Urban Dictionary defines millennial gray as: “The sad depressive hue of the color gray which many millennials coat their life in. The color reflects how millennials went from non-sense happiness, looking at cartoon network and Nickelodeon in the 90's to Inflation and depression in the early 2020s.”
The trend for millennial gray likely started as an allergic reaction to the popular Tuscan-inspired interiors of the mid-to-late 2000s. As teens grew older and eventually moved out, they rejected the brown and tan walls, dusty plastic grapes, and rooster motifs that covered their parents' homes.
Millennial color palettes from PPG Paints and Yankee Barn Homes combine neutral whites, grays, and baby blues with lively accent colors like Mediterranean Blue, Fuchsia Flock, and Twinkle Toes yellow. Generational marketing efforts geared towards millennials employ a lot of bright colors.
Like Boomers, Millennials are a huge generation that we sometimes split into two subgroups: Early Millennials (born 1980-1987) and Recessionists (born 1988-1995).
It came to be known as millennial pink, named for the generation of then-twenty- and thirty-somethings who gladly gobbled it up. Although the exact origins of the color are hazy, we can largely thank social media for the proliferation of this dulled-down pink.
Key insights. Gen-Z yellow — an ultra-bright version of the colour — has been heralded as this generation's answer to Millennial pink. Beauty brands in particular, such as Starface and Peace Out, have embraced the colour, using it in their packaging, marketing and more.
“The younger generation is drawn to yellow because of its expressive and hopeful qualities,” she said. “Marketers use the color to speak to a consumer who is looking to be empowered.”
Millennials as a whole also demonstrate more optimism about the future than the other generations. They are more passionate than the older generations, with 27.2% falling into the Passionate group compared to 14.2% of Baby Boomers and 18% of Generation X. They're bested only by Gen Z (31.6%).
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.
You'll see a preference for these soft and almost pastel colors across the rainbow with “spearmint” green, “cantaloupe” orange, corals, and lavenders all common color palettes that attract millennials. Don't think that the soft colors are all that millennials like, though.
Strauss and Howe ascribe seven basic traits to the millennial cohort: special, sheltered, confident, team-oriented, conventional, pressured, and achieving.
Modern Gray is a WARM paint color that's more of a taupe than a warm gray (but this can be open to perception). In a south-facing room or room with western afternoon sun, Modern Gray will lean CONSIDERABLY into its warm base, looking almost beige-tan.
Trendy Neutral in the 2010s. Then in 2009, I started talking about the Grey trend (aka fresh, clean colours), just a year into blogging. When clients ask me to specify charcoal for their exterior or for a sofa, sometimes I've been known to say, “But why aren't you asking me for brown?”
In the 2000s, popular colors included latte, beiges, soft blues, and whites. It was in the 2010s when, as SW puts it, “the graying of America” began in full force. Gray knocked the long-reigning beige out of its position as the default wall color, complemented by some white, black, and off-black shades.
Anyone born between 1981 and 1996 (ages 23 to 38 in 2019) is considered a Millennial, and anyone born from 1997 onward is part of a new generation.
Millennials spend 26% of their monthly income on rent or mortgage payments. 36% of Millennials are concerned with the cost of living. 30.3% of Millennials use Buy Now, Pay Later services. Millennials do 54% of their shopping online.
Millennials frequently face unique communication challenges in their relationships due to technology and the impact of social media. As a generation that grew up with access to communication tools like smartphones and the internet, millennials often rely on technology to connect with their partners.
By this definition, Millennials are a subculture.
While they share many of the myths, customs and rituals of the larger culture, they have language, preferences and customs that are distinct to their generation. They have a unique set of reference groups and opinion leaders.
Bold pink in the 2000s symbolized gender equality and non-violence, morphing into a muted shade that represents youth and innocence — appealing to millennials nostalgic for childhood comforts as they dealt with debt and the fallout of the financial crisis.
The Time article used birth dates of 1923 to 1933 for the generation, but the term somehow migrated to the later years currently in use. A reason later proposed for this perceived silence is that as young adults during the McCarthy Era, many members of the Silent Generation felt it was unwise to speak out.
Like Millennial Pink, Gen Z colors favor the eye-popping Cyber Lime (forecasted to be big in 2024) and Digital Lavender, also aligned with inclusivity. “[Cyber Lime] can speak to all, which Gen Z is very sensitive to,” said Guilbert.