Welcome to Millennial Core, the new way for Gen Zs to make fun of you.

Millennials are getting the brunt of Gen Z criticism again – this time, for being cringe.

It's an age-old rite of passage: the one where the newer, shinier, less-wrinkled demographic rolls out the punches to their predecessor as soon as said age group becomes old enough to worry about real adult things – like a mortgage and babies and... grocery shopping.

Because no longer are Millennials the ones who are making the rules, enforcing change or creating new trends. Instead, they're struggling to catch up with Gen Z.

It was the same situation for Gen Y... and Gen X... and even our beloved ol' Baby Boomers.

Of course, Millennials – god bless their cotton socks – do their best to keep up. They try to take part in the TikTok challenges and ride the wave of ever-changing fashion trends.

If there's a sound to lip sync to, they're on it. When there's a new cult-favourite pair of pants to buy, they whip out their credit cards. This is, unfortunately, the problem. 

Watch: Millennial Core. Post continues below.

In recent weeks, clips of millennials behaving... in a very 'millennial' way... have been blowing up after Gen Zs started editing and compiling all the clips together, giving birth to a new genre that's been labelled 'Millennial Core'.

Essentially, these uploads are back-to-back snippets of people displaying very 'cringeworthy' traits that Gen Z associates with Millennials.

In one video, various clips were stitched together to embody what we now know as 'Millennial Girl'. Some videos had a woman referring to Taylor Swift as a "smol girl" and another dressed in Disney merch. 

One might also refer to someone embodying the 'Millennial Core' when they try to be funny but it just falls... flat. Or outdated. 

As someone who knows many a Millennial and rarely sees a darker, more insidious side to them, I have to come to their defence, and have to say that I have rarely (if ever) seen Millennial Core behaviour exhibited anywhere but online.

Perhaps I'm just a great judge of character, but not all Millennials are like this. Some might still wear jeggings like it's 2010 again, wear feathers in their hair, exhibit their decade-old fascinators at themed birthdays and still complete every quiz they see and post the results on Facebook. But that doesn't mean they are embodying the very essence of Millennialism itself... right? 

Listen, I actually really like Millennials. And I'm not just saying that because every single one of my bosses is one (hello, to my editor!). My older cousins are Millennials. My dad thinks he's a millennial, and Gen Zs have been learning from Millennials since before TikTok existed.

And the point of these videos isn't necessarily to hurt Millennial feelings (although that's not entirely a problem for the younger gen either).

I think Gen Z mostly just find Millennials annoying, and a little embarrassing.  

We should be past side parts, skinny jeans and self-deprecating humour by now say the Gen Zs. But Millennials have a grip on the things that were considered cool a decade ago – aka when half of Gen Z was still in diapers.

It also might have to do with us having a tiny bit of resentment as well. After all, it seems like it is always the youngest generation that gets the short end of the economic stick – and poked by it.

Yes, we're all impacted by inflation. And no, it doesn't look like Millennials or Gen Zs will buy a house anytime soon unless they finesse the art of crypto. And yes – this tanking post-recession job market and soaring student debt feels like just another thing that wants to steal our joy.

But it will be Gen Z clanging their pots and walking the streets to make real change.

Wait, what was I talking about?! 

Oh yeah. Why Gen Z loves to make fun of Millennials.

Look, it's nothing personal. We actually have plenty in common with you lot, and, indeed, we couldn't wait to be you all when we grew up.

But times have changed, and it's time to embrace it.

Feature Image: TikTok @auntielisa, @liliannawilde.