Zillennials

The majority of this cohort came of age during the 2010s, with the U.K. Brexit referendum and U.S. presidential election of 2016, COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020–2021 George Floyd protests being key formative events.

[10] They are less wealthy but more economically secure than Generation Z, commanding relatively high spending power in the U.S. economy, especially when compared to millennials.

[12] Other names that have been proposed for these cuspers include the Snapchat Generation by authors Ubl, Walden, and Arbit,[4] and MinionZ by Smit.

[17] Avery Hartmans, writing for Business Insider citing a study on U.S. consumers, defines a zillennial as anyone born between 1990 and 2000.

[18][19] Authors Hannah Ubl, Lisa Walden, and Debra Arbit define the cuspers as those born between 1992 and 1998, as does Mary Everett, writing for PopSugar[7] and Vogue.

[21] Others have defined zillennials as those born from 1993 to 1998, including Deon Smit (HR Future),[13] Maisy Farren (Vice),[22] Lindsay Dogson (Business Insider Mexico),[23] Britannica,[24] and MetLife.

[28][29] Members of this micro-generation consider the "fluid" nature of their age grade unsettling with potential to "tarnish their status and input in the workplace [via ageism]", according to a WGSN case study.

[5] Their creative content is marked by an emphasis on authenticity, relatability, and social consciousness, rejecting curated programming typical of the millennial generation.

[31] Their outlook on their economic prospects was shaped by the decade's period of instability such as the Great Recession of the late 2000s and the COVID-19 pandemic beginning in 2020 and continuing into the early-2020s.

[28] Around 48% of American zillennials lived with their parents in 2023, which, coupled with their digital literacy and stable incomes, generates substantial spending power.

[6] An analysis by Morgan Stanley found that members of this cohort helped sustain the luxury good sector during periods of economic downturn.

[6] In 2023, fund manager Ken Costa in a book review via the Financial Times argued that the transfer of wealth valued at $100 trillion from Baby Boomers to younger generations, including zillennials, could restructure the global economy.

[32] A report from Bank of America found in 2020 that zillennials carry outsized influence in financial markets due to their shifting consumer preferences away from "meat, alcohol and cars.