Why Britpop nostalgia is at an all-time high

Blur. Pulp. Oasis. These three bands are often seen as the core flagbearers of Britpop, the 90s musical trend that dominated the UK charts and spawned a new era for British guitar music. Over the last three years, all three of these bands have returned and with them, a new wave of Britpop nostalgia has emerged, spearheaded by an eager generation of new fans in Gen Z.

We most often associate 90s Britain with hedonism, where rave culture was taking off at breakneck speed, the tabloids were obsessing over celebrity antics (the impacts of which are still being unpacked today), and there was undeniably an air of optimism across the country. What Britpop did was catalyse all of this into a wave of bands who represented different parts of UK culture at the time.

Image credit: Simon Emmett (Fear PR)

Oasis’s long-awaited return was announced last year, with the Manchester icons set to embark upon a mammoth tour across the UK and North America in 2025. Every year that passed in the band's absence, we had a reunion tour rumour, so much so that many had given up hope that the Gallagher brothers would ever reconcile. They’ve arguably had a larger impact on British culture than any other band, the attitude of Liam perpetuates everything we think of when it comes to the 90s.

Very much a band that exemplifies laddishness, they were constantly in the headlines with all kinds of antics. But, what helped make Oasis and a lot of Britpop bands stand out was that these were genuine working-class lads who made it big. Not only could people see themselves within the Gallagher brothers and easily identify with them from an aesthetic perspective, but their music genuinely inspired working-class people to dream big. 

On the other hand, Blur came across from a more middle-class perspective, but they best portrayed the range of curious characters which crop up all across England, think ‘Girls N’ Boys’ which explored the antics of Brits abroad. 

Meanwhile, in Sheffield, Pulp brought seduction and awkwardness to the table, zeroing in on the smaller parts of living we may take for granted such as small-town gossip and the melodramas we encounter in young adolescence. Most importantly, they did this without the overwhelming sense of masculinity which dominated Britpop and made music for those who were not quite sure where they belonged.

Despite being three very different bands, they were united under a wave of British optimism, and the fact they looked just like anyone else further emphasised their relatability. These days, we are used to heavily polished celebrities, endlessly media-trained and kept well away from the public eye. Damon Albarn, Liam Gallagher, Jarvis Cocker all offered a much more tangible idea of celebrity. These days we’re sold a lot of fake “authenticity”, but you feel like you could bump into any 90s icon in the pub, they never felt above culture, they always felt a part of it. 

In reality, Britpop culture has never truly gone away, it has emerged in patterns. As recently as 2018, The Guardian noted a spike of interest in the genre. However, it didn’t feel as large a cultural moment as it does now. Pulp and Blur have had huge tours recently, which featured stadium and arena shows in 2023. And it should be noted that these were no mere nostalgia tours, as a huge cross-generational fanbase flooded venues such as Finsbury Park and Wembley Stadium. 

If you take a look at Britpop on TikTok, you’ll be inundated with young people sharing their favourite songs, making memes out of the genre, showcasing Britpop-inspired fashion and even making mini-documentaries on the subject. Some of the most iconic British albums, Pulp’s ‘Common People’, Blur’s ‘The Great Escape’, Oasis’ ‘Definitely Maybe’, Elastica’s self-titled and many more are all celebrating their 30th birthday in the 2020s. The kids of those who lived through the 90s are all grown up and they’ve fully embraced the records that soundtracked young adulthood for their parents.

It’s also worth considering the effect that lockdown had on this nostalgia, where post-pandemic young people are craving a bit of hedonism for themselves having been cooped up in their bedrooms for too long. It’s only natural that they’d look to Britain’s last decade of partying for some inspiration. There’s no doubt that Gen Z can still identify with icons like Liam Gallagher, just take a look at his social media interactions. Just like their parents before them, they can easily get on board with that kind of banter. 

It all goes back to the sense of optimism that Britpop utilises, it brings people together and now, it has given some of Gen Z a sense of community. The music is something to share and dissect together. It helps that Britpop encourages a bit of chaos and messiness too, because we all need that at some point in our lives. 

And now, Britpop is reaching far beyond its initial borders. As noted in this Guardian piece, Gen Z artists such as Nia Archives, A.G. Cook and Rachel Chinouriri are all repurposing the genre’s iconography across a range of genres from jungle to electronic. Britpop has become much more than its initial parts, resonating with a whole new generation and it’s likely to do so with further generations too. There will always be at least a subculture in Britain that’s obsessed with Britpop. 

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