'90s Dos and Don'ts

DOS

Flannel shirts
First popularized in non-lumberjack circles by grunge luminaries like Kurt Cobain and Eddie Vedder, these remain a universally viable fashion choice today.

Mario Kart
Even if it’s mostly been recontextualized by college students as “Beerio Kart,” this Nintendo 64 classic is still a great party game, and its newer installments are just as excellent.

Deadpool
This wisecracking, fourth-wall-breaking, meta-steeped antihero is everything that was and still is great about ‘90s comics and popular writing in general.

Radiohead
 Thom Yorke and Co. are as relevant today as they were when “Creep” was creeping across the ocean and onto alt-rock airwaves, even though their sound couldn’t be more different.

Griffey swag
With a diamond earring, an infectious smile and a backwards cap, Ken Griffey Junior’s tenure with the Mariners made baseball – and sports – fun again.

Frito-Lay products
Even if saving the Ploids from the back of the Doritos bag won’t earn you cool prizes anymore, the deeply unnatural orange and red dusts coating these snacks are as tasty as ever.

DON'TS

Loudly colored cloth headbands
Just because Melissa Joan Hart rocked them on “Clarissa Explains It All” doesn’t explain why anyone would still wear them today at all.
 
’90s toys
Let’s face it. Pogs, Pokémon cards, Megazords and McDonald’s Happy Meal toys were never that fun. Don’t let your nostalgia trick you into thinking they  were.

Backstreet Boys
Boy bands still exist in the form of made-for-TV acts like the Jonas Brothers and Big Time Rush, but they shouldn’t.
Backstreet’s dead, alright?

Post-grunge
As a general rule, if it’s been compiled on “Buzz Ballads,” no one should be listening to it. Bush, Fuel, Staind and plenty more like them should never have crossed into the new.

Neon tights
You’re not Kimmy Gibbler from “Full House,” so stop trying to pull off neon tights. That goes for scrunchies, too. Sorry, Kimmy.

Acid wash with waistbands
Denim is undeniably returning after the dark era of jeggings in the form of denim-on-denim ensembles, but the waistbanded acid wash is one style that should stay dead.