This book examines the portrayal of Generation X in contemporary television, movies, music, and internet sources. Drawing on generational theory, cultural studies theory, race theory, and feminist theory, the essays analyze the role of Generation X in American popular culture in relation to both Baby Boomers and Millennials.

Born roughly between 1964 and 1980, Generation X has received much less critical attention than the two generations that precede and follow it: the Baby Boomers and Millennials. This essay collection examines representations of Generation X in contemporary popular culture, including in television, movies, music, and internet sources. Drawing on generational theory, cultural studies theory, race theory, and feminist theory, the essays in this volume consider the past identities of Generation X, relationships with members of younger generations, modern appropriation of Generation X aesthetics, interactions of Generation X members with family, and the existential values of Generation X.

Introduction: Gen X “Brings It” to Adulthood

By Pam Hollander

Chapter 1: Cobra Kai: Flipping the Script and Finding Intergenerational Balance

By Jim Deys

Chapter 2: The Countercultural Legacy of Generation X in Twin Peaks

By Damon Franke

Chapter 3: So Different Yet So Similar: Two Black Generation X Professors Discuss Life at the Half Century Mark

By Elwood Watson & Zebulon Miletsky

Chapter 4: The Revisionist 3Rs: Revolutionize your Revolutions around the Sun

By Sarah Parker

Chapter 5: The New Adult: A Media Comparison of Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z

By Lee Okan

Chapter 6: From Latchkey Kid to Granny Nanny: How Gen X Shaped the Modern Family

By Melissa Vosen Callens

Chapter 7: Crimes of Trust: Middle-Aged Gen Xers In Ozark

By Marty Rapp

Chapter 8: “I Didn’t Feel a Thing”: The Gen X Trauma and Alternative Families in My Golden Days

By Helena Gurfinkel

Chapter 9: The Aging Dilemma in Forever: Generation X Asks What It Means to Live

By Kellie Deys

Appendix: Personal Essays on Generation X at Middle Age