15 ’90s Internet Fads That Didn’t Survive
This list highlights 15 internet fads from the ’90s that were popular for a while but eventually disappeared.
- Daisy Montero
- 4 min read
The early internet was full of weird, fun, and flashy ideas. Some ’90s trends felt like the future back then, but most are long gone. This list covers 15 fads that had their moment before fading away. They might not have lasted, but they sure made the web more fun.
1. The Hampster Dance
Unknown author on Pexels
One of the first internet memes, The Hampster Dance featured rows of pixelated hamsters dancing to a sped-up song. It became wildly popular in 1999 and was shared through email and personal homepages. As internet humor evolved, this quirky GIF parade quietly faded into internet history.
2. Hit Counters
Murd0cKz on Wikimedia Commons
Hit counters proudly displayed how many people had visited a website, often sitting at the bottom of the homepage. For many early web users, watching the number grow felt like a big achievement. Over time, they were replaced by more accurate and invisible analytics tools.
3. “Under Construction” Pages
DALL-E2 Wikimedia Commons
Websites in the ’90s often included flashy banners that said the page was under construction. These signs featured blinking icons or cartoon workers and promised that something exciting was coming. Most of them stayed unfinished, and modern websites eventually stopped using them altogether.
4. Scrolling Text and Marquees
Kindel Media on Pexels
Scrolling text made websites feel more alive, especially when the words moved across colorful backgrounds. It was a flashy way to grab attention, even if it was hard to read. As design improved, people traded these gimmicks for cleaner, more readable layouts.
5. Animated GIF Overload
Animated GIF Overload on Wikimedia Commons
Animated GIFs once flooded web pages with everything from dancing babies to spinning email icons. It gave sites personality but also made them look messy and cluttered. Eventually, design trends moved toward minimalism, and the GIF chaos was left behind.
6. AOL Free Trial CDs
AOL on Wikimedia Commons
These CDs were mailed to households and handed out in stores, giving users limited access to AOL’s internet service. They introduced millions of people to dial-up internet during the late ’90s. Once broadband and faster services arrived, the CDs stopped showing up in mailboxes.
7. Chat Rooms and LOL Culture
Artem Podrez on Pexels
AOL and Yahoo chat rooms were the main way people connected online in real time. Slang like “LOL” and “BRB” became a new kind of internet language. As social media and texting apps took over, those chat rooms slowly disappeared.
8. GeoCities and Personal Home Pages
GeoCities on Wikimedia Commons
GeoCities let users build their own colorful websites filled with clip art, guestbooks, and personal rants. It felt like owning a little corner of the internet, even if it looked a bit chaotic. Once platforms like MySpace and Facebook took off, custom homepages became rare.
9. Embedded MIDI and Music Clips
Vectorization: OmenBreeze on Wikimedia Commons
Websites often played auto-start music using MIDI files as soon as the page loaded. While it added personality, the sound could be annoying if you were browsing in a quiet space. These clips eventually fell out of favor as users preferred silence or optional media.
10. PalmPilots and PDAs
Rama & Musée Bolo on Wikimedia Commons
Personal Digital Assistants like the PalmPilot helped people organize contacts, appointments, and notes. They were popular before smartphones and touchscreens became common. Once phones could do it all, PDAs were no longer needed.
11. Giga Pets and Virtual Pets
Zeitblick on Wikimedia Commons
These pocket-sized toys let users feed, play with, and care for a digital creature. If ignored, the pet would “die,” making kids rush to keep them alive. Mobile games eventually took their place with more features and better graphics.
12. Grunge Aesthetic Online
Atahan Demir on Pexels
Websites mirrored the grunge style with dark backgrounds, messy fonts, and edgy themes. It matched the popular music and fashion of the time. While the style still shows up now and then, most sites use brighter and cleaner designs today.
13. YTMND (“You’re the Man Now, Dog”)
WikiLeon assumed (based on copyright claims) on Wikimedia Commons
YTMND sites featured repeating images and audio clips on endless loops. It was one of the earliest examples of viral meme pages. Although some fans still visit them, most of the internet moved on to other platforms and formats.
14. Pagers and Beepers Online
Florian Fuchs on Wikimedia Commons
Pagers were not web-based, but they shaped early internet culture by creating a sense of urgency. People used them alongside chat apps and email for quick messages. Once mobile phones became common, pagers were left behind.
15. Dot-com Bubble and URL Hype
HYPE S.p.A. on Wikimedia Commons
The late ’90s saw a surge in websites and online startups that promised big returns. Many had clever names and fun designs but failed to deliver on their ideas. When the dot-com bubble burst, most of these sites shut down almost overnight.