{"id":533110,"date":"2026-03-13T06:17:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T06:17:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/533110\/"},"modified":"2026-03-13T06:17:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T06:17:11","slug":"goo-goo-dolls-frontman-reacts-to-iris-going-viral-in-90s-trend-exclusive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/533110\/","title":{"rendered":"Goo Goo Dolls Frontman Reacts to ‘Iris’ Going Viral in ’90s Trend: EXCLUSIVE"},"content":{"rendered":"

About two months after the internet was obsessed with the year 2016<\/a>, now it\u2019s the \u201890s that are in vogue. People on the internet are asking, and answering, a single question: What were you like in the \u201890s?<\/p>\n

NBC\u2019s Joe Fryer unpacked the trend that\u2019s leaving people longing for life 30 years ago in a TODAY segment that aired on March 12. Some of the biggest \u201890s stars, from John Stamos to Drew Barrymore, have already participated. And the Goo Goo Dolls, whose song is included in the trend, are weighing in, too. <\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what to know about the \u201cwhat were you like in the \u201890s?\u201d trend. <\/p>\n

Inside the \u2018What Were You Like in the \u201890s?\u2019 Trend<\/p>\n

The trend is simple. People film themselves<\/a> in the present<\/a> day with questions like this atop the screen: \u201cMom, what were you like in the \u201890s?\u201d or \u201cDad, what were you like in the \u201890s?\u201d<\/p>\n

Then comes a montage of photos and videos of the same person in the \u201890s. The Goo Goo Dolls classic \u201cIris,\u201d playing over the photos and videos, heightens the nostalgia. <\/p>\n

Celebrities, including ones who rose to fame in the \u201890s, are happily hopping on the trend. John Stamos shared memories<\/a> from his \u201cFull House\u201d Uncle Jesse era, showing off his \u201cbad boy\u201d look and reminding social media why he was every girl\u2019s first crush at the time. Kevin Bacon posted photos on Instagram<\/a> flashing back to his long hair and leather jackets.<\/p>\n

The celebrity participation list does not stop there, with more posts from Jewel, Reese Witherspoon<\/a>, Brooke Shields<\/a>, Joey McIntyre<\/a> and music groups like the Spice Girls<\/a> and the Backstreet Boys<\/a>. <\/p>\n

The trend is prompting reflection, too. Drew Barrymore wrote on Instagram<\/a> that she \u201cwent down memory lane looking at these photographs.\u201d Kristin Davis, who played Charlotte York on the HBO show \u201cSex and the City,\u201d one of the defining cultural moments of the \u201990s, said the era was a \u201cvery interesting time<\/a>.\u201d <\/p>\n

Who\u2019s Driving the Nostalgia? <\/p>\n

The generations who\u2019ve grown up online are the ones yearning for a time that was not-so-digital.<\/p>\n

Gen Z and Gen Alpha are driving this \u201890s nostalgia trend, according to Clay Routledge, a leading expert on the science of nostalgia.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey think there\u2019s something really cool about the pre-digital life \u2014 about the analog, more-tactile in-person life \u2014 and they\u2019re trying to get in touch with that and find inspiration from it, to find balance in their own digital lives,\u201d Routledge told TODAY.<\/p>\n

Younger generations have also been inspired by the FX and Hulu series \u201cLove Story\u201d about JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette\u2019s \u201890s romance.<\/p>\n

Gen Z and Gen Alpha are obsessed with Bessette\u2019s minimalist style<\/a> and JFK Jr. has been inspiring young men to don caps<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Goo Goo Dolls React to the Viral Trend<\/p>\n

The flashback montages are all accompanied by the same song: \u201cIris\u201d By the Goo Goo Dolls. The song, which came out in 1998, also had a moment in 2025, and was deemed “the song of the summer” by the Wall Street Journal <\/a>thanks to its resurgence on charts. Footage of Goo Goo Dolls frontman and guitarist John Rzeznik singing in a rainy concert in Buffalo has also gone viral<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The band is calling the most recent trend a \u201cblast.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re so thrilled at the continued support of \u2018Iris\u2019 nearly 30 years after its release,\u201d Rzeznik told TODAY. \u201cThe \u201890s trend is a blast for us and it\u2019s so fun to see all the old school photos from some of our favorite people. \u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s also really cool to connect with a younger audience who are discovering not only \u201cIris\u201d but a lot of our songs,\u201d Rzeznik added. \u201cIt\u2019s really been a great time and I\u2019m super grateful.\u201d<\/p>\n