To be fifteen in America in 2021 was to have “drivers license” by Olivia Rodrigo everywhere, Spider-Man: No Way Home on every screen, and Squid Game on after school. That year, gas cost $3.01 and the Apple AirTag was the new thing. Born in 2006? You turned 15 in 2021 — a teenager from 2019 to 2025, right in the window a soundtrack bonds to you for life.
Compiled by the Original Lore archive from period charts, box-office and price records. How we build these · sources noted throughout.
The definitive 15-year-old's song of 2021 - Rodrigo turned her own teenage heartbreak into a global event, and the swelling bridge became the cathartic cry every high-schooler screamed in the car after getting their license.
the year-end #1 was Levitating - Dua Lipa.
the movies you are watching in 2021
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Venom: Let There Be Carnage
Black Widow
Dune
the tv shows you are binging in 2021
Squid Game
Bridgerton
Ted Lasso
WandaVision
The Witcher
the games you are playing in 2021
Minecraft
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl
Roblox
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Call of Duty: Vanguard
what things cost in 2021
What things cost in 2021
Gas (gallon)
$3.01
Movie ticket
$10.17
First-class stamp
$0.58
minimum wage
$7.25/hr
the average income
$70,784
trending this year
도자놀자, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsSquid GameWOKANDAPIX, CC0 1.0 (public domain dedication), via Wikimedia CommonsWordleLuc Viatour / https://Lucnix.be, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia CommonsSpider-Man: No Way HomePittigrilli, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsApple AirTagPublic domain (self-portrait taken by a Macaca nigra; no human copyright), via Wikimedia CommonsBored Ape Yacht Club
the gadgets you just got
No attribution required (CC0). Courtesy of the Unsplash contributor via Wikimedia Commons. · CC0 1.0 (Public Domain Dedication)iPhone 13 ProPhoto by Masahiko OHKUBO, licensed under CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons / Flickr).PlayStation 5 (peak scarcity year)Der. Bellemer, via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0Xbox Series XPittigrilli, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsApple AirTagBultro, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsSteam Deck (announced 2021)
what everyone is snacking on
Bananasoldier, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia CommonsDoritos 3D CrunchTexasfoodgawker, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsCheetos Mac 'n Cheese (nationwide rollout 2021)Renee Comet (National Cancer Institute), public domain, via Wikimedia CommonsLay's Flamin' Hot Dill Pickle chipsAngel caboodle, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia CommonsOreo (Chocolate Hazelnut / Java Chip flavors)Photo by Erick1222222 (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Takis_fuego.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0Takis Fuego
what everyone is drinking
Ktkvtsh, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:White_Claw_hard_seltzer_variety_packs_in_retail_freezer_case,_United_States.jpg) · CC BY 4.0White Claw Hard SeltzerHstoops, via Wikimedia Commons (File:Celsius Live Fit Can.png) · CC BY 4.0Celsius Energy DrinkВикидим, via Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · CC0 1.0 (Public Domain Dedication)Liquid Death Mountain WaterPush Doctor — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Starbucks_Pumpkin_Spice_Latte_(38404428942).jpg · CC BY 2.0Starbucks Pumpkin Spice LatteThe Coca-Cola Company, via Wikimedia Commons (File:Coca-Cola with Coffee logo.jpg) · Public Domain (PD-textlogo)Coca-Cola with Coffee (US launch 2021)
what made the news in 2021
Rioters storm the US Capitol as Congress certifies Biden's election win
Biden inaugurated president while the nation battles a raging pandemic
COVID vaccines roll out nationwide as Delta variant fuels new surges
Chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan ends America's twenty-year war
TapTheForwardAssist, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA 4.0January 6 U.S. Capitol attackNavy Petty Officer 1st Class Carlos M. Vazquez II / Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY 2.0Joe Biden inaugurated as 46th U.S. PresidentContains modified Copernicus/Maxar data processed by Sentinel Hub, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY 2.0Ever Given container ship blocks the Suez CanalMaster Sgt. Alexander Burnett, U.S. Central Command / DVIDS (Public Domain) · Public Domain (U.S. Department of Defense work)U.S. withdraws from Afghanistan; Taliban take KabulArmin Kübelbeck (Kuebi), via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)COVID-19 vaccines roll out across the U.S.
what everyone is saying
"Let's go Brandon"Sanitized chant that went viral after an NBC reporter misheard a NASCAR crowd in October 2021
"No cap"Slang meaning 'no lie / for real', ubiquitous on TikTok in 2021
"It's the ___ for me"TikTok format calling out a standout trait, e.g. 'it's the audacity for me'
"Wordle"Late-2021 viral word game whose green/yellow grids flooded Twitter
"We did it, Joe"Kamala Harris's celebratory phone call line that became a meme after the inauguration
