This Is the Quintessential Gen X Anthem

Capturing an entire generation in a song isn't easy. But this one does a pretty damn good job.

Can a generation have an anthem?

Or more precisely: Can a generation that hates being defined have one song that defines it?

Probably not.

We didn’t do anthems. We did mixtapes.

Also, Gen X spans a good 15 years — born between 1965 and 1980. Comparing someone in their mid-50s to someone in their mid-40s is like comparing The Breakfast Club and Clueless. They’re only a decade apart, but vastly different cultural universes.

Eat my shorts vs. As if.

But the question has been gnawing at me, like a splinter in my brain, ever since my podcast conversation with Dana DuBois of Gen Xy. You can listen to the full episode here.

At one point, Dana asked me:

"If you had to pick one song that defines our generation, what would it be?"

I was caught flat-footed and mumbled something about “Free to Be…You and Me” by Marlo Thomas.

A terrible answer.

I doubt anyone born after 1970 even gets the reference. I immediately wanted a do-over.

So this is me getting my second chance to get it right. See, this exercise is not only academic, it’s personal.

I’ve been a DJ since I was 13. Way before it was trendy.

I bought a mixer from Radio Shack, stole my dad’s turntables, and weighed down the arms with a penny so I could scratch without the record skipping.

My DJ moniker was “Kid Finesse” (don’t judge, it was the 80s). I was the middle school DJ, high school DJ, college DJ, part-time club DJ, and now, in my 50s, the school fundraiser DJ.

Even now, decades later, I still pay attention to what songs actually move people, not just on the dance floor, but emotionally.

So, this idea of choosing a Gen X anthem should be like taking a cool sip of Bartles & Jaymes, right?

Definitely not.

The process has been a kind of torture. I’ve surveyed my record collection, talked to friends, listened to way too many songs, surveyed my cats, and mostly decided this is a stupid idea.

Like trying to capture Ethan Hawke in a bottle.

But, as a sort of thought experiment, let’s continue anyway.

The Criteria

Like any good Gen Xer, I needed a system to sort out the chaos. Here’s what a Gen X anthem needed to possess:

• It had to sound raw and real.

• It had to make a cultural or political impact.

• It had to be an accident, not a marketing campaign.

• It had to bridge between different cliques—nerds, yuppies, eurotrash, etc

• It had to cross the 80s and 90s divide.

• It still has to resonate — even now.

With my criteria in full effect, I narrowed down my list to an Elite 8. And hopefully the NCAA won’t sue me.

I already have some doubts about this 8.

What about:

• Don’t Stop Believin’

• It Takes Two

• How Soon Is Now

• Burning Down the House

• Take On Me

• Linger

Ok, I must forge ahead…

Why Each Song Made the Elite 8

"Fight the Power" — Public Enemy
Because the theme song to Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing features Chuck D and Flava Flav taking on a system that was clearly rigged against us.

"Billie Jean" — Michael Jackson
Because everyone remembers where they were when they first saw Michael moonwalk on Motown’s 25th anniversary.

"Don't You (Forget About Me)" — Simple Minds
Because John Hughes movies.

"You Oughta Know" — Alanis Morissette
Because few summed up mid-90s confusion and defiance better than Alanis.

"It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" — R.E.M.
Because the world as we knew it really has ended, but we feel fine anyway.

"Smells Like Teen Spirit" — Nirvana
Because the song at once shattered pop music norms and captured the zeitgeist of a rising generation.

"1999" — Prince
Because we continue to party like it’s 1999 in 2025, despite the eye rolls of our kids.

"Fight For Your Right (To Party)" — Beastie Boys
Because the Beastie Boys turned rebellion into a joke we’re in on.

The Battle

Fight the Power vs. Fight for Your Right (to Party)
One is a fearless call to action.
One is a fearless call to read your best porno mag
➔ Winner: Fight the Power.

Don't You (Forget About Me) vs. 1999
We’re no longer anxious about the world ending in 1999, but we still don’t want to be forgotten.
➔ Winner: Don’t You (Forget About Me).

Smells Like Teen Spirit vs. It's the End of the World As We Know It
R.E.M. narrated the collapse. Nirvana made you feel it.
➔ Winner: Smells Like Teen Spirit.

You Oughta Know vs. Billie Jean
Alanis spoke for a moment; Michael moonwalked into history.
➔ Winner: Billie Jean.

The Final Four

Smells Like Teen Spirit vs. Billie Jean

I love Michael Jackson’s music, but a song about a baby daddy drama is more Maury Povich than Gen X. A song about confusion and rage feels like a better fit.

➔ Winner: Smells Like Teen Spirit

.

Fight the Power vs. Don’t You Forget (About Me)

Public Enemy’s call to arms is confrontational and aggressive—not words I immediately associate with Gen X. Simple Minds’ ditty is more detached and self-conscious. Very Gen X.

➔ Winner: Don’t You Forget (About Me)

And the Winner For Gen X Anthem Is…

Smells Like Teen Spirit — Nirvana

I already see the eye rolls. Look, it’s not my favorite song either.

It’s not even my favorite Nirvana song.

But I can’t think of any other song that captured what it actually felt like to come of age in the 80s and the 90s.

The song, the lyrics, the video, the fashion, the smell—it all felt completely fresh and ushered in a new era.

Sonically, Smells Like Teen Spirit crossed the bridge between the synthy, optimistic pop of the 80s and the clangy, guitar-grunge of the 90s.

The music we loved in the 80s was mostly created by Boomers. Nirvana was fronted by the ultimate Gen Xer, Kurt Cobain. This was OUR music, our artist, our time.

It was homegrown and organic.
It wasn’t from New York, L.A., or London, but from Seattle. A new place with a new style.
It wasn’t commercial, but accessible to all.
It was skeptical, but also intelligent and self-aware.
It was Emo, but also defiant.

When Kurt wails:

Here we are now, entertain us!

He’s calling out the whole hollow promise we grew up with. That if you worked hard, followed the rules, waited your turn, you’d be rewarded.

Well, how’s that working out for us in 2025?

But the song is also weirdly optimistic and tribal.

He sings:

Our little group has always been / and always will until the end

That sounds about right. We’re still here, baby.

Still loud.

Still proud.

Still refusing to be defined by any one song.

Which is why I fully expect you to disagree.

Have at it in the comments.