20 Internet Trends from the Early 2000s That Are Cringeworthy Today
The early 2000s internet was a chaotic mix of questionable fashion, bizarre social media habits, and digital experiments that haven’t aged well.
- Chris Graciano
- 5 min read
Looking back at the internet in the early 2000s, it’s clear we were all figuring things out—often in hilariously embarrassing ways. From over-the-top MySpace layouts to ridiculous chain emails, what once seemed cool now makes us cringe. These trends may have defined an era, but we’re glad most of them stayed in the past.
1. MySpace Profile Songs
David King on Flickr
Nothing screamed personality like blasting a chosen song as soon as someone landed on your MySpace page. The problem? It often led to ear-shattering autoplay music that startled unsuspecting visitors.
2. Sparkly, Blinking GIFs
Christin Hume on Unsplash
From glittery text to animated “WELCOME TO MY PAGE” banners, websites were an explosion of flashing graphics. These eye-searing designs were everywhere on MySpace, Xanga, and early blogs.
3. AIM Away Messages
Brendan Dolan-Gavitt on Flickr
Crafting the perfect AIM away message was an art form, whether it was a deep song lyric or an inside joke. Many people used dramatic, passive-aggressive updates clearly aimed at someone specific.
4. Chain Emails That Promised Doom
Brett Jordan on Unsplash
“If you don’t forward this email to 10 people, you’ll be cursed for life!"—who didn’t fall for one of these? These chain messages preyed on superstitions and guilt-tripped people into spreading nonsense.
5. Dancing Baby GIF
Brooke Cagle on Unsplash
One of the first viral memes, this creepy 3D-animated baby did a bizarre dance for no apparent reason. It showed up in chain emails, personal blogs, and even the TV show Ally McBeal.
6. Excessive Use of “Rawr XD”
Brooke Cagle on Unsplash
Early internet culture was full of cringey phrases, but nothing was as painfully overused as “Rawr XD.” This weird attempt at internet flirting—supposedly dinosaur speak for “I love you”—was a staple in emo and scene kid circles.
7. Posting Every Emotion on Facebook
Pixabay on Pexels
Before people learned about oversharing, Facebook was filled with constant status updates about the most mundane things. “Samantha is… eating a sandwich” or “Jake is feeling sad :(” flooded newsfeeds.
8. Edgy Forums and “Deep” Quotes
Brooke Cagle on Unsplash
Forums like Xanga and LiveJournal were breeding grounds for dramatic, brooding teens. Posting deep, pseudo-intellectual quotes—often misattributed to Marilyn Monroe or Albert Einstein—was a rite of passage.
9. Overly Customized Cursors
Cuculuc on Wikimedia Commons
For some reason, early 2000s websites loved replacing the normal mouse cursor with weird custom designs. Butterflies, swords, and sparkly glitter trails followed your movements, making basic browsing frustrating.
10. Internet Slang Overload
Oleg Ivanov on Unsplash
The early web had its own bizarre shorthand: “1337 speak” (leet speak), “OMG WTF BBQ,” and entire conversations typed like “h0w r u 2day?” made up internet lingo. While some slang (like LOL) survived, the worst offenders disappeared.
11. Scene Kid and Emo Culture Online
Visual kei on Wikimedia Commons
Every scene kid had a MySpace mirror selfie with a ridiculously high-angled camera shot and layered hair covering one eye. They filled their profiles with Panic! at the Disco lyrics and dramatic poetry about heartbreak.
12. “Under Construction” Website Banners
Csaba Balazs on Unsplash
Many personal websites proudly displayed giant “UNDER CONSTRUCTION” banners as if they were major tech companies building something groundbreaking. In reality, the pages were usually never updated and stayed unfinished forever.
13. Cringe-Worthy “About Me” Pages
Jud Mackrill on Unsplash
Personal blogs and MySpace profiles had absurdly long “About Me” sections filled with random facts, song lyrics, and unnecessary personal details. People would write things like “I hate fake people,” “Music is my life,” or “If you don’t like me, leave.”
14. Rickrolling
choo chin nian on Wikimedia Commons
Tricking people into clicking a disguised link that led to Rick Astley’s Never Gonna Give You Up was peak internet trolling. At first, it was funny, but after millions of times, it became predictable.
15. Glomping and Internet Hugging
Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash
On anime forums and roleplay sites, people spammed “GLOMPS YOU!” or “-hugs tightly-” in comment sections. It was meant to be a playful way of expressing affection online, but it quickly got out of hand.
16. “Which Character Are You?” Quizzes
Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash
Sites like Quizilla and early BuzzFeed were flooded with personality quizzes that claimed to reveal your true identity. Whether it was “Which Hogwarts House Are You?” or “What Kind of Potato Are You?” people took them way too seriously.
17. Neopets Obsession
GavinLi on Flickr
Owning a digital pet was a serious commitment, and many kids spent hours earning Neopoints and playing Flash games. Some users even got into the dark side of Neopets, trading rare items and pets like a stock market.
18. Typing Like tHiS fOr No ReAsOn
Mikhail Nilov on Pexels
People thought it was cool to type alternating capital and lowercase letters, making every sentence look painfully unreadable. This trend was especially popular in emo and scene kid communities.
19. Oversharing on Public Forums
cottonbro studio on Pexels
Before private messaging apps, people dumped their personal problems on public forums for everyone to see. Whether it was family drama or relationship woes, strangers were given way too much information.
20. Virtual Marriages and Online Families
SHVETS production on Pexels
Some internet users took roleplaying to the next level, having virtual weddings or forming entire fake families with online friends. It was all fun and games until someone got way too into it.