the street and trip over a 12-year-old’s baggy jeans to see that nostalgia is everywhere, and that means that the generational battleground feels so last century, across fashion, politics and music. If that means parents can make memories during their kids’ formative years and scream “Pink Pony Club” at the top of their lungs rather than being plugged into separate devices, it can only be a good thing. As Perry puts it: “Realistically, I know I only have a year or so left until my daughter is old enough to go to these concerts with friends, so I’m enjoying it — or clinging on desperately while I can!”
