History Main / TheNewTens

* The ''ComicBook/DaysOfFuturePast'' storyline in ''Comicbook/XMen''.

The gaming space saw an immense amount of growth this decade compared to prior ones; the first half of the decade saw the MobilePhoneGame genre absolutely explode into popularity, with ''VideoGame/AngryBirds'' , ''VideoGame/CandyCrushSaga'', and ''VideoGame/PuzzleAndDragons'' not only bursting into the mainstream, but also introducing the {{Freemium}} business model into gaming, leading to the rise of {{Microtransactions}} that would controversially make its way into PC and console gaming, namely with ''VideoGame/StarWarsBattlefrontII'' and ''VideoGame/MiddleEarthShadowOfWar''. On the flip side, narrative-driven games became an even bigger commodity than they were in previous decade, namely with ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUs'' and ''VideoGame/TheWitcher3WildHunt'', being standout examples of narrative-driven games receiving mainstream attention throughout the decade. The SoulslikeRPG genre also boomed in popularity thanks to the monumental release of ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsI'', as did the WideOpenSandbox genre thanks to ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'' and ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity''. ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Fortnite}}'' both became ''bona fide'' cultural phenomenons in the first and second halves of the decade respectively, leading to the boom of the SurvivalSandbox and BattleRoyaleGame genres. In the console space, Sony managed to retake the lead from Microsoft with the Platform/PlayStation4 as a result of Microsoft fumbling the Platform/XboxOne and Sony's own growing lineup of first-party exclusives such as ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'', ''VideoGame/Uncharted4AThiefsEnd'', and ''[[VideoGame/GodOfWarPS4 God of War]]'', which has extended well beyond into TheNewTwenties. Meanwhile, Creator/{{Nintendo}} saw sales of the Platform/{{Wii}} plateau ''hard'' at the beginning of the decade, leading to the rushed launches of the Platform/Nintendo3DS and Platform/WiiU. While the 3DS ended up gaining a large amount of momentum overall, the Wii U never did and so Nintendo were saddled with their biggest commercial failure until they discontinued it in 2017...upon which they released the Platform/NintendoSwitch and did a complete 180º, with the Switch quickly becoming their biggest console since the Platform/NintendoDS, and quickly amassing a library of desirable exclusives like ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'', ''VideoGame/SuperMarioOdyssey'', and ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'', as well as being the first Nintendo console in a while to receive actual third-party support, with popular titles like ''[[VideoGame/Doom2016 Doom]]'' and ''VideoGame/DragonBallFighterZ'' making their way into the console early on. The Nintendo Switch's release and games also coincided with a general comeback of Japanese-developed games in the industry as a whole, with titles like ''VideoGame/Persona5'', ''VideoGame/MonsterHunterWorld'', and ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvil2Remake Resident Evil 2]]'' all being critical and commercial hits and marking a general re-acceptance of Japanese-developed games. And last but certainly not least, the IndieGame market grew exponentially during this decade, which titles such as (but not limited to) ''VideoGame/ShovelKnight'', ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys'', ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'', and ''VideoGame/StardewValley'' all making independent game development a much more viable market than it was before.

The gaming space saw an immense amount of growth this decade compared to prior ones; the first half of the decade saw the MobilePhoneGame genre absolutely explode into popularity, with ''VideoGame/AngryBirds'' , ''VideoGame/CandyCrushSaga'', and ''VideoGame/PuzzleAndDragons'' not only bursting into the mainstream, but also introducing the {{Freemium}} business model into gaming, leading to the rise of {{Microtransactions}} that would controversially make its way into PC and console gaming, namely with ''VideoGame/StarWarsBattlefrontII'' and ''VideoGame/MiddleEarthShadowOfWar''. On the flip side, narrative-driven games became an even bigger commodity than they were in previous decade, namely with ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUs'' and ''VideoGame/TheWitcher3WildHunt'', being standout examples of narrative-driven games receiving mainstream attention throughout the decade. The SoulslikeRPG genre also boomed in popularity thanks to the monumental release of ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsI'', as did the WideOpenSandbox genre thanks to ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'' and ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity''. ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Fortnite}}'' both became ''bona fide'' cultural phenomenons in the first and second halves of the decade respectively, leading to the boom of the SurvivalSandbox and BattleRoyaleGame genres. In the console space, Sony managed to retake the lead from Microsoft with the Platform/PlayStation4 as a result of Microsoft fumbling the Platform/XboxOne and Sony's own growing lineup of first-party exclusives such as ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'', ''VideoGame/Uncharted4AThiefsEnd'', and ''[[VideoGame/GodOfWarPS4 God of War]]'', which has extended well beyond into TheNewTwenties. Meanwhile, Creator/{{Nintendo}} saw sales of the Platform/{{Wii}} plateau ''hard'' at the beginning of the decade, leading to the rushed launches of the Platform/Nintendo3DS and Platform/WiiU. While the 3DS ended up gaining a large amount of momentum overall, the Wii U never did and so Nintendo were saddled with their biggest commercial failure until they discontinued it in 2017...upon which they released the Platform/NintendoSwitch and did a complete 180º, with the Switch quickly becoming their biggest console since the Platform/NintendoDS, and quickly amassing a library of desirable exclusives like ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'', ''VideoGame/SuperMarioOdyssey'', and ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'', as well as being the first Nintendo console in a while to receive actual third-party support, with popular titles like ''[[VideoGame/Doom2016 Doom]]'' and ''VideoGame/DragonBallFighterZ'' making their way into the console early on. The Nintendo Switch's release and games also coincided with a general comeback of Japanese-developed games in the industry as a whole, with titles like ''VideoGame/Persona5'', ''VideoGame/MonsterHunterWorld'', and ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvil22019 Resident Evil 2]]'' all being critical and commercial hits and marking a general re-acceptance of Japanese-developed games. And last but certainly not least, the IndieGame market grew exponentially during this decade, which titles such as (but not limited to) ''VideoGame/ShovelKnight'', ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys'', ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'', and ''VideoGame/StardewValley'' all making independent game development a much more viable market than it was before.

See Also: The TurnOfTheMillennium and TheNewTwenties, and UsefulNotes/TheMillenniumAgeOfAnimation.

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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/2010s_6.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:A decade of spectrums, when there were protesters on the streets and superheroes on the screen...]]
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[[foldercontrol]]
* NerdGlasses: No longer [[UnwantedGlassesPlot associated with social-awkwardness and/or ugliness]], specs were actually considered ''sexy'' in this decade.
* NerdsAreSexy: As intellectualism rose in popularity, good-looking characters with good knowledge became more common in media for most of the decade, while the [[DumbIsGood ditzy types]] popular during the 2000s were likely to be frowned upon.
* NetworkDecay: Persisted during this era, although some networks started to return to their roots. Other networks either shut down or re-branded entirely so at least their new themes fit.
* NewAgeRetroHippie: The final years of the decade saw a transition between the retro fashions of hipsters to more bohemian styles, particularly regarding female fashion, as the elegant outfits associated with "girl bosses" became supplanted by the hippie-inspired aesthetic of VSCO girls.
* NewMediaAreEvil: Whereas in the 2000s, films, rock music, glam rap, video games and Messenger/chatrooms were the main targets of [[MoralGuardians moral outrage]], this decade saw them turning their outrage on cable TV/streaming series and social media, although movies returned to the fold later in the decade for many of them.
* NewTechnologyIsEvil: During the second half of the decade, [[MegaCorp the humongous tech corporations]] drew fire from many fields because of their direct role on the plight of whole industries (Amazon over retail, Facebook over journalism, Netflix over television, Google over everything else, etc.). While they had been attacked by conservatives for years over the progressive politics of their leading figures and their heavy crackdowns on and deplatforming of right-wing content, it would be a series of scandals (Facebook personal data was allegedly used by an analysis firm to influence elections in the UK and the US; Amazon's hunt for new headquarters became universally reviled; Google attempted to play into the Chinese government's hands in order to gain permission to operate in the country; Elon Musk's erratic behavior on social media; [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Netflix dropping movies and TV shows just to keep]] ''Series/{{Friends}} in their catalog'') that would ultimately harm the left’s public perception of the men that were seen as "the heroes of the digital age" at the beginning of the decade, being now seen as the modern equivalent to the "trusts" of the late 19th century.
* NiceGuy: After being portrayed as "[[SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids wide-eyed fools]]" for most of the 90s and 2000s, many works began to see this kind of character in a more sympathetic light, especially in works made during the first half of the decade. The DoggedNiceGuy, meanwhile, got quite a bit of deconstruction and subversion.
* NintendoHard: After the difficulty drop in video games over the previous two decades, games with more of a challenge, such as ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'', gained a following.
* NoDubForYou: Became more prevalent as fewer English dubs were produced for anime (though Creator/FUNimation still produced English dubs for almost all of their licensed shows).
** However this trope seemed to be getting less prevalent with Creator/SentaiFilmworks producing even more dubs than Creator/FUNimation annually, Creator/VizMedia licensing and dubbing a larger variety of shows, Saban being back in the game, Creator/AniplexUSA dubbing a healthy portion of their shows, and the Japanese companies producing a few dubs themselves. Heck, even Creator/MediaBlasters still dubbed, despite being in financial ruin, and [[Creator/NipponIchi NIS America]] entered the game as well in 2014 with their English dub of Literature/{{Toradora}}. 2009-2011 were somewhat dark years for the medium. The revival of Creator/{{Toonami}} and the introduction of the Creator/NeonAlley streaming service indicated there was some demand for English dubbed anime for a few select titles and this trope was often applied to more niche titles (i.e. SliceOfLife SchoolgirlSeries or Otaku-pandering anime).
* NostalgiaFilter:
** Nostalgia for the 1980s not only led to a slew of reboots from successful icons and period pieces set in the era, but it also brought a return of more conservative yet colorful fashions, as well as a renewed interest for punk-inspired outfits.
** There was also a wave of Victorian/Edwardian revivalism that ''no one'' expected, primarily for its aesthetic values and societal attitudes, becoming romanticized as an era devoid of the ills of modernity that came upon the Great War[[note]]not taking into account that most people did ''not'' live pastoral and pleasant lives as often thought, but more like in a tale of Dickens[[/note]]. But its most notorious manifestation waas the hipster-led revival of trades that had been eccentric pursuits for almost a century like butchers, barbers and brewers.
* NothingIsScarier: After the critically-derided era of "[[{{Gorn}} torture porn]]" that dominated Hollywood horror movies in the 2000s, the pendulum now largely swung back in the other direction. The 2010s saw a major resurgence in somber, minimalistic, slow-burn horror, kicked off by ''Film/{{Insidious}}'' and ''Film/TheConjuring'', with glacial nerve-shredders like ''Film/TheWitch'', ''Film/ItFollows'', ''Film/AQuietPlace'', and ''Film/{{Hereditary}}'' achieving success with critics and audiences alike. The strategy of "Don't show the monster" in the grand tradition of ''Film/{{Jaws}}'' and ''Film/{{Alien}}'' made a major comeback in style, with even the [[Film/Godzilla2014 2014 Godzilla reboot]] holding back on its titular beast to build suspense[[note]]although in that case, it was primarily [[RevisitingTheRoots following in the footsteps of the original]], which was a [[UnbuiltTrope slow-moving, ominous, and haunting horror/drama film]][[/note]] and reached into multiple different genres, in video games like ''VideoGame/AmnesiaTheDarkDescent'', ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys'', ''VideoGame/{{Slender}}'' and others, and even occasionally on television, with the massive popularity of ''Series/StrangerThings'' and ''Series/TheHauntingOfHillHouse2018''.
* NouveauRiche:
** An aspiration that was thoroughly expressed by Music/TravieMcCoy and Music/BrunoMars' "Billionaire". Through tech startups, through social media, and/or through mining cryptocurrency, anyone would have dreamed to strike it rich and famous through unconventional and unorthodox means in the likes of Trump, Zuckerberg, Bezos, Musk, and the Kardashian-Jenner clan, who started to become the most influential billionaires in this decade. [[https://www.forbes.com/decade-of-billionaires/ According to Forbes]], there were 1,001 billionaires in 2010, and had more than doubled by 2019.
** Unlike Western Millennials whose aim was to be as frugal as possible, Chinese Millennials, born under the country's transition towards a capitalist market and born under the One Child Policy, were entrepreneurial and tech-savvy at the positive side, and were conspicuous consumers and obnoxious tourists at the negative side. The ''Literature/CrazyRichAsians'' series and its [[Film/CrazyRichAsians 2018 film adaptation]] was a commentary of the lifestyles of the newly rich Mainlanders clashing with the OldMoney Overseas Chinese.

[[folder:Tropes O-S]]
* ObviousBeta: Due to games consoles now having online capability as standard, and as a side-effect of the Agile software development cycle allowing for always-online "live service"-style games, many video games from the decade (such as the notorious initial release of ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedUnity'') were released with {{Game Breaking Bug}}s in them with companies opting to fix them later.
* ObsessedWithFood: Millennials were noted for their pursuit of gourmet foods as well as the tendency to post pictures of what they're eating on social media.
* OneHitWonder: There were many over the course of the decade, but particularly decade-defining examples included Baauer, Ylvis, Gotye, Willow Smith, Foster The People, Cali Swag District, AWOLNATION, Icona Pop, A Great Big World, Passenger, Bastille, MAGIC!, Nico & Vinz, The Wanted, Mark Ronson, Elle King, OMI, James Newton Howard and Creator/JenniferLawrence, Hozier, and Silento[[note]]these include five artists whose one hit topped the charts (Gotye, Baauer, MAGIC!, Ronson, and OMI); in the case of the latter four, it extended to being their only entry on the Hot 100, ''period'' (although a song Ronson was featured on scraped the bottom of the Hot 100 for a week, and OMI had another song "bubble under")[[/note]]. If the more liberal definition is applied, then Carly Rae Jepsen, Robin Thicke, Hot Chelle Rae, Far East Movement, Avicii, Rachel Platten, (who all ''technically'' had more than one hit) Kreayshawn, PSY and Rebecca Black (who didn't even chart on Billboard's Hot 100) are often cited. The Chainsmokers are often cited as an example of a miraculous escape from the status.
* PaintedOnPants: Fashion in the first half of the decade placed a major emphasis on form-fitting clothing, as seen in the popularity of leggings for females and skinny jeans for both genders, a trend that might be permanent with the rise of "activewear" and other technologically-developed clothing. In the business world, slim-fit "Italian Look" suits also saw a revival in reaction to the large suits worn by pre-2008 Wall St. bankers or members of the Bush administration (for instance, the double-breasted blazer basically went extinct after 2010, returning in a small scale by the second half of the decade, same for ties over two inches wide).
* ParentsAsPeople: This decade began to see media explore the themes of bad parenting, the negative effects of expecting parents to be perfect and on constant alert, and young people even questioned why they should automatically have kids just because they are fertile. Media even explored "bad parents" from their point of view: ''Series/TheMarvelousMrsMaisel'', ''Series/MadMen'', ''Series/GLOW2017'', ''Series/StrangerThings'', ''Film/BadMoms'', etc. often starred such flawed parents, explored ambivalent parenting, rebellious parenting, parenting practices in past decades (decades where the now elder Boomers, middle-aged Gen Xers, and young adult Millenials were growing up in) with an examination of how the BabiesEverAfter philosophy led to miserable parents who lashed out or neglected their children, were absent, resented having to StayInTheKitchen, or had children before considering they were ready or even desired children.
* PatrioticFervor: Nationalist politics became more mainstream in Europe, the United States, and South America in the second half of the decade. Ironically, a lot of this was a reaction to the capitalist right liberalizing its social views to get cozy with more progressive international institutions while leftist parties toned down economic populism in order to promote social change within the same institutions. The void of leftist populism and the perceived failure of the mainstream right to protect the traditional common man led to this rise in nationalism.
* PeripheryDemographic: Several well known examples emerged in popular culture during this decade. The most well-known example was the "bronies", adult male fans of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', which aired during this decade (2011-2019). In general, there were adult fans of shows meant for children and other things that were considered outside of their demographic. It was a general offshoot the "[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Sincerity New Sincerity Movement]]", which was about works that focused on the idealist end of the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVsCynicism, and genuinely enjoying them for their own merits instead of ironically.
* PermaStubble: Some younger men went as far as implanting hair to have one of these (full-grown beards and mustaches were equally fashionable as well).
* PlayingBothSides: Russian trolls in the later half of the decade used social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to create fake "alt-right", neo-Nazi, and white nationalists accounts to discredit leftist celebrities and politicians or to damage their reputations. At the same time, the same Russian trolls were also responsible for creating fake social media accounts to manipulate the Black Lives Matter movement in order to exacerbate the already fragile racial tensions in United States[[note]]Although this part wasn't the first time the Russians [[OlderThanTheyThink tried to use America's racial tensions as a tool against United States]], the Soviet Union created socialist propaganda during the Cold War aimed for black Americans in regards to racial segregation in order to win support within the black community[[/note]]. The Mueller report released on March 2019 confirmed the Russian government used disinformation during the 2016 presidential campaign to get Donald Trump elected.
* PluckyGirl: As the result of greater diversity behind the scenes and a more liberalized societal view, female protagonists with strong, assertive personalities became popular in many works of fiction, as evident with the commercial success and critical acclaim of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' and ''Film/WonderWoman2017'' (the latter being directed by a female film director also helped as well). The popularity of this trope also caught on within the anime fandom as well, as many of Creator/{{Toonami}}'s growing female audience can be attributed to anime featuring female protagonists of this character type (i.e. ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'', ''Anime/MichikoAndHatchin'', and ''Anime/KillLaKill''). Coincidentally, this trope was part of the reason why there was also a backlash against many popular anime female character archetypes in the West (see {{Tsundere}} and TokenMiniMoe entries in this page) along with massive backlash on otome games.
* {{Podcast}}: This medium originated slightly before the decade, but really rose into prominence during this decade, with works such as ''Podcast/WelcomeToNightvale'' gaining a massive following.
* PoliceBrutality: Growing attention to this topic led to more portrayals of police brutality in fiction, including several RippedFromTheHeadlines films such as ''Film/FruitvaleStation.''
* PopularityPolynomial: Many trends of past decades became popular again, particularly from TheEighties, mostly because many artists were children during this time.
** Aside from {{Synthpop}}, a few songs hearkened back to other styles of the decade with considerable success: Meghan Trainor's debut single "All About that Bass" shot up to #1 (although the song has some 50s pop styles as well). Not long afterwards another throwback hit #1, "Uptown Funk!".
** The {{Hipster}} craze also led a rediscovery of pre-hippie 60s culture, with "Mod" styles becoming popular. Smoking and social drinking also became fashionable once again thanks to ''Series/MadMen'' (actually placating steep consumption declines), which in turn led to a resurgence of the conservative mid-century social attitudes in general ([[DoNotDoThisCoolThing although this really was not]] [[MisaimedFandom what the show's creators wanted]]) with some important changes nonetheless, and the rather libertine demeanor of the 1990s and 2000s was now frowned upon.
* PopUpTexting: With the use of mobile technology and smartphones having increased dramatically, this was a popular trope for realistically showing the commonality of text conversations in 2010s day-to-day life.
* PoundsAreAnimalPrisons: The 2010s saw this trope become increasingly discredited as the Adopt Don't Shop movement gained popularity. As the plight of animal shelters and their inhabitants became more well-known, their depictions in media became more positive, often being an animal version of the OrphanageOfLove.
* PowerTattoo: Tattoos became even more popular, bolstered by the decade's trends for self-expression, with TV shows such as ''Ink Masters'' and ''LA Ink'' becoming hugely influential. By the mid-to-late 2010s, polls showed that around a majority of young adults in several Western countries (including the U.S.) either had at least one tattoo (47 per cent as of 2018), or planned to have one eventually. The fact that many high-profile celebrities began to openly sport tattoos pretty much killed [[TattooedCrook their long-standing association with disreputable characters]].
* PostModernism: Criticisms and exploration of the tropes we enjoy in media and real life came around a lot in this decade, especially as postmodernism replaced Marxism in terms of being an emancipatory lens to analyze things. The idea that we are govenrned by well, ideas, grew more popular as people expressed criticism of the domestic and global regimes we have set up to regulate our world. Traditional leftists weren't too thrilled with postmodernism, seeing it only as criticism without a tangible solution that took the focus away from the traditional Marxist emphasis on class consciousness while rightists loathed what they saw as an annoying desire to take apart everything for political reasons. Regardless, this trope remained popular to the point where playing something completely straight might have actually been more subversive.
* PrettyFlyForAWhiteGuy: The decade saw a continued dissemination of black urban culture into the mainstream. Ironically, black students were reportedly barred from a "wigger"[[note]]"white nigger"[[/note]] party held at a California high school.
* PrincessProtagonist: Franchise/{{Disney Princess}}es came ''back'', baby! Though they were absent for [[TurnOfTheMillennium the previous decade]], and subject to quite a few [[DeconstructiveParody Deconstructive Parodies]] in the meantime, they made a triumphant return with ''WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/Frozen2013''. While ''Frog'' ultimately failed to save Disney's traditional 2D-animated movies, ''Tangled'' sparked a huge resurgence of interest in their "Princess" franchise, and the phenomenal success of ''Frozen'' proved that the franchise was here to stay. The critical and commercial success of ''{{WesternAnimation/Moana}}'' - which did not downplay the princess or female-led aspect of the film solidified it.
* ProducePelting: Egging and "milkshaking" emerged as protest tactics against the far right.
* PronounTrouble:
** Though still not ''completely'' accepted in the general public, the concept of the non-binary gender spectrum [[note]] Simply put: the idea that there are near-infinite genders other than "male" and "female", and that people can be neither gender, or several genders at once, or completely gender-less. A good example of this trope is South Asia's [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hijra_(South_Asia) hijra]], which is similar to concept of transgender.[[/note]] gained much more attention, with its proponents becoming something of a VocalMinority. The most hardline supporters of the idea came to support (among other things) the idea that the world's languages should add gender-neutral pronouns, that genders are assigned to children at birth in a practice which parents should stop, that it's a form of bigotry to refer to strangers by gender-specific pronouns, and that biological sex is a myth.
** Another issue that came up in this decade was changing the appropriate gender marker in the legal documents (i.e. passports, birth certificates, driver licenses, photo [=IDs=]) for transgender individuals after transitioning. Some states in United States require transgender individuals to undergo expensive Sex reassignment surgery, or will not alter the gender marker in legal documents at all [[note]]As of this date, only three states: Kansas, Ohio, and Tennessee, do not alter the gender marker in legal documents for transgender individuals such as birth certificates, thus making transgender identity in these states technically illegal.[[/note]]
* ProtectionFromEditors:
** A lot of the appeal of premium cable and streaming services like Creator/{{Netflix}} and Creator/{{Hulu}} to both creators and viewers was the greater creative freedom compared to network and basic cable television.
** Subverted with Website/YouTube as after the Wall Street Journal published an article claiming popular vlogger [=PewDiePie=] made hate speech jokes about Jews, advertisers and "corporate partners" began turning away from the site. YT then enacted a secret rating system not different from American network/basic cable TV.
* ProtestSong: A number of mainstream HipHop and pop artists became outspoken about politics in this decade.
** Music/{{Beyonce}} transformed her career from pop idol to "Black feminist icon" with the release of "Formation" in 2016 with its anti-police and Black Panther imagery. Music/KendrickLamar's "Alright" was considered the anthem of the Black Lives Matter movement, as it was heard at a number of protests. And of course, there was Music/ChildishGambino's "Music/ThisIsAmerica", a #1 hit with a shocking critique of how Black Americans are treated.
** Earlier in the decade, artists such as Music/LadyGaga and Music/KatyPerry came out with songs affirming LGBT youth and urging them to BeYourself that were adopted by LGBT advocates.
* QuirkyHousehold: Many sitcoms of the decade featured oddball, yet genuinely caring families as opposed to the [[DysfunctionalFamily more disputatious clans]] that dominated comedy for the previous two decades as [[ValuesDissonance greater awareness of psychological abuse made these less appealing]].
* QuirkyUkulele: Ukes became ubiquitous on softer pop songs of the decade (as well as in the background of countless internet videos), no longer being seen as esoteric instruments.
* RavenHairIvorySkin: Gradually came back into style as a beauty standard during the early part of the decade, in contrast to the previous decade's fondness for [[EveryoneLovesBlondes Golden Hair]] and [[ButNotTooWhite Bronze Skin]]. New sex symbols like Creator/ZooeyDeschanel, Creator/DitaVonTeese and Music/KatyPerry helped resurrect the old "Creator/BettiePage" look. The Korean wave throughout the decade also intensified the popularity of dark hair and pale skin through the rapid marketing of Korean beauty products worldwide. By the middle of the decade, raven hair had competition with ombre hair and icy blonde hair following the popularity of ''WesternAnimation/Frozen2013'' and ''Series/{{Vikings}}''.
* RealityTV: Kicked off in popularity during the TurnOfTheMillennium and, in the first half of the 2010s, grew to become all the rage among television audiences when it came to both ratings and media buzz during the decade, with ''Series/AmericanIdol'', ''Series/TheBachelor'', ''Series/TheXFactor'', ''Series/TheVoice'', ''Series/JerseyShore'', ''Series/KeepingUpWithTheKardashians'', ''Series/DuckDynasty'', and ''Series/RuPaulsDragRace'', among other titles leading the way. Although, barely counting competition-based reality shows, shows such as the "day in the life" ones were targets of snark and controversy due to them being catered to the LowestCommonDenominator. With the advent of Youtube and streaming services like Netflix and Hulu, Reality TV faced an "innovate or die" situation with some shows and their stars thriving and others losing viewership and relevancy.
* RealWomenHaveCurves: Due to the success of celebrities like Music/{{Adele}}, Music/MeghanTrainor (whose song "All About That Bass" touched on the topic), Creator/JenniferLawrence, Creator/SofiaVergara, Creator/KimKardashian and Creator/ChristinaHendricks, as well the rising rates of eating disorders from Hollywood's [[HollywoodPudgy warped]] [[HollywoodThin perceptions]], the dominant pressure of TheNineties and the TurnOfTheMillennium to be skinny steadily got replaced with pressure to be curvy (often of the ImpossibleHourglassFigure flavor).
** On the flip side, many plus size models and celebrities like Ashley Graham, Barbie Ferriera, Creator/ShannonPurser, Music/{{Lizzo}} held large followings in this decade.
* {{Reconstruction}}: Many works put in a lot of effort to do this after about 15-20 years of DarkerAndEdgier [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructions]].
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Publicly shaming people accused of bigoted opinions on social media became part of a "call-out culture" that surged during the latter part of the decade.
* {{Retraux}}: "Retro-ironic" aesthetics became very popular during the decade, partly as a result of the success of video games emphasizing this kind of imagery, such as the ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' series.
* RightWingMilitiaFanatic: Due to the massification of the internet, the visibility of the alt-right became notoriously significant during most of this decade, especially due to issues related to immigration and conspiracy theories.
* RoleEndingMisdemeanor: The second half of the decade was notable for having prominent celebrities' reputations ruined overnight if they weren't dying, most often through sexual abuse and harassment scandals or other unsavory behavior.
* RomanticismVersusEnlightenment: Dominant cultural attitudes of the decade were out-and-out for Team Enlightenment, although a Romantic-leaning backlash was anything but small.
* SavedFromDevelopmentHell: [[invoked]] Among the silver-linings, a number of long-gestating projects finally made it to the finish line:
** ''VideoGame/TheLastGuardian'' by Creator/TeamIco was dismissed by many as a cancelled title until Sony announced the title in 2015, and the game finally released in December 2016 to everyone's relief and surprise.
** Creator/TerryGilliam's ''Film/TheManWhoKilledDonQuixote'', formerly considered the most cursed production ever, went into production and completed shooting in time for a 2018 release. Likewise, Creator/MartinScorsese's ''Film/{{Silence}}'' which was 26 years in the making, finally released in 2016. Kicked off by the Franchise/StarWars sequel trilogy finally being made, two of the longest-gestating sequels to a science fiction CultClassic finally made it to theaters with ''Film/MadMaxFuryRoad'' and ''Film/BladeRunner2049'' receiving [[WinBackTheCrowd overwhelming and nearly unanimous acclaim]] from critics and fans alike to a degree that hardly anyone saw coming, especially considering the [[ToughActToFollow nearly impossible expectations]] [[AndYouThoughtItWouldFail that few believed they could live up to.]] Creator/DavidLynch managed to reunite most of the cast for ''Series/TwinPeaks'' for an acclaimed third season that satisfyingly resolved a lot of the subplots of the second season and while it provided more unanswered questions, ending on a GainaxEnding that most fans considered to be a fitting conclusion for a landmark TV show.
** The king of this, is Creator/OrsonWelles' ''Film/TheOtherSideOfTheWind''. The film was shot in TheSeventies and was finally set for release four decades later, and over three decades after Welles' death, on Creator/{{Netflix}}, with many joking that Orson Welles is the only director to still put out new films after his death, and that Netflix is possibly the best producer Welles ''ever'' had.
** After spending years languishing in development hell due to fears of the GirlShowGhetto and MinorityShowGhetto, the ''Film/{{Wonder Woman|2017}}'' and ''Film/{{Black Panther|2018}}'' movies were finally made and released in this decade and were smash hits.
** On the videogame front, ''VideoGame/DukeNukemForever'', which had been in development for over a decade, ''finally'' released in 2011 to disappointing reviews.
** ''VideoGame/{{OMORI}}'' was first announced in 2014, and spent the remainder of the decade in DevelopmentHell until it was released on Christmas Day 2020 to positive reviews.
* TheScapegoat: The Millennial generation was held responsible for "killing" numerous industries and traditions ''ad nauseum'' (it would be easier to list those that were ''not'' endangered). Boomers were also accused by younger generations of milking the welfare state dry by essentially dismantling it (especially in the US) and of developing a ''laissez-faire'' "got mine, get yours" attitude.
** Many people on both sides of the political spectrum also tended to blame many of the world's problems on the actions, legacy and/or ideas of the opposite side and claim that their way was the ''only'' way to keep order and save their nation/region/civilization from collapsing.
* ScienceIsGood: Whereas in the previous decades science was only the interest of nerdy children, much of Western media adopted this trope. It was used both idealistically (such as in ''Film/{{Black Panther|2018}}'') or cynically such as in ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty''. In real life, academia and mainstream media tried to be encouraging of studying science, as well as explicitly advertising it to various demographics. However, there was something of a fight between actual scientists, who had funds cut, and anti-science politicians and activists, who saw pure science as having failed in its promise to innovate and improve society.
* SequelGap:
** Due in part to Hollywood's growing aversion to untested properties, sequels to movies from previous decades became common. Examples include ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory3'' being released 11 years after the second one, ''Film/MenInBlack3'' 10 years after the second, ''Film/TronLegacy'' a whopping 28 years after ''Film/{{TRON}}'', and ''Film/MadMaxFuryRoad'' twenty-''nine'' years after ''[[Film/MadMaxBeyondThunderdome Thunderdome]]''. In addition, ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc'' got [[WesternAnimation/MonstersUniversity a prequel]] 12 years after the original release. And then there's ''Series/TwinPeaks'' by Creator/DavidLynch which was more or less written off by Lynch as finished in the 2000s but was revived in a successful and critically acclaimed third season that has a TimeSkip echoing the whopping 25-year gap. ''WesternAnimation/FindingDory'' and ''WesternAnimation/Incredibles2'' are two more examples of film sequels with large gaps in time in between with 13 years for the former and 14 years for the latter.
** It happened with a number of video game franchises as well, with ''VideoGame/Wasteland2'' being a notable example with a gap of 26 years.
* SeriousBusiness: Popular entertainment increasingly reflected contemporary social issues in the wake of Trump's election, primarily for him being seen as a threat to civil liberties and multiculturalism, but also the fact many voted for Donald as a way of "flipping the bird" at a seemingly progressive cultural establishment.
** Late night comedy got more political, and went from nonpartisan to explicitly pro-Democratic, as evidenced by the anti-Trump stance of ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' which garnered its best ratings in over 20 years (it also began to be broadcast live coast-to-coast in summer 2017 instead of being transcribed for the West Coast), and the politically-themed ''Series/TheLateShowWithStephenColbert'' overtaking Jimmy Fallon's largely apolitical ''Series/TheTonightShow'' in the ratings in early 2017, being accused of "humanizing" Mr. Trump by tussling his hair during a show, leading Fallon to issue an on-air apology. Fallon occasionally spoke out on watershed political events like Charlottesville and Parkland, although he was still considered weaker in that regard than his peers. The cancellation of the hit sitcom ''Series/LastManStanding'' was also perceived to have been brought about because of star Tim Allen's conservative politics.[[note]]Notably, Allen frequently criticized Trump even after his election and in fact endorsed the moderate John Kasich during the Republican primary.[[/note]]
** Awards ceremonies got more politically charged, beginning with the 2015 Latin Grammys (awarded a few weeks after Trump launched his campaign attacking Mexican immigrants) and accelerated after Trump's election, to the point of presenting works as "political protests" [[AwardBait in order to win awards]]. Even youth-oriented awards shows like the Teen Choice Awards (whose 2017 ceremony was held the day after the violent protests in Charlottesville) and the Kids Choice Awards (whose 2018 ceremony took place the day of the March For Our Lives protest) got in on the act. In addition, the 2017-18 awards season was marked by the sex scandals that hit the film, television and music industries. Many celebrities, who previously tried to be very quiet about their politics beyond showing support for some associations linked to either party, were more explicit about those beliefs than before.
** The 30-year-old tradition of sports champions visiting the White House was broken when a handful of players for the New England Patriots refused to visit Trump, while the Golden State Warriors decided to boycott the President altogether (although he had withdrawn his invitation beforehand), a move supported by the NBA.
** Most magazines, from ''Vogue'' to ''Men's Health'' to ''Seventeen'' to ''Sports Illustrated'' and ''Popular Mechanics'', rarely did political commentary before 2015-16, much less reporting. Afterwards, their coverage of Washington became as comprehensive and in-depth as that done by fully-fledged political periodicals such as ''Time'', ''Newsweek'' and ''The Atlantic''. Condé Nast publications [[MagazineDecay became notorious for their political posturing]], especially in the case of [=teenVogue=].
** Even video games as a medium weren't immune to politics, as many video games such as ''VideoGame/FarCry5'', the later ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'' games, ''Franchise/MassEffect'', ''VideoGame/Persona5'', ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'', and Creator/{{Bethesda}}'s ''VideoGame/{{Wolfenstein}}'' games had several political undertones or explored incredibly controversial political themes. The only entertainment medium that mostly avoided politics was anime and manga, but this was mainly because Japanese society is far less politicized than in the West--while Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is quite polarizing by Japanese standards, he's far less divisive than any Western leader, and anime and manga that explores political themes is incredibly rare (with SubbingVersusDubbing and piracy are the only SeriousBusiness topics within the anime fandom).
** Even the traditionally-conservative country music industry was rocked hard by Hollywood's "progressive awakening". During the early 2010s, country music increasingly made inroads in "blue America" thanks to popular "countrypolitan"/pop crossover acts like Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood, while the GOP's alleged embrace of sexist, anti-gay, and anti-immigrant politics led some of the genre's youngest (especially female) fans in "red states" to lean more like their "city cousins". The rise of Trump, the growing frequency of mass shootings (one of which was actually at a country music festival), the post-Parkland shooting student activism, the violent rally in Charlottesville, [=#MeToo=], and the 2018 migrant crisis contributed to the de-emphasizing of the "jingoistic, gun-toting, 'Dixie flag'-draped white male country singer" while the Dixie Chicks and the Guthries had their prestige restored after spending the 2000s in the "country blacklist" for their left-wing politics. Leading the charge for this trend tended to be alt-country acts and many of the women in the industry, with the conservative, more traditional acts becoming increasingly quiet about their political views (the exception being the artists who solely appealed to older audiences). This was largely cited as the reason as to why Swift was mostly silent on politics. Although she later endorsed a number of Democratic candidates in her home of Tennessee, which seemed to restore her reputation with liberal pop fans.
* SexDrugsAndRockAndRoll: This decade saw a discrediting of the trope within the rock genre due to numerous factors, including: 1) The decline of rock as a mainstream genre; 2) the backlash against the "macho" aura often associated with the genre (which might have contributed to the first point); and 3) younger "indie" artists deliberately adopting a goodie-two-shoes, "square demeanour" (most of them being either British or coached by a Brit, inverting the BritishRockStar trope) contrasting the "guitar hero sex god" stance of hard rock (actually a mild exaggeration). The trope may have applied to pop and urban (the "trap" genre becoming known for its sexually-charged lyrics and has caught fire for its perceived [[DamnItFeelsGoodToBeAGangster glorification of crime]], while hip-hop/R&B artist Music/TheWeeknd became noted for his veiled allusions to drugs), although the greater demographic diversity between both performers and audiences compared to rock (which is now almost exclusively seen as [[LowerClassLout "white trash guy"]] music) made the trope less relevant for said genres.
* ShakingTheRump: "Twerking" became more viral in the hip hop culture, and was added to the Oxford Dictionary Online. Newfound popularity on social media sites like Vine and Music/MileyCyrus' infamous performance at the 2013 [=VMAs=] helped turn "twerk" into a household word.
* SharpDressedMan: Along with SheCleansUpNicely; the decade's fashion statements tried to bring back the elegance lost with the 90s and 00s, evoking the styles from TheEighties, or the "Italian Look" styles of [[TheFifties the late 1950s]] and [[TheSixties the 1960s]].
* ShellShockedVeteran: The plight of soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan lacking proper mental health support got a lot of attention.
* ShouldersOfDoom: Shoulder made a [[{{Pun}} wide]] comeback, bolstered by an urge to look as streamlined as possible.
* SmokingIsCool:
** The legalization of marijuana in many parts of the world led to some glorification of weed smokers, such as rappers either bragging or normalising it in their songs (one of the biggest hits of 2011 was Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa's "Young, Wild and Free", which even had "So what [if] we smoke weed?" in the chorus).
** While cigarettes gradually became a symbol of social suicide during the decade, vape sticks (ironically devised as a way to stop smoking) became popular, even among teenagers, which eventually caused a widespread health panic by the end of the decade after dozens of consumers developed lung problems.
* SillyRabbitCynicismIsForLosers: Much of the social attitudes of the early part of this decade can be summed to this, mostly as a reaction to the hardcore cynicism prevalent in the 2000s, spearheaded by the New Sincerity movement, leading to a higher climate of tolerance (or intolerance disguised as tolerance, [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs even tolerance defended through intolerance]]--this depending on one's judgement and thorough avoidance of politically-incorrect, morally-questionable actions or otherwise upsetting behavior.
* SimpleYetOpulent:
** As a result of the crisis, most of the fashion trends of the decade became ''a lot'' more conservative compared to the statements of the last decade.
** While Windows Metro caused a mixed reception when it was released in 2013; graphic artists, programmers, and web designers got hooked to the smooth, crisp, über-simplistic interface, paving way for Apple and Google to revamp their future [=UIs=], and it led to the integration of the "Flat Design" style.
* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVsCynicism: Works tended toward the cynical side during this time, with a surge in dystopian and AfterTheEnd works. The rise of {{Hipster}} culture was accompanied by media emphasizing {{Irony}}, making idealism uncool. At the same time, cynicism didn’t quite reach the level of NinetiesAntiHero, as most works still featured characters that were on some level relatable.
* SlidingScaleOfLibertarianismAndAuthoritarianism: Many works made during the decade depicted oppressive governments firmly set at the "authoritarian" end of the scale, mostly (but not only) in dystopian tales.
* SlobsVersusSnobs: This emerged as the main dividing line in politics on both sides of UsefulNotes/ThePond, with rural, working class people moving to the right and urban cosmopolitan people moving to the left.
* SolarPunk: The trope name was coined in 2014, and this utopian futurism emerged from exciting developments in renewable energy technology and online interest in older and non-Western art. Some works with utopian elements, such as ''Film/{{Black Panther|2018}}'', began to incorporate this aesthetic.
* SoulSuckingRetailJob: With the disappearance of manufacturing jobs in the developed world, the standard "blue-collar" job became some kind of [[BurgerFool fast-food]] or service position in retail or hospitality with lower pay and fewer opportunities for advancement compared to factory jobs.
* SteamPunk: Regained popularity in the States after a decade of {{dieselpunk}}[=/=]decopunk, cyberpunk and atompunk dominating the SpeculativeFiction and AlternateHistory scenes. Unlike in the 1990s however, steampunk also became popular in the mainstream.
* StrawmanU: Colleges were increasingly perceived as being extremely hostile to conservatives.
* StylisticSuck: An essential element of a lot of online content, especially memes. This may have started as a parody of unintentionally bad online content (poorly-written forum posts, FanFiction, or amateurish WebComics), and its rise coincided with the surge of {{Irony}} in pop culture. The ubiquitous "WebOriginal/LOLCats" meme, the anecdotal Webcomic/RageComics, and the intentionally confusing "{{YouTube Poop}}s" were prominent early examples of this, while later in the decade, "shitposting", or deliberately stupid/poorly executed content, became a prominent source of SurrealHumor, and pages like Young Thugga La Meme, Niggaz Be WILIN, and Thot Patrol served as {{Trope Codifier}}s for the more surreal and arcane side of 2010s meme culture.
* SubbingVersusDubbing: This trope became SeriousBusiness in the early decade when many anime licensors such as Bandai Entertainment and Geneon closed their doors and English dubs became less prevalent early in the decade due to the stagnating market. This trope become more of a DiscreditedTrope in the later decade, as there was some revival of English dubs thanks to the revival of Creator/{{Toonami}}, introduction to simuldubs in the later half of the decade (which was an initiative started by Creator/{{Funimation}}), and improved dubbing quality in the later half of the decade when compared to the previous two decades.
* SupernaturalSoapOpera: The genre became dominated by Young Adult {{Paranormal Romance}}s and UrbanFantasy early in the decade before becoming more eclectic as in the 1990s. The genre's most successful examples were ''Series/TeenWolf'', ''{{Series/Shadowhunters}}'', ''{{Series/Riverdale}}'', ''Series/HemlockGrove'', ''Series/AmericanHorrorStory'', ''Series/TheShannaraChronicles'', ''Series/OnceUponATime'' and ''Series/TrueBlood''.
* SurrealHumor: Became popular this decade, with Creator/TimAndEric, ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'', "Weird Twitter", and "shitposting" among others.
* SurvivalHorror: Received a resurgence early in the decade, thanks to video games like ''VideoGame/AmnesiaTheDarkDescent'', ''VideoGame/{{Slender}}'', and ''{{VideoGame/Outlast}}''.
* SurvivalSandbox: After the success of ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'' and ''VideoGame/DayZ'', we saw many games coming out in their ilk in the early-mid Tens, like ''VideoGame/StateOfDecay'', ''VideoGame/{{Rust}}'', ''VideoGame/DontStarve'', and ''[=H1Z1=]''.

[[folder:Tropes T-Z]]
* TakeThatAudience: Critics and even show creators notoriously gave chastising remarks towards audiences for liking or not liking certain elements or/and formulas in their (preferred) works. This became the impetus for the audience-critics war towards the final years of the decade.
* TakeThatCritics: Related to CriticalDissonance above, the audience-critics war in 2019 got to the point where audiences actively rallied for the films the critics were against out of spite. The most notable cases were Creator/DaveChappelle's comedy show ''Sticks and Stones'' and ''Film/Joker2019'', both of which were seen as too disturbing by critics.
* TamerAndChaster: The general tone of pop culture during the decade took a turn away from the raunchiness that marked the late 1990s and 2000s. Driven partially by an increased strength of feminism among the younger generation, and the [=#MeToo=] movement against sexual harassment, visual works especially showed a significant drop in gratuitous MaleGaze and implausibly {{Stripperiffic}} costumes. Sex scenes have become virtually extinct in mainstream film, and even premium cable and made-for-streaming content has shifted away from them (most infamously later series of ''Series/GameOfThrones'').
* TeenIdol: Male teen idols saw a massive resurgence in the 2010s, although many groups formed in the 2000s. However, instead of the competitive scene of the 90s and 00s, only Music/JustinBieber and Music/OneDirection (and the group's solo careers) reached a massive level of popularity. Austin Mahone, Shawn Mendes, and 5 Seconds of Summer had some moderate success, but not at the same level as the former two. For female teen idols, Music/MileyCyrus, Music/SelenaGomez, Music/DemiLovato, Music/ArianaGrande, Music/FifthHarmony, and Music/LittleMix led the way.
* ThinLineAnimation: Animated shows of the period were noted for using this aesthetic instead of the 1950s-based ThickLineAnimation style that dominated in the late 1990s and 2000s.
* TokenMiniMoe: This character archetype was still relatively popular in Japan, but much like the {{tsundere}} archetype, this got massive backlash among western anime fans and even some of the top anime producers in Japan itself due to the LittleSisterHeroine fetish and UnfortunateImplications involved.
* TokyoRose: It turned out that Russian trolls and bots had been planting social media posts intended to influence American votes in the 2016 elections.
* TotallyRadical: Pressure to keep relevant led many companies to shoehorn internet slang and memes in their advertising to appeal to the youth. Needless to say, [[http://dreamerofderse.tumblr.com/post/129742950082/youtube-when-you-finally-find-the-right-emoji it fell flat on its face.]]
-->"Marketing targeted at today's youth is so strange because like, they've picked up on certain things, but they can't quite string the parts together in a cohesive way. It's like one of those [[MindScrew shitpost generators]]. I mean, yeah, they understand that reaction gifs are a thing, and they understand that [[{{Emoticon}} emojis]] are a thing, and they understand that tyler oakley ''(sic)'' is a thing. but they can't drive the point home. that is not a proper reaction to finding the right emoji. it doesn't make sense, and not even in a funny way. they're trying, really hard, but the nuances of internet youth culture still manage to escape their corporate grasp."
* TrademarkFavoriteFood:
** When discussing the economic status of Millennials, you could expect avocado toast, Nutella, and/or [[MustHaveCaffeine Starbucks]] to be brought up.
** In the 'net, conversations weren't completely full without mentioning bacon in every thread despite health food going mainstream this decade, to the point that Website/ThisVeryWiki used to have a trope page about bacon.
* TrappedInAnotherWorld: The ''Isekai'' genre became very popular in {{Light Novel}}s and thus {{seinen}} anime during this decade, with ''Literature/SwordArtOnline'' being one of the most influential examples. The typical ''isekai'' story saw a typical everyman being taken to a fantasy world, usually with RPGElements as part of the world in which they were taken.
* TrueCompanions: It has always been around, but a lot of work in this decade had bonds and friendships as its CentralTheme, and HeterosexualLifePartners started to become increasingly prominent. Even in real life, friendship was now more cherished by a lot of people around this time.
* {{Tsundere}}: The concept was still strong, but it gained a bit of a backlash in this decade, mostly due to the combination of oversaturation, poor writing and {{Flanderization}} of the Tsun-Tsun traits for comedy's sake. The combination of the trope with TinyTyrannicalGirl underwent a similar criticism for a few of the same reasons. Ironically, ''[[DoubleStandard male]]'' tsunderes didn't receive much backlash like female tsunderes did, though this may have had something to do with the fact that most male tsunderes are rarely abusive towards their love interest as much as their [[DoubleStandardAbuseFemaleOnMale female counterparts]].
* TuxedoAndMartini: The Daniel Craig era of James Bond films not only gave the genre a previously-denied critical acceptance, but also revitalized it following a post-Cold War slump, with ''Kingsman'' spawning a successful film franchise (other attempts, such as ''Spy'' and the film adaptation of ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'', didn't have such fate). Hipsters also revived this aesthetic in real life with craft cocktail bars.
* TwiceToldTale: Exploded in popularity in this period, in the wake of 2009's novel ''Literature/PrideAndPrejudiceAndZombies'' in literature and 2010s film ''Film/AliceInWonderland2010''. The former launched the LiteraryMashUps genre, and the latter a raft of FairyTale retellings.
* TwoDecadesBehind: In spite of being a seemingly more difficult time than the 1990s and 2000s, the 2010s were remarkably similar to the previous two decades in many sociocultural terms.
* TheVerse: This decade is where the aspect of several related having a SharedUniverse came to a head. For films, the most prominent one was the ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse''; for TV it was the ''Series/{{Arrowverse}}''.
* ViewersAreGeniuses: After the [[DumbIsGood heavy anti-intellectualism]] that marked pop culture in the 2000s, many of the works of this decade made [[ReferenceOverdosed extensive use of]] [[ShoutOut cultural references]], [[SmallReferencePools some of them quite obscure]].
* WesternAnimationOfThe2010s: The decade may as well be called the "Second-Wave" Renaissance due to a resurgence of good-quality animation after [[AudienceAlienatingEra mostly spending the second half of the decade in a slump]], especially for Creator/{{Disney}} [[WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog with]] [[WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}} the]] [[WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph release]] [[WesternAnimation/Frozen2013 of]] [[WesternAnimation/BigHero6 highly]]-[[WesternAnimation/{{Zootopia}} successful]] [[WesternAnimation/{{Moana}} films]]; Creator/{{Pixar}} reaching [[WesternAnimation/ToyStory3 its artistic zenith]], falling [[WesternAnimation/{{Cars 2}} into a rut]] and [[WesternAnimation/InsideOut redeeming itself]] in the space of five years, [[WesternAnimation/TheGoodDinosaur before doing]] [[WesternAnimation/FindingDory it all]] [[WesternAnimation/{{Coco}} over again]] over two years; and Creator/CartoonNetwork phasing out the Canadian imports and live-action shows it introduced in the late 2000s, replacing them with cartoons aimed at a young adult audience like ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow'' and ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime''.
* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids: Cartoon Network's shows of the first half of the decade like ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow'' and ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' became notable for their prominent use of adult situations to the point these saw [[{{Bowdlerize}} important edits]] [[EditedForSyndication for overseas broadcast]]. By the mid-to-late 2010s, the use of this trope by films aimed to families (to the point ''Film/{{Deadpool|2016}}'' made it '''very clear''' that it was an R-rated film) became used as a counterpoint to claims that Hollywood has become "infantilized" during the decade.
* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotPolitical: Both amateur and professional critics loved to read sociopolitical significance into ''everything'': movies, TV shows, video games, music videos and internet memes, given the growth of social consciousness and the increasing politicizing of fiction that had been building throughout the decade but accelerating in the wake of Brexit and Trump's inauguration (see "Serious Business" above). The only entertainment medium that mostly avoided this trope was anime and manga, which was mainly because the politicization of pop culture is mostly more noticeable in the West than in Japan.
* WhyFandomCantHaveNiceThings: Became increasingly common during this decade following the rise of social media. There were several incidents of angry fans harassing people who worked on the show or franchise they followed off of social media, causing them to limit interactions with fans and even affecting the work they were developing, with fans' dissatisfaction often tied with a work being too politicized, not politicized enough or taking what they considered the "wrong" side.
%%* WhyWeAreBummedCommunismFell:
%%** A subtle wave of nostalgia for the Soviet Union as a WorthyOpponent, some of it unhealthy or hypocritical, surged among some Western intellectuals lamenting the rise of Islamic Fundamentalism as the West's ArchEnemy and the revival of far-right policies instead of a secular and egalitarian revolutionary ideology.
%%** Legitimate social democratic alternatives were once on the mainstream with occasional bi-partisan consensus. These goals were originally backed, [[TheMoralSubstitute even by moderates and conservatives because they felt that reforms could dial away the appeals of Communism]] but fell into disfavor in the '80s and '90s and the collapse of the Soviet Union made liberals move away from it, feeling [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness that revolution was no longer a significant threat to justify these policies]] in terms of political expediency. Such policies returned to the limelight in the wake of the Great Recession, as in the case of Bernie Sanders and Jeremy Corbyn, with Sanders becoming the first high-profile socialist candidate since Eugene Debs ran in a handful of elections in the early 20th century, and Corbyn brought back hard-left ideas to the Labour party.
%%--->'''Noam Chomsky:''' Now, in the current American political spectrum, to be a New Dealer is to be way out on the left. Eisenhower, for example, who said anyone who questions the New Deal doesn't belong in the political system, would be regarded as a raving leftist. So Bernie Sanders is a decent, honest New Dealer.
%% - Troping Real Life; remove or rewrite about works for this trope
* WineIsClassy: "Wine Moms", older women who liked to sip wine and post about it on social media, became a meme this decade.
* WomenAreDelicate: Constantly {{defied|trope}} as empowered, yet still lady-like female characters sprang up.
* ZombieApocalypse: Very popular, especially during the first half of the decade, thanks to countless video games as well as films and shows like ''Film/{{Zombieland}}'', ''Series/TheWalkingDead2010'', ''Film/TwentyEightWeeksLater'', among others.

----
!!Examples of Media set in this decade:
[[index]]
[[folder:Unclear/Several years]]

[[AC:Anime and Manga]]

* As Chizuru was born on April 19, 1998, and she turns 20 over the course of the story, ''Manga/RentAGirlfriend'' takes place around 2017-2018.

* ''ComicBook/FantasticFourLifeStory'': Part 6 of the 2021-2022 mini-series takes place from 2014-2016.

[[AC:FanWorks]]
* ''Fanfic/MaFille'': A large portion of the story takes place between September 2010 and November 2019.
* ''Roleplay/WeAreAllPokemonTrainers'': The narrative proper from the Sinnoh Arc to the Entralink Arc takes place from February 2011 to December 2019.

[[AC:Film]]
* ''Film/AvengersEndgame'': 2019 film set in 2023, various members of the cast TimeTravel to [[Film/TheAvengers2012 2012]], [[Film/ThorTheDarkWorld 2013]], [[Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2014 2014]], and TheSeventies.
* ''Film/{{Clouds}}'': Made in 2020, set in 2012-13.
* ''Film/FightingWithMyFamily'' is set from 2011-2014.
* ''Film/{{Nomadland}}'' is set in 2012-13.
* ''Film/ShangChiAndTheLegendOfTheTenRings'': 2021 film set in 2023, with the titular protagonist's backstory taking place around 2013-2014.
* ''Film/ToAllTheBoysIveLovedBefore'' has flashbacks to the main characters' childhood set somewhere in the earlier parts of the decade.

* ''Literature/BrownGirlInTheRing'' is set some point at least ~12 years after 1999, given in-story hints.
* ''Literature/DecomposingAngel'' by Creator/AsiHart is set sometime after 2014.
* ''Literature/InfiniteJest'': Creator/DavidFosterWallace's ''Literature/InfiniteJest'' takes place TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture relative to the early-to-mid 1990s and is surmised by most to take place in 2010 give or take a year or two (although one theory puts it 2015), but since numbered years have been abolished to make way for years named after the corporate sponsor who pays for the naming rights, nobody can tell for sure.
* The first update of the WebSerialNovel ''Literature/{{Worm}}'' is set on April 8th, 2011 -- the first 19 arcs take place before the end of June, and the story then timeskips to 2013.
* ''Literature/{{Kasia}}'': Released in 2020, the modern-era portions of the story (aside from a scene in the year 2000 when Connor was a toddler and the epilogue in the year 2034) are set from October 2016 to July 2017 - the preface indicates that writing began around the time Kasia arrives in the 21st century.
* ''Literature/YesDaddy'': Released in 2021, the latter part of the novel - from Mace's trial onwards - is set from 2011 to the [=#MeToo=] movement, ending in 2018 or early 2019.

[[AC:Live-Action Television]]
* ''Series/EighteenAgain'': Made and set in 2020, majority of the flashback to the backstory of the two protagonists' family life takes place from 2012-2018.
* ''Series/TheFirstLady'': 2022 UsefulNotes/EleanorRoosevelt, UsefulNotes/BettyFord, and UsefulNotes/MichelleObama BioPic.
* ''Series/HometownChaChaCha'': Made and set in 2021, flashbacks to multiple characters' respective backstories set from 2013-2019.
* ''Series/MyName'': Made and set in 2021. The prologue largely takes place in 2016, but a TimeSkip montage showing the subsequent years up to ThePresentDay is feautured.
* ''Series/SquidGame'': Made in 2021, flashback to the protagonist's backstory set somewhere in the decade.
* ''Series/ATeacher2020'': Made in 2020, all of it is set between 2013 and 2014 until the DistantFinale, which skips forward a decade.

* ''VideoGame/AceCombat6FiresOfLiberation''[='=]s Emmeria-Estovakia War takes place from August 2015 to March 2016.
* The modern day portion of ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'' takes place in the 2010s up until ''Odyssey''.
* ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'' is meant to take place in real time as each year progresses, but the regional and lapse of time differences between each server has led to their own mini-canon on when it actually started.
* ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoOnline'': Initially set in 2013; starting from the 2017 ''Gunrunning'' update, set in whatever year the latest update came out.
* The events of ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' takes place in the year 201X. [[spoiler:Though this ends up being a subversion, as it's ''the backstory'' of the game that takes place in 201X. The game itself an unspecified amount of time after 201X, which is implied to be decades or ''even centuries'' in the future.]]
* The ''Franchise/TouhouProject'' series from ''Ten Desires'' to ''Wily Beast and Weakest Creature'' takes place in the 2010s.
* ''VideoGame/KentuckyRouteZero'' (whose acts were released from 2013 to 2020) is set at the height of the Great Recession, envisioning it as a new time of SouthernGothic.
* ''VideoGame/{{killer7}}'' takes place in the first half of the decade, most chapters between 2010 (Angel on January 30th, Sunset on February 10th) and 2011 (Cloudman on April 3rd, Encounter on August 10th, Alter Ego on October 26th, and Smile on December 16th), with the finale, Lion, [[TimeSkip skipping]] ahead to an unspecified day in 2014.
* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil6'' takes place from roughly December 2012 to June 2013.

[[AC:Webcomics]]
* ''Webcomic/StrongFemaleProtagonist'': Alison was born in 1991 and is 19 when the story begins, placing it sometime around 2010-2011.

[[folder:2010]]
[[AC:Anime & Manga]]
* ''Anime/CyberTeamInAkihabara'': Made in 1998, set in 2010.
* In ''Anime/PantyAndStockingWithGarterbelt'' the Demon Sisters' [[ClipShow Ghost Report]] for the second half of 2010 includes footage from every episode of the show to date, so it can be safely assumed that the show takes place, at the very least, after June 2010.
* ''Anime/SeraphimCall'', from 1999, takes place in 2010.

* ''Film/TwoThousandTenTheYearWeMakeContact'' is set in 2010.
* In ''Film/BackToTheFuture1'', Doc Brown originally planned to travel 25 years into the future, October 26, 2010, before being interrupted by disgruntled Libyan terrorists.[[note]]Meanwhile, in RealLife, a Photoshopped picture of the [=DeLorean's=] control panel was passed around the Internet on July 5, 2010 (the 25th anniversary of the movie's premiere), suggesting that "we are the future." However, the film was set in October 1985, and Doc said that he wanted to see "who wins the next 25 World Series", making a trip to July sub-optimal.[[/note]]
* ''Anime/DigimonAdventureLastEvolutionKizuna'': Made in 2020, set in 2010.
* ''Film/District9'', a ScienceFiction Mockumentary/Satire/Social Statement, set in 2010 South Africa.
[[/index]]

[[AC:Literature]]
* In 2010, the advent of unlimited storage space and bandwidth will kill Big Media, according to Creator/PeterFHamilton's ''Misspent Youth''.
[[index]]
* ''Literature/{{Numbers}}'' begins in the last months of 2010.

* The [[Series/FargoSeasonThree third season]] of ''Series/{{Fargo}}'' is set in 2010, right around the Christmas season.
* The prologue of ''Series/Stargirl2020'' takes place in Christmas Eve 2010.

[[AC:Music]]
* Tim Wilson's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1SCu9yiBlo "Jetpack"]] song, where he complains that the new millennium is not what he expected to be.

* ''VideoGame/DeerHunterSeries''
* The first four ''[[VideoGame/DotHackR1Games .hack]]'' games are set in 2010.
* ''Videogame/{{Uplink}}'' starts in this year.
[[/index]]
* The little-known ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' game, ''VideoGame/StreetFighter2010''.
* ''Mercenaries 2: World In Flames'' is set in August 2010.
[[index]]
* The Boston scenario in ''VideoGame/SimCity'' is set in 2010. The nuclear meltdown fortunately never happened.
* The first ''VideoGame/PsychicForce'' game is set in the year 2010; its sequel takes places two years later.
* ''VideoGame/AceCombat5TheUnsungWar'' takes place in the back part of 2010, starting around September and ending at the morning hours of December 31st.
* ''VideoGame/{{Sofia}}'' takes place in April 2010.

[[AC:Western Animation]]
* ''[[WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}} Reptar 2010]]'', The ShowWithinAShow
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': In "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS6E19LisasWedding Lisa's Wedding]]", Lisa [[spoiler:almost]] gets married on August 1, 2010.

[[AC:Webcomics]]
* ''Webcomic/MayonakaDensha'' begins in 2010 before going back to [[VictorianLondon 1888]].

[[folder:2011]]

* ''Cyber Team In Akihabara: The Movie - The Summer of 2011'' takes place one year after the events of the TV series mentioned above.
* ''Anime/EdenOfTheEast'' starts three months after November 22, 2010.
* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'':
** ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureStoneOcean''
** ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureJojolion''

* ''Fanfic/KyonBigDamnHero'' starts on April 17, 2011.

* ''Film/NextStopChristmas'': 2021 film which features the protagonist {{time travel}}ling to 2011 for much of the story.

[[AC:Literature]]
* ''Literature/{{Remnants}}'', at least before the characters leave Earth. After that they become {{Human Popsicle}}s and go through a five-century TimeSkip.
* ''Literature/TheTrueMeaningOfSmekday''
* ''Literature/TheGeeksShallInheritTheEarth''
* ''Literature/UponThisPaleHill'' primarily; it begins in late 2010 and ends in early 2012.
* ''Literature/ZooCity'' is set in 2011.

* ''Series/NineteenTwo'' (The French version starts in 2011)
* ''Series/TerminatorTheSarahConnorChronicles'' {{retcon}}ned the rise of Skynet into 2011.

[[AC:Webcomics]]
* Act 6 of ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' takes place on 11/11/2011.
* ''Webcomic/JoeVsElanSchool'': The titular school's closure occurs on April 1, 2011.

[[AC:Web Original]]
* ''Literature/{{Pact}}'' starts on August 11, 2013.
* ''WebVideo/StuartHardy''. He originally joined in 2011 on Website/YouTube, though didn't start video reviews until 2012.

* ''VideoGame/BattlefieldPlay4Free''
* ''Call of Duty 4: VideoGame/ModernWarfare'' is set in this year.
* ''VideoGame/Persona4''

[[folder:2012]]

* ''Anime/DigimonAdventure02TheBeginning'': Made in 2023, set in 2012.
* ''Manga/YamadaKunAndTheSevenWitches'' starts in May 2012 (confirmed by a calendar and a TimeTravel chapter even though the narration in the first chapter, released in February 2012, claims that the story took place "not too long ago").

[[AC:Comic Books]]
* ''ComicBook/DeathOfTheFamily''
* ''ComicBook/FanboysVsZombies''
* ''ComicBook/{{Rotworld}}''

* ''Film/TwoThousandTwelve'', [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin obviously]].
* ''Film/IAmLegend''
* ''Film/SpiderManHomecoming'': The film begins on a flashback set during the aftermath of ''Film/TheAvengers2012''.
* ''Film/StandClearOfTheClosingDoors'' is set during the leadup to Hurricane Sandy in October 2012.

[[AC:Fan Works]]
* ''FanFic/OneYear'' starts where ''VideoGame/Persona4'' left off, on March 21, 2012.

[[AC:Literature]]
* ''Literature/ColdCereal''
* ''Literature/{{Harmony|2016}}''
* ''Literature/{{Harsh Generation}}''
* ''Literature/{{Home|Morrison}}''

* ''Series/{{Clipaholics}}''
* ''Series/{{Damages}}'', a crime drama/thriller where each season is [[RippedFromTheHeadlines inspired by real]] WhiteCollarCrime, with events from 2010, 2011, and 2012.
* ''Series/DoctorWho'': "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E6Dalek Dalek]]" and "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E11FearHer Fear Her]]" are both set in 2012.
* ''Series/Hawkeye2021'': The series begins on a flashback set during the events of ''Film/TheAvengers2012''.
* ''Series/{{Lilyhammer}}''
* ''Series/FigureItOut'' (revival)
* ''Series/{{Revolution}}''
* ''Series/{{Scandal}}''
* ''Series/{{Sherlock}}''
* ''Series/{{Supergirl 2015}}'' flashback to when Alex Danvers was recruited into the D.E.O. happened in this year.

* ''VideoGame/Persona4Arena'', ''VideoGame/Persona4ArenaUltimax'', and ''VideoGame/Persona4DancingAllNight'' take place in 2012.
[[/index]]

[[AC:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' takes place in the summer of 2012.
* The DistantFinale of ''WesternAnimation/PepperAnn'' takes place in 2012.

[[AC:Real Life]]
* The [[UsefulNotes/OlympicGames London Olympics]]

[[AC:Other]]
[[index]]
* See MayanDoomsday

[[folder:2013]]

* [[spoiler:The past portion]] of ''Anime/YourName'' takes place in 2013.

[[AC:Comic Books]]
* The ''ComicBook/DaysOfFuturePast'' storyline in ''Comicbook/XMen''.
* ''ComicBook/TrinityWar''
* ''ComicBook/ForeverEvil2013''

* ''Film/EscapeFromLA'' (the prologue opens in 2000, then skips to 2013 for the main story)
* ''Film/TheFlash2023'': Made in 2023 and set mostly in 2013, though the titular hero time-travelling to his mother's death in 2004 is integral to the plot.
* ''Film/PacificRim'' places the first Kaiju making landfall on August 10th, 2013.
* ''Film/PatriotsDay''

* ''Series/{{Supergirl 2015}}'' flashback to when the eponymous protagonist was hired at [=CatC=] happened in this year.

* ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'': Set in its release year of 2013.
* ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerGenerals'' is set in 2013.
* ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUs'' and ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUsPartII'' take place in a world where the ZombieApocalypse kicks off in 2013.
* ''VideoGame/LifeIsStrange'' takes place in October 2013.
* ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIV'': 2013 is when the Counter-Demon Force managed to open a portal to the Expanse too large for them to handle using the Demon Summoning Program, and the world entered a post-apocalyptic state as a result.

[[folder:2014]]
[[AC:Anime & Manga]]
* ''Manga/AlienNine'' is set in 2014.
* Part of ''Manga/TwentiethCenturyBoys'' is set in 2014.

[[AC:Comic Books]]
* ''ComicBook/BatmanEternal''
* ''ComicBook/BatmanGothtopia''

[[AC:Fan Works]]
* ''Fanfic/KiraIsJustice'', because FourIsDeath.
* ''Fanfic/SchoolDaysISS600'' is a [=FNaF=] fic set in late 2014 just a month after the game's real-life release.

* ''Film/TheGreatEscaper'', with flashbacks to [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII 1944]].

[[AC:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/{{DP}}'' takes place in 2014.
* ''Series/TheLeftovers''
* ''Series/NineteenTwo'' (The English version starts in 2014)
* The first two seasons of ''Series/Titans2018'' season frequently flashes back to this year as this was the year the original team was formed.

* ''VideoGame/Battlefield3'': Is set in 2014.
* ''VideoGame/FarCry4'' takes place in 2014.
* ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots'' is set in 2014.
* ''VideoGame/OpenSorcery'': The E.P.I Log is written on Nov. 1 2014, and the events of the game are the 9 days inclusive before the E.P.I log.

[[folder:2015]]
[[AC:Anime & Manga]]
* The ''Anime/FutureGPXCyberFormula'' series begins in 2015, and continues on to 2022.
* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' begins in 2015, and may extend into early 2016. [[AssimilationPlot Instrumentality]] happens between December 31, 2015 and January 1, 2016. What happens after that isn't certain.

[[AC:Literature]]
* ''Literature/EdenGreen'' (and the extradimensional disaster it covers) takes place in late July, 2015. The author also released a free web serial, ''[[Literature/CityOnTheEdgeOfNowhere City on the Edge of Nowhere]],'' to recap events with bonus 2015 context.
* ''Literature/SorryBro'' is set around June 2015.
* ''Worm'''s sequel ''Literature/{{Ward}}'' takes place in 2015.

[[AC:Fan Works]]
* ''FanFic/InTheEyeOfTheBeholder'' begins on August 22, 2015.

[[AC:Films]]
* ''Film/BackToTheFuturePartII'' is partly set on October 21, 2015.
** In RealLife July 2010, many people fell for a hoax confusing this date with the film's 25th anniversary (July 3, 2010); see that year's section for details.
** Towards the end of [[Film/BackToTheFuture1 the original movie]], Doc traveled to October 26, 2015, and after learning about the circumstances of Marty [=McFly=] Jr.'s arrest, travels back to 1985 to take Marty and Jennifer to 2015, kick-starting the second film.
** The film infamously predicted that the Chicago Cubs would sweep the 2015 World Series. [[YankTheDogsChain Sadly, the Cubs were swept by the New York Mets in the National League Championship Series]]... [[HarsherInHindsight on October 21, 2015]]. However, [[EarnYourHappyEnding the Cubs would finally win the World Series]] the ''following'' year in 2016. [[https://twitter.com/BacktotheFuture/status/794184901255954432 The film series' Twitter account joked that the discrepancy of the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series a year early was due to the film's version of 2015 being in a universe where the 1994 baseball strike never occurred.]]
* ''Film/MayDecember'' was released in 2023, but it's set in the summer of 2015. Joe and Gracie's kids graduate as "class of 2015" and the date on Elizabeth's work print when she's filming at the end is 2015.
* ''Film/{{Zola}}'' is set at the time in 2015 when the events chronicled in the Twitter post that inspired the movie occurred. Furthermore, the use of Backpage (which was shut down in 2018) is part of a major plot point, while Derrek is seen regularly viewing [[Website/{{Vine}} Vines]], the group vibes and lipsyncs to [[Music/{{Migos}} "Hannah Montana"]] in the car, and Stefani emphasizes Facebook and Tumblr as part of her social media presence rather than Snapchat and [=TikTok=] (not to mention not mentioning an [=OnlyFans=] at all, as it was not launched until 2016), all of which are clear signifiers of the mid-2010s.

[[AC:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/TheFlash2014'': The eponymous protagonist time travels to this year (specifically the one set during Season 1's timeline) twice as of Season 5.
* ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'' has flashforwards to the birth of Ted's eldest child set in this year.

[[AC:Podcasts]]
* ''Podcast/TheMessage'' is set during 2015.

* ''VideoGame/AlienSoldier'' is set in 2015.
* ''VideoGame/OpenSorcery'': ''Jingle BEL/S'' is set in the Christmas season of 2015.
* ''VideoGame/TellMeWhy'' is set in November 2015.

[[AC:Web Original]]
* ''Literature/{{Ward}}'' takes place in 2015.

[[folder:2016]]

[[AC:Anime and Manga]]
* Most of ''Anime/YourName'' takes place in 2016.

* ''Film/BlackWidow2021'' is set shortly after ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'' which was released and took place in 2016.
* In ''Film/GhostbustersII'', one of the guests on Peter Venkman's show "World of the Psychic" predicts that the end of the world would happen on February 14, 2016.
-->'''Venkman:''' Valentine's Day. Bummer.
* ''Film/AssassinsCreed2016'' is set in 2016, with Templar Ellen Kaye outright stating the year.

[[AC: Literature]]

* ''Literature/{{Penance}}'': Published in 2023, the novel takes the form of a book written in the 2020s about the events of 2015-2016 in a small town in Yorkshire. Tumblr and assorted subcultures are mentioned by name.

* ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'': The flashforward to Barney Stinson and Robin Scherbatsky's divorce, as well as the selling of the apartment which served as the setting of the show for much of the series's run, happened in this year.

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]
* ''[[WesternAnimation/YoungJustice2010 Young Justice: Invasion]]'' is set in 20[[ArcNumber 16]].

* ''VideoGame/LifeIsStrange2'' takes place mostly in 2016, as does its {{Interquel}} ''VideoGame/TheAwesomeAdventuresOfCaptainSpirit''.
* ''Call of Duty: VideoGame/ModernWarfare 2'' and ''3'' are set in 2016, 5 years after the first game, though the final mission of the latter game extends out to late January of 2017.
* The ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' series is for the most part set in this decade, with the first game starting off in the fall of 2016.
* ''VideoGame/Persona5'' says it's set in [[YearX 20XX]], but uses the same calendar dates as 2016.

[[folder:2017]]
[[AC:ComicBooks]]
* ''ComicBook/BatmanWhiteKnight''
* ''ComicBook/TheButton''
* ''ComicBook/DarkNightsMetal''
* ''Comicbook/DoomsdayClock''
* ''ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmericaRebirth''
* ''ComicBook/TheLazarusContract''
* ''ComicBook/MisterMiracle2017''
* ''ComicBook/TheTerminusAgenda''
* ''ComicBook/TheSurrogates''.

[[AC:Films]]
* A part of ''Film/{{Click}}'' takes place in 2017.
* The majority of ''Film/TerminatorGenisys'' take place in 2017.

[[AC:Literature]]
* ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows'': The epilogue of the last ''Literature/HarryPotter'' book (published in 2007) would, according to the official timeline, take place in 2017. We don't really get to see what the Muggle world is like by that time, but at the very least they still have cars and driving tests. We also know that they still have train stations and that they haven't found out about wizards yet.
* ''Literature/MyDarkVanessa''

[[AC:Live-Action Series]]
* ''Series/TheDropout'': 2022 Elizabeth Holmes BioPic set mostly on her 2017 trial but also has flashbacks from her college years in the early 2000s.

[[AC:Video Games]]
* ''VideoGame/DotHackGU''
* ''VideoGame/NightInTheWoods'' takes place during October 2017, [[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture slightly less than a year]] after its release.
* ''VideoGame/{{Orwell}}'' is set in 2017, one year after the game release.
* ''VideoGame/Persona5Strikers'' takes place around the summer of 2017.
* ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyJusticeForAll'' takes place in 2017 with exception of Case 4. Also, Case 5 of the first game takes place on February of this year.
* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil7Biohazard'' takes place in 2017.

[[AC:Western Animation]]
* "[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS1E14SB129KarateChoppers SB-129]]", an episode of ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' opens in this year, before it hands over to the events of 4017.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:2018]]
[[AC:{{Film}}]]
* ''Film/TerminatorSalvation''.
* ''Film/IronSky''

[[AC:Video Games]]
* ''VideoGame/TraumaCenter'' takes place in 2018.
* ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance''
* The main story ''VideoGame/YakuzaLikeADragon'' takes place in 2018.

[[AC:Visual Novels]]
* ''VisualNovel/MonsterProm'' is set in 2018. More specifically, it takes place after February, since Miranda's birthday is either February 28th, 1999 or March 1st, 1999, and she is 19 years old.
* Case 4 of ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyJusticeForAll'' takes place on March of this year and Case 2 of ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyTrialsAndTribulations'' takes place on September or October depending the game you play (Sep 11 for Japan and Oct 11 for US).
[[/folder]]

[[folder:2019]]
[[AC:{{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]
* ''Manga/{{Akira}}''

[[AC:Comic Books]]
* The sixth and final issue of ''ComicBook/SpiderManLifeStory'' is set in 2019.

[[AC:Films]]
* ''Film/TheBatman2022'' takes place in 2019.
* ''Film/BladeRunner'' takes place in November 2019.
* ''Film/TheIsland2005'' takes place in July 2019.
* ''Film/TheRunningMan''
* At least part of the prologue to ''Film/BoratSubsequentMoviefilm'' is likely set at the very end of 2019, judging by TheReveal at the end that [[spoiler:Borat had [[BeenThereShapedHistory unknowingly introduced COVID-19 to China]] during his journey to the US]].

[[AC:Literature]]
* Arthur C Clarke's ''July 20, 2019'' is set on... that's right. (He chose that date because it's the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.)

[[AC:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/DarkAngel'' begins in 2019.
* The first season of ''Series/{{Dollhouse}}'' has a DistantFinale set in 2019.
* ''Series/SomedayOrOneDay'' starts in 2019 and many scenes are set during that year.
* ''Series/{{Treadstone}}'' has most of it story set around 2019.

[[AC:Music]]
* Music/DangerDaysTheTrueLivesOfTheFabulousKilljoys by Music/MyChemicalRomance

[[AC:Video Games]]
* ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyModernWarfare2019'' primarily takes place in 2019, save for the two prequel missions where you play as Farah.
* ''VideoGame/GhostReconWildlands'' takes place in July 2019.
* ''VideoGame/HouseOfTheDead III'' takes place in 2019.
* ''VideoGame/LifeIsStrangeTrueColors'' takes place in May 2019.
* It is implied that the Varrigan City Death Watch in ''VideoGame/MadWorld'' takes place in 2019.
* Cases [[spoiler:3 and 5]] of ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorney: Trials And Tribulations'' take place on this year. Also, [[spoiler:the Side-Trial of Case 4]] on ''VisualNovel/ApolloJusticeAceAttorney'' where [[spoiler:Phoenix is disbarred]] happens on April 29th (almost three months after Case 5 of T&T).

[[AC:Web Comics]]
* ''Webcomic/CrystalHeroes'' has a narration box stating "The year is 2019" on the second page.

[[AC:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'' takes place from mid to late 2019.

[[/folder]]

The gaming space saw an immense amount of growth this decade compared to prior ones; the first half of the decade saw the MobilePhoneGame genre absolutely explode into popularity, with ''VideoGame/AngryBirds'' , ''VideoGame/CandyCrushSaga'', and ''VideoGame/PuzzleAndDragons'' not only bursting into the mainstream, but also introducing the {{Freemium}} business model into gaming, leading to the rise of {{Microtransactions}} that would controversially make its way into PC and console gaming, namely with ''VideoGame/StarWarsBattlefrontII'' and ''VideoGame/MiddleEarthShadowOfWar''. On the flip side, narrative-driven games became an even bigger commodity than they were in previous decade, namely with ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUs'' and ''VideoGame/TheWitcher3WildHunt'', being standout examples of narrative-driven games receiving mainstream attention throughout the decade. The SoulslikeRPG genre also boomed in popularity thanks to the monumental release of ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsI'', as did the WideOpenSandbox genre thanks to ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'' and ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity''. ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Fortnite}}'' both became ''bona fide'' cultural phenomenons in the first and second halves of the decade respectively, leading to the boom of the SurvivalSandbox and BattleRoyaleGame genres. In the console space, Sony managed to retake the lead from Microsoft with the Platform/PlayStation4 as a result of Microsoft fumbling the Platform/XboxOne and Sony's own growing lineup of first-party exclusives such as ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'', ''VideoGame/Uncharted4AThiefsEnd'', and ''[[VideoGame/GodOfWarPS4 God of War]]'', which has extended well beyond into TheNewTwenties. Meanwhile, Creator/{{Nintendo}} saw sales of the Platform/{{Wii}} plateau ''hard'' at the beginning of the decade, leading to the rushed launches of the Platform/Nintendo3DS and Platform/WiiU. While the 3DS ended up gaining a large amount of momentum overall, the Wii U never did and so Nintendo were saddled with their biggest commercial failure until they discontinued it in 2017...upon which they released the Platform/NintendoSwitch and did a complete 180º, with the Switch quickly becoming their biggest console since the Platform/NintendoDS, and quickly amassing a library of desirable exclusives like ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'', ''VideoGame/SuperMarioOdyssey'', and ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'', as well as being the first Nintendo console in a while to receive actual third-party support, with popular titles like ''[[VideoGame/Doom2016 Doom]]'' and ''VideoGame/DragonBallFighterZ'' making their way into the console early on. The Nintendo Switch's release and games also coincided with a general comeback of Japanese-developed games in the industry as a whole, with titles like ''VideoGame/Persona5'', 'VideoGame/MonsterHunterWorld'', and ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvil22019 Resident Evil 2]]'' all being critical and commercial hits and marking a general re-acceptance of Japanese-developed games. And last but certainly not least, the IndieGame market grew exponentially during this decade, which titles such as (but not limited to) ''VideoGame/ShovelKnight'', ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys'', ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'', and ''VideoGame/StardewValley'' all making independent game development a much more viable market than it was before.

[[folder:Tropes #-G]]
* FiftiesHair: Elegantly-coiffed "Teddy Boy" hairstyles styled with retro products like pomade (themselves based on late 19th/early 20th century styles) made a comeback among men in reaction to the [[NinetiesHair unkempt "skater look" of the late 1990s and 2000s]].
* TheSeventies: The final years of the decade see a revival of wood and earth-tone palettes, although with a sleeker look. Many of the garish malls and shopping centers of TheNineties get more earthy and subdued makeovers during this decade. Crystal glass and mirrors find their way back into interior design.
* SeventiesHair: Returned to popularity among men both at the beginning and the end of the decade. The shaggy haircuts of Music/JustinBieber and Music/OneDirection and other carryovers from the aughts were popular among teenagers during the early 2010s. Longer hairstyles got a boost later in the decade as the "New Wave" undercuts became associated with the alt-right and white nationalists. The {{hipster}} subculture also made beards and mustaches fashionable again.
* TheEighties: The nostalgia craze of the mid-2000s turned into a full-fledged revival early in the decade, getting to the point of blurring any considerable differences between both decades. Shows set in the 1980s like ''Series/StrangerThings'' and ''Series/TheGoldbergs'' as well as movies (such as ''Film/KungFury'' and ''Film/TurboKid'') and video games (''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' and ''VideoGame/HotlineMiami'') with an undeniable 80s inspired aesthetic have become popular with certain crowds. The '80s aesthetic is also quite popular, nicknamed as "Outrun" after [[VideoGame/OutRun the video game of the same name]], as well as inspiring its own musical genre, UsefulNotes/{{Synthwave}}, which is heavily inspired by the ElectronicMusic, SynthPop and NewWaveMusic sounds so popular in the decade. Even though it has begun being supplanted by [[CueTheFlyingPigs '90s/early '00s nostalgia]] in the second half of the decade, there's still an undeniable sense of '80s nostalgia nonetheless.
* EightiesHair: Returned with a vengeance by 2013-14, after being the ButtMonkey of hairdos for many years. Most prominently big hair and New Wave undercuts[[note]]It is quite debatable if Jon Snow wears a mullet or not[[/note]]; you were still very unlikely to see mullets on someone who's not a [[DiscoDan middle aged]] biker, a ButchLesbian, or [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs both]], but the hairstyle has found popularity among trans women. Big curly bangs/fringes have yet to make a comeback, and while mini side ponies came back, tying all hair on one side of the head did not. Scrunchies made a comeback late into the decade.
* TheNineties: The 1990s were no longer regarded as the latte-overdosed downbeat years everyone thought of in the 2000s, and the decade itself had a very vocal fanbase on the net (mainly consisting of those whose formative childhood years were spent in that decade), the late 90s being particularly remembered as a [[BreatherEpisode more peaceful and prosperous time]] before 9/11, UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror, and the Great Recession. Grunge saw a resurgence among the "indie" subculture, "Golden Age" urban music was rediscovered by shows like ''Series/FreshOffTheBoat'' and the film ''Film/{{Dope}}'', and the LighterAndSofter "Cool Britannia" regained some of its coolness. Not to mention that [[Toys/{{Furby}} some furry toys]] caused a holiday craze once in 2013. '90s TV shows like ''Series/{{Friends}}'' and ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'' were popular on streaming services.
** Disney once more became extremely trendy after having [[GrowingTheBeard Regrown The Beard]] near the end of the previous decade. The fact that many of the new movies hearkened back to the style of movies they created in the '90s (or the 70s, even the '50s) wasn't missed.
** The '90s practically came back for Eastern Europe and Central Asia - specifically Russia, essentially all other post-Soviet states except perhaps the Baltic states and most especially the former Yugoslavia - except for the fact that this decade was anything ''but'' a fun time for them. And while Russia seemed determined to climb back to the status of the former USSR by any and all means (and did quite well, for good or ill), the Baltic states and former Warsaw Pact states such as Poland and the Czech Republic did comparatively well after the EU enlargement and the Balkans ''somewhat'' recovered... but for Ukraine, Moldova and especially the former Soviet republics of Central Asia (with the exception of Kazakhstan), things only got worse and worse.
* NinetiesHair:
** For older women, the infamous "Karen" haircut gained an infamous memetic reputation.
** For younger women, sleek Rachel bobs, sideparts, and high fountain ponytails became vogue by the second half of the decade.
* ActionGirl: Though bonafide female action heroes had been around for a few decades, with the likes of ''The Avengers''[='=] (the British TV series) Emma Peel, ''Aliens''[='=] Ripley, ''Tomb Raider''[='=]s Lara Croft or ''Metroid''[='=]s Samus Aran, these generally were considered to be [[OneOfTheBoys little more than dudes with added sex appeal]] [[MsFanservice (and skimpy clothes)]], while attempts to have ''feminine'' action heroes ended as quickly as they began in the 2000s with the failures of ''Film/Catwoman2004'' and ''Film/{{Elektra}}'', and it was thought that the best a woman could hope for was to be the {{love interest}} with a DesignatedGirlFight. Then the 2010s saw a sudden wave of female-led action films such as ''Film/SnowWhiteAndTheHuntsman'' (2012), ''Film/TheHungerGames'' (2012-15), ''Literature/{{Divergent}}'', and ''Film/{{Lucy}}'' (both 2014) and ''Film/MadMaxFuryRoad'' (2015), all of which not only became huge hits, but pretty much '''[[DiscreditedTrope flattened]]''' the notion that FeministFantasy and butt-kicking (if not outright [[RatedMForManly bone-crunching, steel-shattering, over-the-top extreme action]]) were mutually exclusive genres. The ''Franchise/StarWars'' sequel trilogy made its lead protagonist a woman, while female characters (outside General Leia) became more prominent instead of being satellite characters. On television, the likes of ''Series/OnceUponATime'', ''Series/JessicaJones2015'', ''Series/AgentCarter'', ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', and ''Series/Supergirl2015'' all were very female-driven and enjoyed success. In the realm of video games, the ''[[VideoGame/TombRaider2013 Tomb Raider]]'' [[VideoGame/TombRaider2013 reboot]], ''VideoGame/HorizonZeroDawn'', and ''VideoGame/AlienIsolation'' featured female protagonists that greatly downplayed any fanservice while emphasizing their skills and character arcs. This culminated in [[Film/WonderWoman2017 the Wonder Woman movie]] finally leaving DevelopmentHell and being released to widespread acclaim in 2017.
** In professional wrestling, this was also more pronounced. After years of being held back or suffering {{Chickification}}, Wrestling/{{WWE}}'s women were allowed to finally wrestle properly -- enjoying more time, high profile feuds and more exposure than ever before. Even before WWE got in on the trend, independent promotions like ''Wrestling/{{SHIMMER}}'' and ''Wrestling/{{WSU}}'' enjoyed a boom with the rise of the internet -- allowing them to reach a wider audience that did want to see serious women's wrestling.
* {{Adorkable}}: Shy, intensely idealistic, overly emotional, and borderline sissy (or downright asexual) intellectuals (known as "softboys" to their fans and "soy boys" to their detractors) became the unlikely attractiveness standard for males during the first half of the decade, while [[ManlyMan overtly masculine archetypes]] were [[TestosteronePoisoning either mocked or denounced with often exaggerated examples]]. The users of Website/{{Tumblr}} had a knack for gathering all of their idols' adorkable character traits into a nine or ten-piece photoset to share with other fans around the world. The term "sapiosexual" (attraction towards intellectualism) was also coined during the decade. It evolved into the "dark academia" aesthetic of [[TheNewTwenties the following decade]].
* AffluentAscetic: The [[ConspicuousConsumption rampant consumerism]] of the 2000s gave way to frugalism in the aftermath of the 2008 crisis, with younger generations in particular ditching name brands in favor of generic "private-label" products. Trends in the property market shifted from the palace-like "[=McMansions=]" in the suburbs to more functional, efficiency-driven inner-city "smart-homes".
* AllCGICartoon: Major animation studios still preferred these to traditionally animated films. Disney was the key exception post-2009, but neither ''WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog'' or ''WesternAnimation/WinnieThePooh2011'' were as popular as all-CGI films, and their original plans to release a 2D film every other year died when ''WesternAnimation/Frozen2013'' was switched from 2D to CGI. Digital animation resulted in pastel colors being the norm in many cartoons, such as ''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil'' and ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse''. At the same time, it sometimes led to OffModel animation errors such as those seen in ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls2016''. Ironically, however, studios began working to create CG technology that would accurately produce a traditional 2D appearance. The ''WesternAnimation/{{Paperman}}'' short for instance is a combination of CG and 2D animation. It also was a critically-acclaimed short that won multiple awards.
* AmbiguousGender: Gender conventions became heavily questioned in the mainstream, with many openly defying them, most notably by the rise of dyeing and makeup among men and women shaving their heads partially or fully. Fashion designers also put "gender-neutral" outfits on the runways. By the end of the decade, the decidedly androgynous look of "e-boys" and "e-girls" jumped into the mainstream.
* AntiHero: Mean-spirited [[VillainProtagonist (if not totally evil)]] leads became more prominent in TV thanks to the popularity of [[Series/BreakingBad Walter White]], [[Series/GameOfThrones Tyrion Lannister]], [[Series/TheWalkingDead Rick Grimes]], [[Series/MadMen Don Draper]], [[Series/HouseOfCardsUS Frank Underwood]], and [[Series/BoardwalkEmpire Nucky Thompson]] among others. Sadly, James Gandolfini, the actor behind [[Series/TheSopranos TV's first big anti-hero]], passed away in 2013. This trope became more popular in anime as well thanks to characters like [[Literature/ACertainMagicalIndex Accelerator]] and [[Anime/CodeGeass Lelouch]]. The late years of the decade saw the rise of female anti-heroes, although mostly in the more traditional sense of the word (sympathetic characters going through a lot of troubles and existential doubts) with shows such as ''The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel'' and ''Fleabag''.
* ArcherArchetype: Became more prominent in many media thanks to characters like [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Link]], [[Series/TheWalkingDead Daryl Dixon]], [[Series/{{Arrow}} Oliver Queen]] and [[Film/TheHungerGames Katniss Everdeen]], among others.
* ArchiveBinge: [[invoked]] The popularity of online streaming services such as {{Creator/Netflix}} and {{Creator/Hulu}} actually led to shows [[PopularityPolynomial regaining a second life.]] In fact, several shows became exclusive to online avenues, [[Series/{{Community}} with]] [[Series/ArrestedDevelopment some]] even getting UnCancelled. This effect gave ''Series/BreakingBad'' a huge surge in popularity before its final season, going from cult hit to cultural juggernaut. All the existing episodes were available on Netflix when it swept the Emmys meanwhile the final season was being filmed, so people who heard about it could check out the first episodes, get hooked, watch all the episodes, tell some friends to watch it and then tell all ''their'' friends to do the same...
* AscendedMeme: Considering how much closer creators and {{fandom}} were now (primarily on web-based content), this became common.
** In terms of how deaths in the 2010s affected future works: Creator/HeathLedger's death in 2008 prevented his Joker from reappearing in 2012's ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'', Creator/LeonardNimoy's in 2015 forced rewrites for ''Film/StarTrekBeyond'' that would allow them to write around his absence[[note]]Nimoy as Old Spock was given a proper death and sendoff at the beginning of the film; both received memoriams in the credits[[/note]], and while Creator/CarrieFisher's death did not affect ''Film/TheLastJedi'' (as all her parts were already filmed), it affected ''Episode IX'', as she was planned to be the main "original trio" that the film focused on [[note]]following Han in ''Film/TheForceAwakens'' and Luke in ''The Last Jedi''[[/note]].
* AxesAtSchool: School shootings (and mass shootings in general) made more and more international headlines in this decade, as well as increasing the debate over gun control, making it an even bigger discussion topic in the US. The Sandy Hook shooting in 2012 and the Marjory Stoneman Douglas one in 2018 were among the most notorious. In the music industry, Music/FosterThePeople had it as the theme of their 2010 hit "Pumped Up Kicks".
** In Brazil, two such incidents also happened in this decade. They were the Tasso da Silveira Municipal School shooting in 2011 and the Professor Raul Brasil State School one in 2019. Notorious also for being the first of this kind in the country.
* BasementDweller: Many works showed young people being forced to move back with their parents ([[UndeadHorseTrope either playing this trope straight or subverting it]]), unable to go ahead in a post-Great Recession economy. The trope name was also used as an online slur.
* BigFatFuture: The obesity epidemic hitting developed countries truly began to take hold; plentiful, high-calorie food made everyone go up a few pant sizes and stories portraying futures full of overweight people began to emerge because of this.
** In urban areas of the United States, the reverse happened, as many people became more health and fitness conscious (especially with regard to diet) as a result of the above.
* BigOlEyebrows: For the first time since the '80s, thick eyebrows were fashionable for people of all genders. Many women tried to obtain fuller, darker brows opposed to tweezing. Unlike in the '80s however, the ideal eyebrows had to be highly groomed and sculpted to an angular shape, similar to a common '60s look. Popular [[MsFanservice sex symbol]] Creator/CaraDelevingne had a significant influence on this trend. Well-groomed thick eyebrows were even given a slang in the African-American community: "on fleek" became a relatively widely-used idiom.
* {{Bishonen}}: This trope, along with [[GamingAndSportsAnimeAndManga sports anime and manga]], got more popular among North American anime fans thanks to ''Anime/{{tsuritama}}'', ''Anime/{{Free}}'', ''Anime/{{K}}'', and ''Manga/{{Haikyuu}}''.
* BlazingInfernoHellfireSauce: Asian hot sauces--which are known for being quite a bit spicier than their North American counterparts--become noticeably more popular in the United States and Europe. In particular, sriracha (a traditional Thai chili sauce introduced to the U.S. by way of Vietnam) becomes the subject of a major American craze after the California-based company Huy Fong Foods introduced their own brand of it. It eventually became ubiquitous enough that TabletopGame/{{Scrabble}} formally added the word "sriracha" to their dictionary in 2018.
* BoyBand: They came baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack! But unlike the late-'90s wave, only Music/OneDirection became notoriously successful; the rest of this new generation of boy bands was generally minimally popular, like Music/TheWanted and Series/BigTimeRush. The only other boy band besides 1D to have any reasonable success this decade were the Australian pop-rock group Music/FiveSecondsOfSummer, their opening act on their second and third world tours and whose status as a boy band is highly disputed. At least, until Kpop boy bands, especially Music/{{BTS}}, became extremely popular in the West in the last few years of the decade.
* BoyishShortHair: In the West, 60s-inspired hairstyles became popular early in the decade (in particular the "pixie" variety), while partially- or fully-shaven heads gradually became mainstream throughout the decade, first among the African-American community before extending to women of all ethnicities.
* BreakawayPopHit: After the soundtrack hit had become irrelevant since the late 1990s, it made a huge comeback in 2012 with "(The Theme From) Film/{{Skyfall}}" (joined by the positive reception "[[Film/PitchPerfect Cups]]" and "Suddenly" got that same year)[[note]]To add context, there were just ''two'' nominees for the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2011, while 2012 saw five participants for the first time since 2004, helped by rule changes.[[/note]]. By the middle of the decade, these became increasingly ubiquitous, with "[[WesternAnimation/DespicableMe2 Happy]]", "[[WesternAnimation/Frozen2013 Let It Go]]", "[[Film/TheFaultInOurStars Boom Clap]]", "[[Film/TheHungerGamesMockingjayPart1 The Hanging Tree]]", "[[Film/FiftyShadesOfGrey Love Me Like You Do", "Earned It]]", "[[Film/TheFastAndTheFurious See You Again]]", "[[WesternAnimation/{{Trolls}} Can't Stop The Feeling]]", "[[WesternAnimation/{{Coco}} Remember Me]]" and "[[Film/TheGreatestShowman This Is Me]]" among others becoming very successful since then.
* BritishBrevity: Cable and streaming series shunned the traditional 22-to-26-episodes-a-year "American season" in favor of the more flexible "British system" of 6 to 13 episodes, seasons not necessarily adjusting to a yearly schedule, making it easier to "binge-watch". By the tail end of the decade, The CW became the first American free-to-air network to adopt this scheme by having its series air "events" (lasting from 4 to 8 weeks) throughout the year[[note]]Take in mind that, The CW is much smaller than the other four "majors" and focuses more on younger audiences[[/note]].
* BuffySpeak: The use of surreal language for humorous effect became quite popular in the later years of the decade, especially among younger people. Notable examples included ''"Because reasons"'' (i.e. "For reasons I don't feel like explaining"), ''"Because fuck you, that's why"'' (i.e. "For illogical reasons"), and most notoriously, ''"That's a thing"'' (i.e. "That exists" or "That's a recognized phenomenon").
* BuryYourGays: This trope became mostly discredited in fiction after the avalanche of LGBT characters being killed off sparked a major backlash in 2015/2016. While it still popped up on occasion, [[StealthPun straight]] uses in widespread (and especially internet-popular) media were much more likely to attract criticism and controversy.
* CapitalismIsBad: The creation of publications that openly denounced capitalism, such as the ''Jacobin'' and ''Current Affairs'' magazines and podcasts such as ''Podcast/ChapoTrapHouse'' that blended humor with left-wing politics, accompanied the resurgence of socialism in the Anglosphere in the wake of the Great Recession. At the same time, science-fiction and dystopian media, such as ''Series/BlackMirror'' and ''Film/SorryToBotherYou'', increasingly critiqued what was known as "Late Stage Capitalism" and its impact on society, and various genre films by the end of the decade like ''Film/{{Joker}}'', ''Film/{{Parasite|2019}}'', ''Film/ReadyOrNot'', and ''Film/KnivesOut'' [[EatTheRich sent up the rich]] and portrayed the bad effects of their wealth and the excesses of capitalism on others, which continued into the following years with works like ''Series/SquidGame''. This was almost certainly a reflection of the growing population of creators and young adults who came of age in the immediate aftermath of the disastrous Great Recession of 2008.
* CareerVersusFamily: Between having entered the job market during the Great Recession and being forced into part-time or minimum-wage jobs which did not allow for the sense of stability that would encourage starting a family and penchant for academic excellence and searching for "meaningful" work justifying said excellence, younger generations began delaying the prospects of forming families, if not reconsidering them altogether. Both the "new left" and nationalist right attacked capitalism for this, although the left was less interested in preserving traditional families so much as they were opposed to what they saw as capitalism dehumanizing workers to be soulless drones, while the nationalist right loathed the degradation of traditional society in favor of "get-rich individualism". [[note]]Couples who simply chose to be child free had more social acceptance than previous decades, making it less necessary for them to use this trope as a rationale for those [[NotWantingKidsIsWeird who puzzle at their choice]]. On the other hand, part of that increased social acceptance was due to this trope.[[/note]]
* CassetteFuturism: Vinyl records and cassette tapes made a comeback in this decade even alongside digital technology.
%%* ChinaTakesOverTheWorld: In the first half of the decade China battled with the U.S. for economic primacy. However, this thawed or cooled down in wake of looming problems for the Chinese economy predicted by economists such as Paul Krugman and the resurgence of the US from the Great Recession. However, China began making aggressive territorial claims in South China Sea and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senkaku_Islands Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands]], rapid military buildup, and threatening war with nearby neighbors (Taiwan and Japan in particular). - Troping Real Life; remove or rewrite about works for this trope
* ContinuityReboot: Several franchises saw remakes and reboots during this decade. Some were successful, but many others were critical and commercial failures, especially those of which only had their last installment less than a decade previously. Many called this trend a sign that Hollywood had run out of ideas.
* ContinuityLockout: With the trend toward long-running story arcs and the expectation that new fans would be able to [[ArchiveBinge catch up on earlier seasons on streaming services]], this became the rule rather than the exception for dramatic television.
* CoolBigSis: This trope was increasingly popular in pop culture media alongside with PluckyGirl. Specifically in the anime medium where the LittleSisterHeroine character archetype got a lot of backlash which led to criticism of this trope from top anime directors and producers (i.e. Creator/YoshiyukiTomino), which led to a meme of "Age of Onee-san."
%%* CoolOldGuy: Along with CoolOldLady. Celebrities of the so-called Silent Generation (born before 1945) became wildly popular with younger people, including Creator/GeorgeTakei, Creator/IanMcKellen and Creator/PatrickStewart (all three outspoken progressives [especially Takei] who worked on ''Franchise/StarTrek'', the former two (who are also openly gay) in lead roles; [=McKellen=] and Stewart are also famous for the ''[[Film/XMenFilmSeries X-Men]]'' [both] and ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' [[=McKellen=]] film series), as well as Creator/BettyWhite, Creator/AngelaLansbury and Creator/DickVanDyke (for their [[{{Adorkable}} endearing naiveté]] and impressive longevity[[note]]Although Lansbury's reputation was briefly clouded by some declarations over [=#MeToo=][[/note]]) among others. And in an era of near-absolute distrust towards politicians[[note]]President Donald Trump, who was 70 when elected in 2016, was very unpopular among those under 45 given his arch-conservative policies, while his main election opponent Hillary Clinton, also 70 in 2016, was very controversial among those under 30, although she was ''somewhat'' the less hated of the two[[/note]], younger people became particularly enthusiastic supporters of senior progressive figures such as Bernie Sanders, Jeremy Corbyn and Jean-Luc Mélenchon, while former U.S. V.P. Joe Biden stood out among the rest. Older people in turn adopted a more modern point of view, deliberately avoiding stereotypes about their age. - Troping Real Life; remove or rewrite about works for this trope
* CosmicHorrorStory:
** Creator/HPLovecraft enjoyed a renewed popularity during the decade, with the Library of America compiling a large anthology featuring much of his work (more or less announcing that Lovecraft, and horror fiction by extension, was now part of the canon of great literature). Likewise, a number of Lovecraft-inspired fiction and horror seeped into mainstream works. Creator/RidleyScott's ''Film/{{Prometheus}}'' and ''Film/AlienCovenant'' made the cosmic horror subtext of the original ''Alien'' series into text.
** The first season of the highly popular ''Series/TrueDetective'' drew inspiration from FilmNoir as well as NewWeird works by Lovecraft and Creator/ThomasLigotti to articulate a pessimistic cosmic view of the universe, as a random mistake that is not comprehensible to human imagination. The popular ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' games as well as ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'' and the sci-fi franchise ''Franchise/MassEffect'' also drew heavily on Lovecraftian concepts to articulate a less heroic and more terrifying approach to the RPG genre.
** LovecraftLite tropes that lean heavily on cosmic horror also became popular, with the highly popular Creator/AdultSwim series, ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'' more or less submitting ''Franchise/BackToTheFuture'' and ''Series/DoctorWho'' style optimistic sci-fi adventure to a DeconstructiveParody by showing that a MadScientist EccentricMentor with physics-rewriting abilities would more or less have BlueAndOrangeMorality as a result of daily confronting mindbending threats from outer space every week or so.
* CreativeSterility: The need for cost-cutting in the wake of the Great Recession (and scriveners becoming more expensive after the WGA strike) ultimately led to a general sense that originality is in its way out in the mainstream for the sake of economic efficiency. This is often cited as one of the reasons for the success of subscriber-based and web-original content.
* {{Creepypasta}}: While the origins of the genre itself are nebulous and difficult to pin down, with disputing sources putting the title of "first creepypasta" anywhere from the chain emails of the early 90s to [[Literature/TedsCavingPage Ted the Caver]] in 2001, the art form saw its greatest point of saturation and widespread public knowledge in the early years of this decade, with Franchise/TheSlenderManMythos, inarguably the [[TropeCodifier most influential example]] kicking off a massive wave of "fake urban legends" that eventually became more-or-less part of the actual cultural canon. Subsequent years would see occasional spikes in popularity as particularly well-received or infamous pastas floated to the top of the pile (''[[Literature/NineteenNinetyNineCreepypasta 1999]]'', ''Literature/CandleCove'', ''Literature/NESGodzillaCreepypasta'', and so on), while later years would see the growth of the Website/SCPFoundation, which started out as this but later evolved into something more [[GenreBusting multifaceted and hard to nail down.]] This decade would also see the first examples of creepypastas adapted into the mainstream media, with the results ranging from mediocre (''Film/SlenderMan'') to well-recieved (''Series/ChannelZero'').
* CriticalDissonance: This decade saw audiences actively rebelling against critics, the general consensus being that critics were too unreliable and biased against anything popular. This opinion shifted between 2016 and 2019, with critics now being seen as too influenced by current fads and too moralistic.
* DanceSensation:
** Every year had one:
*** The "Dougie" of 2010;
*** The [[Music/{{LMFAO}} Party Rock "Shuffle"]] of 2011;
*** The [[{{Music/PSY}} Gangnam Style]] of 2012;
*** The [[WebVideo/FilthyFrank Harlem Shake]] and later twerking of 2013;
*** For 2014, we saw the {{Jive Turkey}}-influenced "Happy Walk", the RealWomenHaveCurves empowered "All About That Bass", and the Shmoney Dance;
*** For 2015, we watched Silentó (Whip/Nae Nae), [=iHeartMemphis=] (Hit the Quan), and Music/{{Drake}} bopping the Hotline Bling;
*** For 2016, we saw the "Running Man Challenge", The Trumpets Dance, "Juju On That Beat", and the "Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen" (and the "Black Beatles" Mannequin Challenge, though it's not exactly a dance).
*** In 2017, we saw n a craze over Latin dancing (Despacito) and "[[WebAnimation/AsdfMovie Beep Beep, Imma Sheep]]."
*** In 2018, we saw Music/{{Momoland}} singing "Bboom Bboom", and Music/{{Drake}} expressing "In My Feelings" outside his running car, a dancing alien in El Chombo's Dame tu Cosita, and the ''VideoGame/{{Fortnite}}'' dances.
*** In 2019, we saw [=TikTok=] videos of people tuning in to "[[LetsPlay/PewDiePie Bitch Lasagna]]", "[[Music/LilNasX Old Town Road]]" and "[[Music/BillieEilish Bad Guy]]"
** Although it's considered a dance fitness program, Zumba, with its upbeat and spicy choreography influencing from street dancing, hip-hop and Latin ballroom dance, spread explosively to every gym throughout the world.
* TheDandy: Mixed with {{Hipster}} tendencies. The man sharply dressed with tight clothes, bright pastel colors ([[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking with]] a pair of NerdGlasses) revived throughout the decade.
* DarkerAndEdgier: A popular trend with many media reboots, and many works aimed at younger audiences featured teen heroes in dystopian societies. The trend may have been kicked off by ''Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy'', Christopher Nolan’s mature and dark take on the Franchise/{{Batman}} franchise.
* DeepSouth: With a new cultural focus on racial issues, a number of pro-Reconstruction historiography castigating the Lost Cause entered the mainstream, as in the case of films like ''Film/{{Lincoln}}'', ''Film/TwelveYearsASlave'' and also ''Film/DjangoUnchained'', all taking place in a more negative version of this setting.
* DeliberateVHSQuality: No one before the 2010s would have romanticized the grainy, tracking line-ridden quality of an overused VHS tape, but due to the '80s nostalgia wave of this decade many in visual media used analog filming techniques such as this for stylistic reasons; standing in direct opposition to ever higher quality flat screen smart televisions on the market. This trope especially appeared in (but was certainly not limited to) music videos, and was a fixture in Synthwave music.
* DisasterMovie: After [[PopularityPolynomial falling out of favor]] for almost a decade ([[DistancedFromCurrentEvents because of September 11th and Katrina]]), the genre saw a significant revival. Movies of the genre also tended to overlap strongly with SurvivalHorror. The genre also saw multiple parodies, most notably with ''Film/{{Sharknado}}'', which fully embraced its cheese factor with a ridiculous premise too absurd to take seriously.
* DoggedNiceGuy: Use of this trope in fiction shifted towards deconstructions and subversions. You could expect any stereotypical example (or any character who repeats the once-accepted wisdom that "[[AllGirlsWantBadBoys girls only like assholes]], [[NiceGuysFinishLast not nice guys like us]]") to be portrayed as an emotionally-abusive, misogynistic creep with [[EntitledToHaveYou entitlement issues]] who [[BitchInSheepsClothing isn't nearly as nice as he claims to be]].
* {{Dramedy}}: The genre saw a surge in popularity throughout the decade, with basically every comedy handling serious issues in a regular basis instead of the occasional VerySpecialEpisode (except for most works indulging on CringeComedy).
* DyeHard: Dyeing one's hair in unorthodox colors (most notably gray, blue, and pink) became an interesting and extremely popular trend during the decade, especially among millennial women. Trends included ombre hair, "galaxy" hair, and "mermaid" hair. It caught on among older people too, as Creator/HelenMirren decided to dye her hair pink on a whim - inspiring quite a few more [[https://rainbowhaircolour.com/older-women-with-rainbow-hair/ as noted here]].
* {{Dystopia}}: The first half of the decade was full of teen-oriented works featuring dystopian settings with young protagonists rebelling against oppressive regimes.
* EatTheRich: Mixed with CapitalismIsBad. 2019 alone saw four films (''Film/KnivesOut'', ''Film/Parasite2019'', ''Film/ReadyOrNot'' and ''Film/Joker2019'') about poor/working class protagonists facing off against wealthy snobs, and all four connected strongly with moviegoers.
* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: A radio host predicted TheRapture was going to happen on May 21, 2011, which obviously did not happen. There were also predictions that the world could end on December 21, 2012 due to changes in the Mayan calendar, and that did not happen either. And with North America's brutal 2013-14 winter (not to mention the following one as well), there were whispers of [[{{Gotterdammerung}} Ragnarok]].
* EnvironmentalNarrativeGame: This subgenre of AdventureGames first emerged in the previous decade, but exploded in popularity in this one with the release of critically-acclaimed and commercially-successful independent titles like ''VideoGame/DearEsther'', ''VideoGame/GoneHome'' and ''VideoGame/TheStanleyParable''.
* EverythingIsAnIpodInTheFuture: The aesthetics of this decade tended to be more eye-catching without the DesignStudentsOrgasm and WallOfText coming around. The skeuomorphism of the late 90s and early 2000s morphed into a futuristic, yet still glossy interface following the success of Apple's candylike icons and Windows 7's Aero in 2007-2009, then shifted to a more crisp and dual/triple-toned minimalist interface around 2012-2013 with Microsoft's Metro UI and iOS 7 inspiring simplistic yet informational looks. Even Google modified its iconic logo, "flattening" it (in 2013) and stripping its serifs (in 2015) for a cleaner look.
* {{FairyTale}}/FracturedFairyTale: TV shows such as {{Series/Grimm}} and ''Series/OnceUponATime'' as well as many DarkerAndEdgier film adaptions of classic Grimm fairy were prevalent through out the New 10s. Disney's ''Film/AliceInWonderland2010'' would even kick of the trend of live action remakes of classic films, most of them already based on fairy tales.
* FeministFantasy: This decade saw an emphasis on female protagonists being portrayed as strong, something previously limited to "unwomanly" characters. Television was a real promised land for this subgenre -- ''Series/OnceUponATime'', ''Series/IZombie'', ''Series/JessicaJones2015'', ''Series/AgentCarter'', ''Series/OrphanBlack'' and ''Series/Supergirl2015'' all proving to be popular hits. Film caught on eventually, Disney especially introducing really strong feminist themes into ''WesternAnimation/Frozen2013'', ''{{Film/Maleficent}}'' and ''{{WesternAnimation/Moana}}''. Strong female heroes including [[Film/MadMaxFuryRoad Furiosa]], [[Film/TheForceAwakens Rey]], [[Film/RogueOne Jyn Erso]], [[Film/WonderWoman2017 Wonder Woman]], [[Film/ThorRagnarok Valkyrie]], and [[Film/BlackPanther2018 Shuri and Nakia]] absolutely ''dominated'' science fiction, fantasy, and superhero films, all of which had long been criticized for male-heavy casts. The website ''The Mary Sue'' was even established to cover all these types of things.
* FirstInstallmentWins: Despite its problems of its own, the first part of the decade, particularly the first four years (2010-2013), are widely considered to be its best due to being benevolent in comparison to the turbulent second half.
* ForHappiness: The millennial and "Zoomer" generations were noted for their near-obsessive pursuit for perpetual bliss (or at least self-gratification), especially considering Gen-Xers' [[TheEeyore well-known dourness]]. While many considered that this was quite justified, there was also criticism regarding [[GettingSmiliesPaintedOnYourSoul potential issues (even psychological)]] [[HappinessIsMandatory that this might bring sooner or later]], [[https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/09/has-the-smartphone-destroyed-a-generation/534198/ especially among Zoomers]]. On the other hand, this was inverted late in the decade as it became popular to claim having depression or other mental conditions, which met divided reactions over either this helping awareness of those issues or just making them harder to take seriously.
* FoodPorn: People flooded social media with pictures of what they were eating. This caused restaurants to emphasize presentation.
* ForeignCultureFetish:
** British culture (primarily music, fashion, literature and TV shows like ''Series/DoctorWho'', ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'' and ''Series/DowntonAbbey'') once again became popular around the world during David Cameron's premiership, particularly among young Americans (with quintessentially British words such as "posh" and "queue" briefly entering the American lexicon during the early-middle years of the decade), although this seemed to vanish as Britain's general fortunes tanked after the 2016 Brexit referendum.
** During the second half of the decade, Canada became the Anglosphere's cultural center. Already popular because of two fellows called Justin ([[Music/JustinBieber Bieber]] and Trudeau), two called Ryan ([[Creator/RyanGosling Gosling]] and [[Creator/RyanReynolds Reynolds]]), and one called Music/{{Drake}}, the contentious 2016 US election led many Americans to seriously ponder a move north of the border (although none of the celebs pledging such a decision in the event of Donald Trump's election did so) with Prime Minister Trudeau being looked up to by Americans as the antithesis to Trump (being even more popular than in his home country), while Brits began looking up to their Canuck cousins as they began to sour on Brexit.
** While not as prominent in the mainstream as it was in the previous decade, German and Scandinavian culture still enjoysed a loyal following not limited to metalheads--Nordic minimalism (particularly the "hygge" current) defined the lifestyle trends of the decade.
** [[OccidentalOtaku In regards to Eastern culture]], Japan saw in South Korea a credible contender in the battle for gaining the favor of Western audiences as "doramas" and the urban-inspired K-pop genre exploded in popularity, as well as in electronics, as Samsung and LG are headquartered there. The Land of the Rising Sun still had the upper hand when it came to video games, manga, and anime. The cuisine of both countries was considered sophisticated.
** The mutual admiration between Hispanic and black culture intensified during the decade, while a "Latin craze" surfaced across the US beginning in 2016-17 as a pushback against growing anti-immigration sentiment in the country, with Mexican cuisine gaining popularity and Spanish-language songs and acts becoming successful in the mainstream charts.
** After Emmanuel Macron was elected President of France in 2017, French culture reached popularity levels amongst Americans and Brits not seen since before the Iraq War, who saw him as a contrast to President Trump and the pro-Brexit forces of the British right. Before that, [[CheeseEatingSurrenderMonkeys anti-French sentiment]] (most notably among conservatives during the previous decade) was seen in poor taste in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo, the November 2015 and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Nice_truck_attack Nice terrorist attacks]], as well as the 2019 Notre Dame fire and subsequent outpourings of worldwide sympathy. It wasn't just Americans and Brits, France took over both countries in the soft power index as a result of Macron's victory.
* FountainOfMemes: The decade was notorious for having gazillions of internet jokes.
* FriendingNetwork: Website/{{Facebook}}, Instagram and Website/{{Twitter}} skyrocketed in popularity during the decade, even as the original social network Myspace began to fall out of favor. Social networks founded during this time catered more to specific interests such as Snapchat, Tumblr, Pinterest, and Vine, among many others.
%%* FullCircleRevolution: What the Arab Spring ultimately resulted in, as many Arab states have either collapsed into a civil war [[note]]Syria, Yemen, and Libya[[/note]] or had authoritarian governments [[MeetTheNewBoss replaced with another authoritarian government]]. This was the case for the latter with Egypt where, after Mubarak, a secular and authoritarian president, was overthrown, he was replaced with Mohamed Morsi, a controversial Egyptian president who had strong ties with the Muslim Brotherhood and wanted to implement Islamic laws in Egypt. Morsi was later overthrown by the military and was replaced with another secular, yet authoritarian president. The only Arab country that managed to completely avert this trope is Tunisia, as various government and social reforms had made the country a bit more democratic (albeit flawed) to the point that Freedom House increased its rating from "not free" to "free" within the span of 5 years after the Arab Spring (see [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_Tunisia the other wiki on this]]). - Despite being about the Arab Spring, still troping Real Life; remove or rewrite about works for this trope
* FullMotionVideo: After being considered dead for a decade, the genre made a small scale comeback in the middle of the decade with titles such as ''VideoGame/HerStory'', ''[[VideoGame/TexMurphy Tex Murphy: Tesla Effect]]'' and ''VideoGame/TheBunker''.
%%* GaiasVengeance: The final years of the decade saw increasing fears of an imminent environmental disaster, with studies even predicting ''the end of humanity before 2050''. These ideas gained immense traction among young people, with Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg becoming an unlikely political figure after calling for an "ecologist strike". - Troping Real Life; remove or rewrite about works for this trope
* GamingAndSportsAnimeAndManga: While sports-related anime and manga has historically [[AmericansHateTingle sold poorly in America]], the popularity of several series throughout the decade such as ''Manga/{{Haikyuu}}'', ''Manga/KurokosBasketball'', ''Anime/{{Free}}'' and ''Anime/YuriOnIce'' helped revived the interest in sports anime and manga again among the American fanbase.
* TheGenerationGap: The second half of the decade saw a deepening chasm between conservative "baby boomers" and succeeding generations notoriously more liberal in social issues (in an IronicEcho of the generation gap between the boomers and their parents who came of age during Main/TheGreatDepression and UsefulNotes/WorldWarII eras). The "OK, Boomer" meme in particular was a popular product for younger generations to use as a retort against older generations they felt were out of touch with the issues they were facing. Some works acknowledged the gap, yet these often also pointed out that "boomers" weren't always that conservative, and younger people are liable to abandon liberalism once they grow up.[[note]]There is a slight fallacy with this argument: It overstates the role of boomers in the counterculture movements of TheSixties and TheSeventies and provides a ThemeParkVersion of the generation. Also, many Gen X'ers felt that Millennials had actually taken a step ''back'' on certain issues (seeing them as more progressive on economics and several social issues yet finding their perceived prudishness unsettling). Last but not least, people with higher quality education generally tend to be comparatively more liberal (or at least, more tolerant of different opinions) than those who do not have higher education, and this decade also saw a bit of an education gap[[/note]]
** MiddleChildSyndrome: Boomers largely refused to [[PassingTheTorch pass the torch]] on to Generation X like the "Silent Generation" [[note]]Born between 1930 and 1945, during both the Great Depression and WWII[[/note]] did for Boomers in TheEighties. This led to a generational MeleeATrois between Boomers, Generation X, and Millennials, with X'ers being divided between the more conservative ones born during the mid-late 60s (which made up part of the "yuppie generation") and the more liberal ones born during the 70s (informally known as "X'ennials"). As a result, the former faced a backlash from Millennials, while the latter were [[StillFightingTheCivilWar still being called "slackers" by Boomers]]. As media outlets saw Gen X as too small a cohort to actually focus on, favoring the "Boomers vs. Millennials" angle, members of that generation felt like they had been skipped over. This was exacerbated with the post-2008 job market in the case of younger X'ers: Many Boomers refused to retire at the ages their parents did, so many X'ers and Millennials found themselves competing for low-paying entry-level jobs which were NOT competitive with cost of living expenses, leaving them with a ridiculously high amount of student loan debt for [[ShootTheShaggyDog pursuing degrees that no longer helped them find a good paying job]].
* GenreAnthology: Became popular again thanks to ''Series/AmericanHorrorStory''. It was quickly followed by shows like ''Series/TrueDetective'', ''Series/BlackMirror'', and ''Series/{{Fargo}}''.
* GenreThrowback:
** Music of the decade was primarily influenced by 1980s-era music, as well as 90s-era R&B (hip-hop, urban pop) and 60s-era pop and "mod" music. Actually, "sunshine pop" (a generic term for upbeat, lighter pop) consisted in borrowing from musical styles from other eras, such as its 1960s-era namesake genre as well as funk and even disco.
** YA literature from the middle of the decade was noted for hearkening back to 1980s-era "teen films", some of them being adapted for the screen.
* GirlinessUpgrade: After two decades of [[HotterAndSexier highly sexualized]], [[TheLadette borderline-uncouth women]], embodied in the 2000s by such trends as {{pop punk}}, {{rockabilly}}, {{emo|music}}, {{crunk}} and [[SouthernRap "dirty south" hip hop]], hard {{Eurodance}}, funk-rock, spray tans, earthy "bohemian-chic" and low-rise campy fashions, hard-partying socialites and hot pink, this decade saw a return towards more traditionally-feminine archetypes (although now shown as liberated, [[WomenAreDelicate rather than vulnerable]]) symbolized by empowered "sex symbols" and role models, the "Instagram generation" of supermodels and influencers, rosy pink, matte, vintage glamour, sophisticated electronic music, titillating trap songs, red lipstick, and so on. Its close relationship with fourth-wave feminism and the fact it was impossible to achieve realistically eventually made it the focus of a backlash into more bohemian or androgynous fashions by the end of the decade.
* GirlsVsBoysPlot: The second half of the decade saw discussions in both fictional and non-fiction pieces of media about the increasingly tense relations between men and women in general amid wide-reaching social and economic shifts.
* GoldenMeanFallacy: As media became more politicized during the 2010s, [[DiscreditedTrope straight uses of this trope decreased]], often being subverted, parodied or defied.
** ''VideoGame/BioshockInfinite'' provoked much criticism for its in-game dialogue arguing that Daisy Fitzroy, who is both a black former slave and a quasi-anarchist rebel, isn't so different from the dictatorial Zachary Comstock who runs Columbia, a white-supremacist city in the skies that runs on exploitation and apartheid levels of segregation. This was slammed by multiple critics such as ''WebVideo/ErrantSignal'' and the backlash was bad enough that developers had to put in a {{Retcon}} in the DLC that made Fitzroy a sympathetic character.
** Comics writer Creator/NickSpencer got into much trouble for his online comments and his satirical reflections in his ''ComicBook/SecretEmpire'' and other works, for using this trope as a kind of allegory for real-world political baggage.
* GranolaGirl:
** Health-consciousness entered the mainstream after being a popular niche pursuit during the 90s and 00s, with people under 40 mostly eschewing processed foods in favor of healthier eating habits. As a result, food companies and restaurant chains began touting healthier products and organic ingredients. Vegetarianism and veganism went mainstream, with restaurants offering more meatless options. Beverages saw the most radical changes as bottled water, tea, and milk alternatives (soy, almond, coconut, and rice milks) have given soda, coffee, and dairy a run for their money.
** "Fad diets" became immensely popular during the second half of the decade, foods with components seen as "de-energizing" such as sugar, gluten, lactose, caffeine and white flour among others became no longer acceptable by many people, while erstwhile "exotic" foods such as avocado, quinoa and kale became popular. The "food-fad" trend was not without its critics, as testified by the success of the blog ''The Angry Chef'', which even spawned a best-selling book.
** On a non-food related note, the 2010s were marked by an increasing awareness of environmental issues in contrast to the rampant consumerism of the 2000s, while the second half of the decade saw a resurgence of new-age beliefs, primarily astrology as well as the rise of the flowing "hippie-chic" and "Boho" fashion styles inspired by Eastern designs, leading to a increasing prominence of hippie-like archetypes in both fiction and real life. On the other hand, Measles outbreaks and the {{UsefulNotes/coronavirus}} pandemic which began in the final months of the decade led to a backlash against the anti-vaccination movement, which began to be more associated with the right wing.
* GrayAndGreyMorality: Rakish anti-heroes and not-that-evil antagonists became particularly prominent during the decade ([[EvilVersusEvil in case]] [[VillainProtagonist the protagonists]] [[BlackAndGreyMorality were not as mean-spirited]]) as the [[BlackAndWhiteMorality classic set-up]] of [[IncorruptiblePurePureness stainless heroes]] and [[ForTheEvulz heartless villains]] became [[DeadHorseTrope passé]].

[[folder:Tropes H-N]]
* HaremGenre: Ironically, this genre increasingly became ''the'' formula for anime, and was widely applied to other genres as well.
* HashtagForLaughs: The rise of social media during the decade took advantage over this significant feature, along with EngineeredHashtag, all over the Internet.
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: Many works from the middle of the decade and onwards featured the more "idealistic" characters (to put it that way) being forced to do rueful choices just to get going.
%%* HighTimesFuture: Several U.S. states made recreational cannabis legal, with greater support for legalization among the public than ever before. In 2018, Canada became the first nation to legalize cannabis outright. - Troping Real Life; remove or rewrite this relating to works.
* {{Hipster}}s: They were ''everywhere'' during this decade (especially the first half), from cafes to music festivals and tech events to being the butt of jokes about "Hipsters are dead" (mainly because of pop culture appropriating their lifestyles). Heck, even the ''[[ThoseWackyNazis Neo-Nazis]]'' jumped into the bandwagon ([[NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer a viral video featured a group of "Nipsters" dancing to the tune of "Harlem Shake"... in 2014]]).
* HistoryRepeats: Many have compared this decade to many other eras, including:
** UsefulNotes/VictorianBritain: The rise of [[UsefulNotes/RevolutionsOf1848 nationalist and socialist movements]] [[EnemyMine only linked by their opposition to the establishment]] and a prim-and-proper austerity replacing [[RegencyEngland the previous "devil-may-care" mindset]] amid a backdrop of technologic change mirror the first few years of Queen Vicky's long reign. UsefulNotes/TheArabSpring has been compared to the 1848 revolutionary movements as both attempted to topple autocrats, but ultimately made very few changes.
** UsefulNotes/AntebellumAmerica: The uproar over U.S. immigration authorities removing migrant children from their parents has been compared to the separation of slave families, one of the issues that turned public opinion against slavery in the run-up to the Civil War. Progressives decry a Supreme Court decision on racial issues.
** UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar: An election heavily focused on race relations has the Democratic party falling in shambles due to growing divides, only unified in their belief that the Republican had to be stopped from winning at all costs. This divide ultimately costs them the election, and the Republican's rise to power practically breaks the nation in half due to mass political polarization, with much of the country unwilling to extend support to the new president, his mandate questioned due to an unspectacular popular vote performance, and several Democratic congressmen boycotting his inauguration. Subverted as there is no physical Civil War (although there have been several instances of politically and racially-motivated violence) nor has there been any secession (across from very fringe minor secession movements in California and Texas which barely get any mainstream support) while those representing the "old order" are this time the ones in charge at Washington.
*** People often compare Obama to Lincoln, as both were from Illinois (although born elsewhere), were seen as champions of civil rights, oversaw eras of heavy racial divisions, and their presidencies became sandwiched between two opposite-party presidents who are much less liked than him (a predecessor seen as inept and a successor seen as badly prejudiced). In both cases the successor is generally the more hated of the two, as both successors came into power in a very controversial manner, have been accused of white supremacist sympathies, and is impeached but ultimately acquitted by the senate. It helps that Obama was inaugurated about a few weeks before Lincoln’s 200th birthday anniversary.
** TheGildedAge: A Republican candidate wins the Presidency in a controversial fashion, losing the popular vote to a Hudson Valley native, and succeeding an Illinois-based (but not Illinois-born) man known for enforcing civil rights. Economists Paul Krugman and Thomas Piketty have drawn comparisons between the late 19th century and the 2010s, citing the overwhelming power of big businesses and income inequality generating social tensions and the rise of "anti-establishment" politicians. Women's fashions favor a big-bottomed silhouette that are emphasized [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bustle through]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hip_and_buttock_padding artificial]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buttock_augmentation means]] while several works are set around themes of female empowerment and emancipation.
** TheRoaringTwenties: The political activism and efforts for global integration of previous years becomes rejected by voters, with conservative politicians being elected ''en masse'' leaving liberal and left-wing parties struggling to cope with this new reality. The younger generations are quite cynical about the future and look up to European culture. The aesthetics of the era either call for [[ArtDeco crisp]], [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat_design geometric designs]] with bold, solid colors, or for [[UsefulNotes/{{Dada}} trashy]], [[MemeticMutation nonsensical images]] that scream irony and senselessness. Hollywood is hit by a sex scandal embodied (literally) by a notoriously rotund man. [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1926_Miami_hurricane A devastating]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Irma hurricane]] hits Florida. The United States establishes a strong protectionist economic policy and imposed [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoot%E2%80%93Hawley_Tariff_Act harsh tariffs]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump_tariffs on close U.S. allies]]. There is concern about media not concentrating on facts and becoming too sensationalist.
*** The rise of "white nationalism" has been compared to the 1920s-era revival of the [[UsefulNotes/KuKluxKlan K.K.K.]], its infamous 1925 march in Washington, D.C. being paralleled with the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017.
** TheThirties: The decade begins with worldwide economic troubles and the resultant political extremism leads to a more austere worldview after a [[TheRoaringTwenties fast-paced]], [[TurnOfTheMillennium hedonistic decade]]. Authoritarianism (both nationalist and socialist currents) becomes popular and strongman leaders are elected into power in several countries, with many analysts showing deep concern about the future of liberal democracy. A British royal marries an American divorcée.
** TheForties: A [[UsefulNotes/HarryTruman man]] widely expected to lose a Presidential election comes out on top. There's [[Film/TheRedShoes1948 a film]] [[Film/BlackSwan about ballet]] that revolves around the dark side of the art. Driven by the sociopolitical situation, there is a huge affection for Latin American music.
** TheFifties: [[Creator/JamesDean A somewhat]] [[Creator/PaulWalker popular actor]] [[VindicatedByHistory becomes immortalized]] after a fatal car crash in a Porsche. [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Anka A Canadian]] [[Music/JustinBieber teen]] [[Music/ShawnMendes idol]] takes the world by storm. A [[UsefulNotes/HarryTruman Democratic]] [[UsefulNotes/BarackObama president]] is succeeded by a [[UsefulNotes/DwightDEisenhower Republican candidate]] [[UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump of German ancestry]] without a political background for the White House[[note]]Even though Ike had extensive military experience, unlike Donald, and there was much more post-Election optimism and unity for Eisenhower than for Trump[[/note]] in a climate of great distrust. [[UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy A progressive senator]] [[UsefulNotes/BernieSanders from the Northeast]] becomes widely popular. Russia is suspected of infiltrating the U.S. government. The entertainment industry faces a crossroads with new technologies. Hollywood focuses on big-budget epics while facing competition from TV. The entertainment and academic industries come under great scrutiny from Republicans suspecting of them being outspoken proponents of left-wing thought. [[Creator/GraceKelly A Hollywood]] [[Creator/MeghanMarkle actress]] marries a [[UsefulNotes/{{Monaco}} foreign]] [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfWindsor prince]]. [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmett_Till A murdered]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trayvon_Martin black teen]] in the South galvanizes the civil rights movement.
** TheSixties:
*** Politics: Racial tensions surge after a series of highly-publicized cases of police abuse. The White House has [[UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy a young]] [[UsefulNotes/BarackObama Democrat]] succeeding [[UsefulNotes/DwightDEisenhower a moderate]] [[UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush Republican]] in office at the beginning of the decade [[note]]Obama has been compared to ''both'' JFK and LBJ as time passed: Until 2011-12, he was perceived as being a youthful, telegenic President while after the debt ceiling crises (2011-13) and his re-election in 2012 he re-invented himself as a calmer, more reassuring figure at the same time he became increasingly seen as a divisive leader willing to push his agenda to the point of risking his political legacy. Once their respective successors came into power, widespread antipathy towards the Republicans made people long for the Democrat back in office although some began pointing at them as the catalyst for what happened next.[[/note]], contending with a hard Republican inbetween[[note]]The 1964 elections were compared to the ones in 2012 as both Barry Goldwater and Mitt Romney were perceived to be too conservative and too hostile to foreign allies, while the Democratic administration managed to paint the previous (moderate) Republican administration as conservative by linking them to the standard-bearers. In 2016, Donald Trump was compared to Goldwater, as both were branded as extremists (both supported "states' rights", campaigned for a massive slash on the federal government and had controversial policies towards foreign nations, with [[HourglassPlot Goldwater seen as being too hard on Russia, while Trump was seen as too soft]] and thus "mentally unfit" for the Oval Office (regarding Trump, many psychologists broke a rule enacted after the 1964 campaign that prevented them from speaking about public figures they didn't personally examine), not to mention that in spite of their popular appeal, many prominent moderate Republicans expressed their distrust of their standard-bearer, which would ultimately have an important impact on the GOP. The great difference was that while Goldwater lost [[LandslideElection by one of the largest margins in American electoral history]], Trump won the Electoral College, although he ended up losing the popular vote to great controversy.[[/note]], and ending with [[UsefulNotes/RichardNixon a Republican]] [[UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump who is]], at best, very polarizing.[[note]]The 1968 and 2016 elections were eerily similar: The year was marked by social turmoil and crippling political polarization. The Republican Party candidate, campaigning for "law and order", is nominated by letting his primary rivals implode or cannibalize themselves while the Democrats attempt to show an image of unity amid very visible cracks that end up breaking at the very worst moment (In 2016 however, "convention violence" was mostly concentrated outside the GOP convention). There is more scorn than enthusiasm for the main candidates among the general public and the GOP candidate controversially wins this particularly uncertain "unpopularity contest" by appealing to [[FlyoverCountry disenchanted blue-collar voters]] and invoking the Supreme Court by pledging to appoint more conservative Justices.[[/note]] People become infatuated by a Canadian PM with the surname Trudeau, even though he's not as popular in his homeland. British politics are affected by a sex scandal, leading to the downfall of a Government minister. Amidst a climate of hostility against [[UsefulNotes/{{Cuba}} a nearby]] [[UsefulNotes/{{Venezuela}} communist nation]], Brazil turns to [[UsefulNotes/BrazilianMilitaryRegime strongmen to]] [[UsefulNotes/JairBolsonaro govern the country]]. The tense political climates lead to a huge wave of protests from the political left, and subsequently the entertainment industry becomes increasingly politically outspoken. [[UsefulNotes/MuhammadAli A prominent]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1968_Olympics_Black_Power_salute black]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Kaepernick athlete]] is ostracized by American conservatives for protesting against inequality. France [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_1968_events_in_France is hit]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_vests_movement by a massive protest movement]] in the "8" year of the decade fueled by anger at the political establishment.
*** Culture: A DanceSensation or two pops up each year, particularly in the first half, through [[RockAndRoll the influence of]] [[HipHop black music]] gaining mainstream through a wider audience that is [[{{Television}} broadcast by]] and proliferated by [[TheInternet new media]]. There is a craze over British culture spearheaded by a [[Music/TheBeatles particularly popular]] [[Music/OneDirection boy band]], also bolstered by the presence of a telegenic, easy-going [[UsefulNotes/HaroldWilson Prime]] [[UsefulNotes/DavidCameron Minister]], but the country ends the decade as the "sick man of Europe". There's a frenzy for all things "modern" while traditions and conventions are eschewed. [[Music/ElvisPresley An aging]] [[Music/JustinTimberlake Memphis-born pop star]] returns to the music world after spending most of the decade in the movies. Comic book superheroes become immensely popular among all audiences. Minimalist shapes and soft colors mark the "look" of the decade. Facing increased competition from newer media, Hollywood spends most of the decade doing lavish epics but shifts to more "realistic" fare during the final years of the decade. The later years of the decade see a wide generation gap between an idealistic, liberal cohort of young people and their more conservative elders making many younger people resentful of the establishment. Mainstream pop music is heavily influenced by R&B, to the point where the two are practically synonymous.
** TheSeventies:
*** Politics: There are major social changes; [[UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar a long]], [[UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror grueling war]] ends with Uncle Sam losing, the economy is underperforming and the government is embroiled in an espionage scandal. The president tries to undermine said scandal by firing the person investigating him, only to have it backfire on him by intensifying it. [[note]]While the Watergate and NSA cases initially drew a big deal of comparisons, their aftermaths were drastically different: Watergate led to the resignation of Nixon and the whistle-blowers were hailed as heroes (or at least they were considered to have done it in the name of a greater good). Meanwhile, while Obama was briefly hit by the NSA scandal, its long-term impact was mostly negligible; in contrast, the whistle-blowers were ultimately branded as traitors (no less because many attempted to sell data to/seek refuge in countries openly hostile to the U.S. such as Russia and China). [[/note]]The U.S. government begins the decade warming up to China, while the second half of the decade has Washington trying to mend bridges with Moscow. The car industry suffers from quality control problems. A Republican president tries to improve relations with an East Asian communist country. A sitting president becomes mired in scandal over the conduct of his presidential campaign. Anti-racist protesters are [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greensboro_massacre murdered by]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlottesville_car_attack white nationalists]] in the South during a political rally toward the end of the decade, in which right-wing politicians are widely criticized for emphasizing the presence of far-left communists and downplaying far-right racism in their responses.
*** Culture: A [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1972_Nicaragua_earthquake natural]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoon_Haiyan disaster]] indirectly leads to the death of a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Clemente young]] [[Creator/PaulWalker celebrity]] in a transportation accident during the midst of relief efforts. [[Music/EltonJohn A redheaded]] [[Music/EdSheeran British singer-songwriter]] whose name begins with an "E" becomes a global superstar. Disney produces [[WesternAnimation/RobinHood1973 a film]] about [[WesternAnimation/{{Zootopia}} anthropomorphic animals]] whose plot and themes somewhat [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watergate_scandal fit with]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Lives_Matter the issues of the time]]. Viewers are glued to their screens about [[Music/{{Cher}} a celebrity]] of [[Creator/KimKardashian Armenian descent]] and her publicity stunts and antics. An [[Series/WonderWoman1975 onscreen]] [[Film/WonderWoman2017 adaptation]] of ''Franchise/WonderWoman'' starring [[Creator/LyndaCarter a former]] [[Creator/GalGadot beauty queen]] becomes a worldwide phenomenon. An [[Series/Shazam1974 onscreen]] [[Film/Shazam2019 adaptation]] of ''ComicBook/{{Shazam}}'' becomes an EnsembleDarkhorse. A [[Music/KateBush brooding]] [[Music/BillieEilish female]] singer-songwriter becomes a sensation seemingly out of nowhere near the end of the decade.
** TheEighties:
*** Politics: An [[UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan older conservative]] [[UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump celebrity]] vowing to "make America great again" becomes President following [[UsefulNotes/RichardNixon a controversial]] and [[UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush widely unpopular Republican]] and [[UsefulNotes/JimmyCarter a "dark horse" Democrat]] known [[UsefulNotes/BarackObama for his strident idealism]]; he eventually proposes an ambitious [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_Defense_Initiative space-based national defense project]], which is widely lampooned by his detractors for [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Space_Force sounding like something out of a science-fiction film]]. He also gets a reputation for staffing his cabinet with ideologues with occasionally questionable qualifications. The left is [[WeAreStrugglingTogether split between "hard left" and more moderate political positions]][[note]]Unlike with Reagan, the left did not take Trump's election very well[[/note]]. A [[UsefulNotes/MargaretThatcher Tory]] [[UsefulNotes/TheresaMay woman]] known for her steely demeanor is the U.K. Prime Minister. [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1985_Mexico_City_earthquake A magnitude 7]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_Central_Mexico_earthquake earthquake]] hits Mexico. [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiananmen_protests_of_1989 There are protests]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Hong_Kong_anti-extradition_bill_protests brewing in China]] in the middle of the "9" year. A Supreme Court nominee in the later part of the decade faces a challenge to his nomination over his conservative views and his actions in the past.[[note]]Though Brett Kavanaugh's nomination was successful, in contrast to Robert Bork.[[/note]] A period of economic decline in Latin America leads to a wave of social unrest.
*** Culture: A popular memetic song about phone numbers by [[Music/TommyTutone an artist]] [[Music/CarlyRaeJepsen commonly seen as]] a OneHitWonder hits the charts in the middle of the "2" year. There is a move towards moral conservatism after years of hedonistic attitudes. [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfWindsor A royal wedding]] is viewed by millions around the world. ElectronicMusic becomes the soundtrack of the decade. [[Music/{{Madonna}} A musician]] of [[Music/LadyGaga Italian-American descent]] becomes the talk of the town through her outrageous outfits and her stance with the LGBTFanbase but becomes a public enemy to MoralGuardians. [[Music/MichaelJackson A nonwhite]] [[Music/{{Prince}} R&B-pop]] [[Music/BrunoMars singer-songwriter]] becomes a consistent hitmaker thanks to his exploration of diverse musical genres. Big-budget films dominate Hollywood. New technology transforms television viewing and music listening habits. [[UsefulNotes/{{Japan}} A small]] [[UsefulNotes/SouthKorea East Asian country]] becomes an economic and technological powerhouse.
** TheNineties:
*** Politics: Police brutality flares up racial tensions, leading to violent riots in some cases. A respected African-American celebrity sees his reputation go down the toilet in a highly publicized criminal trial. [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Andrew A powerful]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Irma Category 5 hurricane]] strikes Florida. [[UsefulNotes/{{Columbine}} A deadly]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandy_Hook_Elementary_School_shooting school]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoneman_Douglas_High_School_shooting shooting]] shocks the nation, and brings demand for gun control. A conservative Supreme Court nominee faces accusations of sexual assault/harassment before being ultimately confirmed but galvanizing the feminist movement and hurting Republican politicians in elections[[note]]Although while the public overwhelmingly sided with Clarence Thomas, they were far less sympathetic to Brett Kavanaugh[[/note]]. A [[Wrestling/JesseVentura well-known]] [[Wrestling/{{Kane}} professional wrestler]] is elected to an executive political office. A [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_Hector_Mine_earthquake magnitude 7]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Ridgecrest_earthquakes earthquake]] hits California.
*** Culture: [[UsefulNotes/{{Ireland}} A small]] [[UsefulNotes/SouthKorea nation]], that used to be [[UsefulNotes/{{Britain}} colonized by]] a [[UsefulNotes/{{Japan}} neighboring island nation]], becomes a tiger economy and a cultural powerhouse. Creator/{{Disney}} begins a huge Renaissance following a slump, with their biggest hit of the period being [[WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994 a]] [[WesternAnimation/Frozen2013 film]] based on a [[Theatre/{{Hamlet}} Danish]] [[Literature/TheSnowQueen story]]. [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macarena A popular]] DanceSensation to a song [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gangnam_Style not sung in English]] takes over the world. A [[Music/CelineDion powerhouse]] [[Music/{{Adele}} female vocalist]] and [[Music/{{Seal}} an alternative-R&B]] [[Music/TheWeeknd male vocalist]], one from the UK and the other from Canada, both become hugely successful due to her universal appeal and his very unique style, and each scores [[Film/Titanic1997 a big]] [[Film/{{Skyfall}} hit from]] [[Film/BatmanForever a movie]] [[Film/FiftyShadesOfGrey soundtrack]]. One of the most beloved leading men in Hollywood is [[Creator/RobinWilliams a television star]] [[Creator/RobertDowneyJr from the previous decade]] who [[CareerResurrection gets a second chance at life]] after overcoming a major drug problem. A [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_(musician) white Canadian]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic! reggae-fusion musical act]] unexpectedly scores an global smash hit known for its {{Narm}} factor near the middle of the decade and are instantly relegated to OneHitWonder status. [[Music/AlanisMorissette A Canadian niche]] [[Music/{{Drake}} former teen star]] reinvents themselves as a mature act and becomes one of the biggest musical stars of the decade. Creator/WoodyAllen is mired in scandal over his family. [[Creator/JohnCandy A well-respected and beloved]] [[Creator/RobinWilliams comedian-slash-actor]] born in TheFifties tragically passes away unexpectedly during the "4" year, months before a [[Film/WagonsEast film posthumously]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_at_the_Museum:_Secret_of_the_Tomb starring said comedian-slash-actor]] is released later that same "4" year. [[WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls A cartoon]] [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic that was intended for]] the [[GirlsShowGhetto 6-11 female demographic]], becomes a massive hit [[PeripheryDemographic among the adult male demographic]] thanks to the talents of Creator/LaurenFaust and Creator/TaraStrong, helping establish [[Creator/CartoonNetwork a fledgling]] [[Creator/DiscoveryFamily new network]] as a major player. The other franchise, meanwhile, has a [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTales much more]] [[WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls2016 poorly received show]] in the other decade. A [[Series/{{Roseanne}} very]] [[Series/HowIMetYourMother popular]] sitcom from the previous decade finally concludes, but its GrandFinale is universally panned for both negating the CharacterDevelopment of the cast and revealing that the protagonist's spouse is really DeadAllAlong. An [[Creator/WillSmith African]]-[[Music/ChildishGambino American]] musician/actor gradually rises in prominence during the decade after {{star|MakingRole}}ring in a [[Series/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir popular]] [[Series/{{Community}} sitcom]] and records one of the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gettin%27_Jiggy_wit_It most iconic]] [[Music/ThisIsAmerica rap songs]] of the decade. [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macarena A song sung]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Despacito almost entirely in Spanish]] by a veteran Latin music act becomes the biggest hit of the summer near the end of the decade. A [[Music/JenniferLopez Latin]]-[[Music/SelenaGomez American]] actress and singer who first got noticed on a [[Series/InLivingColor popular]] [[Series/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace sitcom]] rises in prominence towards the end of the decade. [[Music/{{Selena}} An aspiring]] [[Music/ChristinaGrimmie young singer]] is shot by a LoonyFan, followed by [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_City_bombing a deadly terrorist attack]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orlando_nightclub_shooting at a nearby large city beginning with an "O"]] days later. A [[Music/{{Zayn}} member]] of a hugely popular [[Music/SpiceGirls British]] [[Music/OneDirection quintet]] abruptly leaves the group, forcing them into hiatus and the remaining ones to go on {{solo side project}}s in the meantime. Raves become major gatherings among the youth. ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'' gets a big-budget [[Film/Godzilla1998 American]] [[Film/Godzilla2014 remake]] headlined by [[Creator/MatthewBroderick an]] [[Creator/BryanCranston actor]] who got his start during the previous decade in [[Film/FerrisBuellersDayOff comedic]] [[Series/MalcolmInTheMiddle fare]], but transitioned to [[TomHanksSyndrome more serious material]] by playing the lead role in one of the decade's [[WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994 biggest]] [[Series/BreakingBad hits]]. The murders of [[Music/TupacShakur two prominent]] [[Music/TheNotoriousBig rappers]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nipsey_Hussle in the second half]] [[Music/XXXTentacion of the decade]] hailing from opposite U.S. coasts within months of each other shocks the hip-hop community. A [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candle_in_the_Wind_1997 song]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/See_You_Again inspired by]] [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana,_Princess_of_Wales a celebrity who died]] [[Creator/PaulWalker in a car crash]] tops the Billboard ''Hot 100'' for more than ten weeks. [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Wild_West_(Will_Smith_song) A cowboy-themed]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Town_Road rap song]] dominates the charts at the end of the decade. [[Music/BritneySpears The biggest new]] [[Music/BillieEilish pop star]] of the end of the decade is an 18-year old female singer whose name begins with a "B". A [[Music/FreddieMercury British rock star]] [[Music/DavidBowie most popular in the '70s]] has a massive revival of interest [[PosthumousPopularityPotential after his untimely death from an illness]].
*** ProfessionalWrestling: The [[Wrestling/{{WWE}} WWF/E]] face a renaissance at the end of the decade after a lackluster start as the career of their [[Wrestling/HulkHogan long-time]] [[Wrestling/JohnCena superhero babyface]] started to wind down, and the [[Wrestling/RicFlair antithesis to]] [[Wrestling/CMPunk said face]] that many thought would save the company would instead see his momentum cut off by executives before he unceremoniously departed the company. The Wrestling/RoyalRumble event crowned several multi-time winners[[note]]Wrestling/HulkHogan (1990 and 1991), Wrestling/ShawnMichaels (1995 and 1996), Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin (1997, 1998, and 2001), Wrestling/JohnCena (2008 and 2013), Wrestling/{{Batista}} (2005 and 2014), Wrestling/TripleH (2002 and 2016), and Wrestling/RandyOrton (2009 and 2017)[[/note]]. A [[Wrestling/ShawnMichaels future]][=/=][[Wrestling/TripleH past]] Wrestling/DGenerationX member wins his second Wrestling/RoyalRumble in the “6” year. A [[Wrestling/RicFlair future]][=/=][[Wrestling/TripleH past]] Wrestling/{{Evolution}} member wins the WWF/E Championship in a Wrestling/RoyalRumble match in which a [[CreatorsPet widely-hated]] [[Wrestling/HulkHogan superhuman]] [[Wrestling/RomanReigns face]] with an AlliterativeName finishes in third place. A [[Wrestling/VinceMcMahon play-by-play]] [[Wrestling/MichaelCole babyface commentator]] controversially turns heel and becomes one of the most hated men in the company. An iconic wrestling match is held at a pay-per-view in Chicago where the fans support the [[Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin rebellious]] [[Wrestling/CMPunk heel]] over the goody-two-shoes [[Wrestling/BretHart veteran]] [[Wrestling/JohnCena babyface]], leading to the former making a HeelFaceTurn. A member of the [[Wrestling/TheRoadWarriors Laurinaitis]] [[Wrestling/JohnLaurinaitis family]] is prominently featured on WWF/E television at the beginning of the decade. A member of the [[Wrestling/MikeRotunda Rotunda]] [[Wrestling/BrayWyatt family]] is a top heel in the middle of the decade. Around the early to middle parts of the decade, the company faces fan outcry [[CharacterShilling for constantly pushing]] their preferred powerhouse [[Wrestling/LexLuger main]] [[Wrestling/RomanReigns event-er]] with an AlliterativeName who was [[LoveToHate more popular as an on-screen bad guy anyway]], over a [[Wrestling/BretHart fan-favorite]] [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson technical wrestler]] (who only had a brief stint in the main event scene prior) who was seen by the company as a second-tier star. WWF/E execute a FaceHeelDoubleTurn at the Allstate Arena in Chicago, where the [[Wrestling/BretHart then]]-[[Wrestling/AlbertoDelRio face]] is booed for brutally attacking his opponent and the [[Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin then]]-[[Wrestling/DolphZiggler heel]] gets fan sympathy for his courage and reseliency. The decade also saw them compete with a [[Wrestling/{{WCW}} red-hot]] [[Wrestling/NewJapanProWrestling rival promotion]] with a [[Wrestling/NewWorldOrder hugely popular]] [[Wrestling/BulletClub black-and-white]] clad {{Heel}} stable. The WWF/E also saw [[Wrestling/ShawnMichaels the]] [[Wrestling/SethRollins rise]] of a MrFanservice LongHairedPrettyBoy with an all-around yet high-risk style of wrestling, only for him to become controversial due to his backstage antics. WWF/E's [[Wrestling/ChrisJericho biggest]] [[Wrestling/AJStyles defector]] from their dying [[Wrestling/{{WCW}} rival]] [[Wrestling/ImpactWrestling promotion]], who is also a MrFanservice LongHairedPrettyBoy, makes a memorable debut in the company when a member of the [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson Anoa'i]] [[Wrestling/RomanReigns family]] was in the ring. [[Wrestling/DanSpivey A wrestler]] [[Wrestling/BrayWyatt from Florida]] adopts a mysterious character based on [[Film/CapeFear Max Cady]] for the WWF/E. A member of the [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson Anoa'i]] [[Wrestling/RomanReigns family]] wins his first World Title in a TournamentArc held in ''Wrestling/SurvivorSeries'' [[Wrestling/MickFoley by defeating]] [[Wrestling/DeanAmbrose a beloved]] PsychopathicManchild GarbageWrestler with a Double-Arm DDT finisher ([[EnsembleDarkhorse who himself will make an unexpected yet well-received rise into the WWF/E main event scene]]). Taking advantage of a bitter global conflict, WWE has [[Wrestling/SgtSlaughter one of]] [[Wrestling/RusevAndLana its heels]] declare allegiance to a [[UsefulNotes/{{Iraq}} foreign]] [[UsefulNotes/{{Russia}} adversary]] of the United States. The wrestling world [[Wrestling/TheUndertaker is]] [[Wrestling/{{Kane}} surged]] [[Wrestling/{{Sting}} with]] [[Wrestling/BrayWyatt wrestlers]] [[Wrestling/FergalDevitt having]] [[Wrestling/MattHardy supernatural]] [[Wrestling/AleisterBlack gimmicks]]. [[Wrestling/{{Goldust}} A son]] [[Wrestling/CodyRhodes of]] Wrestling/DustyRhodes becomes a popular midcard star in WWE. [[Wrestling/{{Kane}} A]] [[Wrestling/FergalDevitt wrestler]] clad in red and black with a demon-themed gimmick who was born in Europe had their WWF/E World Title run cut short after only a day and struggles to chase the title since. [[Wrestling/KurtAngle A]] [[Creator/RondaRousey newcomer]] with an Olympic medal and a legitimate combat sport background had an impressive rookie year in the WWF/E. An all-black faction named "[[Wrestling/TheNationOfDomination The N...]] [[Wrestling/TheNewDay D...]]" that feature a [[Wrestling/CharlesWright WWE]] [[Wrestling/KofiKingston veteran]] who originally played a Caribbean character, [[Wrestling/RonSimmons a]] [[Wrestling/XavierWoods star]] who first made his name on [[Wrestling/{{WCW}} other]] [[Wrestling/ImpactWrestling promotions]], and a promising [[Wrestling/MarkHenry singlet-wearing]] [[Wrestling/BigELangston powerhouse]], take WWF/E by storm. An [[Wrestling/{{Goldberg}} iconic]] [[Wrestling/TheUndertaker winning]] [[Wrestling/KanakoUrai streak]] is [[BrokenWinLossStreak shockingly ended]] by a [[Wrestling/KevinNash highly]] [[Wrestling/BrockLesnar polarizing]] [[Wrestling/CharlotteFlair wrestler]] at the company’s [[Wrestling/{{Starrcare}} premiere]] [[Wrestling/WrestleMania event]]. A legitimate beef between two wrestlers with a storied on-screen rivalry ([[Wrestling/ShawnMichaels one]] [[Wrestling/AlexaBliss known]] for their on-screen vanity, [[MrFanservice sex]]-[[MsFanservice appeal]], and high risk wrestling style, [[Wrestling/BretHart the]] [[Wrestling/SashaBanks other]] for their submission FinishingMove and pink ColorMotif while wearing CoolShades and leather jacket during their entrance) became known to the public. A {{boisterous|Bruiser}} and very opinionated wrestler mostly dressed in black also [[Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin became]] [[Wrestling/BeckyLynch their]] BreakoutCharacter towards the end of the decade, helping to popularize a previously fringe movement within the business[[note]]adult-oriented and women’s wrestling, respectively[[/note]] and forcing WWF/E to [[HeelFaceTurn turn the wrestler face]] while [[FaceHeelDoubleTurn simultaneously turning]] [[Wrestling/BretHart their]] [[Wrestling/CharlotteFlair current rival]] [[FaceHeelTurn heel]]. As the Breakout Characters rise in popularity, they made adversaries from two different {{Wrestling Famil|y}}ies, either for [[Wrestling/BretHart getting in]] [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson their]] [[Wrestling/CharlotteFlair way]] or for [[Wrestling/OwenHart injuring]] [[Wrestling/NiaJax them]], while simultaneously feuding with a [[Creator/MikeTyson combat]] [[Creator/RondaRousey sport]] athlete outside of wrestling. The breakout star would win the Wrestling/RoyalRumble by taking advantage of a loophole (avoiding elimination because of distracted referees or subbing for an injured competition). The Breakout wrestler's Championship reign during their rise in popularity was also ended by an enigmatic [[EnsembleDarkhorse yet popular]] [[UsefulNotes/{{Spain}} foreign]]-[[UsefulNotes/{{Japan}} born]] [[Wrestling/{{Kane}} masked]] [[Wrestling/KanakoUrai wrestler]] with OnlyOneName, who defeated them in a non-traditional match. The final year of the decade saw the release of a [[Film/BeyondTheMat highly]] [[Film/FightingWithMyFamily acclaimed]] wrestling movie involving [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson The Rock]], and also Wrestling/ChrisJericho defecting to a [[Wrestling/{{WWE}} rival]] [[Wrestling/AllEliteWrestling promotion]]. However, WWF/E come under fire for a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Over_the_Edge_(1999) pay-per-view]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WWE_Crown_Jewel event]] in relation to [[Wrestling/OwenHart someone’s]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Jamal_Khashoggi death]].
** TurnOfTheMillennium:
*** Politics: The [[UsefulNotes/AlGore perceived lackluster]] [[UsefulNotes/HillaryClinton Democratic Presidential candidate]] associated with the [[UsefulNotes/BillClinton very popular]] [[UsefulNotes/BarackObama outgoing president]] wins the popular vote but loses the electoral vote to [[UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush the]] [[UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump Republican candidate]]. There is a chaotic aftermath, with one president-elect seeing his victory in a month-long legal dispute and the other being denied the traditional "honeymoon" period from his opponents. There were terror attacks at [[UsefulNotes/{{London}} a major]] [[UsefulNotes/{{Paris}} European capital city]] during the "5" year. [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Tech_shooting A major tragedy]] in a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unite_the_Right_rally Virginia college town]] during the "7" year leads to widespread political controversy. [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Katrina A major]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Harvey hurricane]] catastrophically floods a Gulf Coast city. An outbreak of disease that started with pigs occured in the "9" year. A Republican President comes under intense criticism for his response to a deadly hurricane, with many saying the slow response was related to the fact the hurricane hit a largely nonwhite area.
*** Culture: An [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hampster_Dance#The_Hampsterdance_Song obnoxiously]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyan_Cat catchy]] tune starring a cute animal becomes an internet sensation at the beginning of the decade. [[Music/{{Nickelback}} A very popular]] [[Music/JustinBieber Canadian musical act]] is the butt of pop culture jokes. A [[Music/BritneySpears Disney-bred]] [[Music/MileyCyrus starlet]] hailing from TheDeepSouth becomes an international pop sensation starting at the end of the previous decade only to be mired in numerous scandals at the middle of the decade before undergoing a CareerResurrection by the end of the decade. [[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings A relatively obscure]] [[Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire high-fantasy novel series]] by a [[Creator/JRRTolkien man]] [[Creator/GeorgeRRMartin with]] "R.R." in his name blasts into the mainstream in the second year of the decade with a [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings massively popular]] [[Series/GameOfThrones screen adaptation]] starring Creator/SeanBean. The [[Film/SpiderMan1 inaugural]] [[Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan film]] of a ''Franchise/SpiderMan'' [[Film/SpiderManTrilogy movie]] [[Film/TheAmazingSpiderManSeries series]] is released in the "2" year. Two years after the final entry of their film series, the [[Creator/TobeyMaguire Spider]][[Creator/AndrewGarfield -Man]] actor gets universal acclaim for starring in a [[Film/Brothers2009 military]] [[Film/HacksawRidge drama]] film in which his character's closest male relative is played by [[Creator/JakeGyllenhaal an]] [[Creator/HugoWeaving actor]] who at one point played a [[Film/SpiderManFarFromHome Marvel]] [[Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger supervillain]]. [[Music/{{Eminem}} A white]] [[Music/PostMalone rapper]] known for his witty humor becomes a phenomenon, and has a [[Film/EightMile huge end-of-year]] BreakawayPopHit [[WesternAnimation/SpiderManIntoTheSpiderVerse from a movie]]. The Franchise/{{Batman}} [[Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy film]] [[Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse series]] gets a ContinuityReboot in the middle of the decade. A [[Creator/HeathLedger young blond actor]] [[Creator/PaulWalker who first became famous]] in a [[Film/TenThingsIHateAboutYou 1999 teen]] [[Film/ShesAllThat comedy adaptation]] of a [[Theatre/TheTamingOfTheShrew classic]] [[Theatre/{{Pygmalion}} play]] alongside Gabrielle Union dies at a shockingly young age and posthumously stars in [[Film/TheDarkKnight the most successful movie]] [[Film/Furious7 of his career]]. Quite similarly to the former case, [[Creator/BrittanyMurphy a rising young]] [[Music/JuiceWRLD famous celebrity]] [[Film/EightMile with direct]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_to_Be_Murdered_By ties to]] {{Music/Eminem}} dies also at such a shockingly young age just as the decade is coming to a close in the December of the "9" year, only shortly after their respective birthday ([[Creator/BrittanyMurphy the former]] having died one month and ten days after her 32nd birthday, and [[Music/JuiceWRLD the latter]] just only six days after his ''21st''), and whilst said celebrity's death was never officially ruled as such, an overdose of drugs was at ''least'' a contributing factor in their unexpected passing at such a tragically young age. A [[Series/{{Friends}} very]] [[Series/HowIMetYourMother popular]] sitcom about TrueCompanions that started during the middle of the previous decade concluded its run on the middle of the "4" year. A [[Series/EverybodyHatesChris biopic]] [[Series/FreshOffTheBoat sitcom]] about the childhood of a [[Creator/ChrisRock non-Caucasian]] celebrity becomes a hit during the middle of the decade, which also served as a StarMakingRole for the [[Creator/TerryCrews actor(s)]] [[Creator/RandallPark playing]] [[Creator/ConstanceWu the parent(s)]]. A groundbreaking [[Film/SpiderMan1 Marvel]] [[Film/TheAvengers2012 film]] is released in the "2" year. A [[Film/FantasticFour2005 movie]] [[Film/FantasticFour2015 adaptation]] of the ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'' is released in the "5" year. Creator/DisneyChannel has a [[WesternAnimation/KimPossible huge]] [[WesternAnimation/GravityFalls cartoon hit]] that launches in June of the "2" year. A [[Creator/JoeQuesada comic]] [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_Guggenheim writer]] gets infamy and scorn for [[Franchise/SpiderMan separating]] a [[ComicBook/MaryJaneWatson popular]] [[ComicBook/GreenArrow couple]] [[ComicBook/BlackCanary from]] the comics in a [[ComicBook/OneMoreDay comic]]-[[Series/{{Arrow}} based]] adaptation. [[Series/{{Smallville}} A]] [[Series/{{Arrow}} show]] based on Creator/DCComics that began earlier in the decade gradually becomes mocked as the decade goes on due to a SpotlightStealingSquad female character who is [[CreatorsPet blatantly loved]] by the show's creators. [[Film/TheDarkKnight A highly-acclaimed]] [[Film/BlackPanther2018 movie about]] a [[ComicBook/{{Batman}} black-clad]] [[ComicBook/BlackPanther superhero]] [[Creator/HeathLedger headlined by]] [[Creator/ChadwickBoseman an actor]] who died tragically young is released in the second to last year of the decade. [[ComicBook/TheJoker A purple-themed]] [[ComicBook/{{Thanos}} supervillain]] from a [[Film/TheDarkKnight high-grossing]] [[Film/AvengersInfinityWar movie]] in the "8" year becomes a cultural phenomenon. [[Film/TheDarkKnight A]] [[Film/Joker2019 film]] featuring ComicBook/TheJoker takes the world by storm towards the end of the decade. The Oscars face criticism for awarding "Best Picture" to a controversial [[Film/{{Crash}} film]] about [[Film/GreenBook race relations]] that's widely derided for being preachy and simplistic, snubbing multiple [[Film/BrokebackMountain other]] [[Film/{{Munich}} films]] that are widely seen as [[Film/BlackPanther2018 much]] [[Film/{{Roma}} more]] [[Film/BlacKkKlansman daring]] and relevant. Professional baseball becomes mired in a cheating scandal toward the end of the decade. The death of [[Music/MichaelJackson a prominent]] [[Music/{{Prince}} African-American singer]] most successful in the 1980s from a prescription drug overdose prompts worldwide mourning.
*** ProfessionalWrestling: A highly regarded former WWF/E midcarder and ex-Intercontinental Champion [[Wrestling/JeffJarrett coming]] [[Wrestling/CodyRhodes from]] a WrestlingFamily builds his [[Wrestling/ImpactWrestling own]] [[Wrestling/AllEliteWrestling promotion]] and [[Wrestling/KurtAngle gains their biggest acquisition in an ex-WWE star]] [[Wrestling/ChrisJericho nobody could ever envision working in another major promotion]]. The "1" and "2" years featured [[Wrestling/RicFlair several]] [[Wrestling/HulkHogan big]] [[Wrestling/KevinNash name]] [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson wrestlers]] [[Wrestling/BrockLesnar and]] [[Wrestling/PaulHeyman personalities]] return to the WWF/E after nearly a decade of absence. WWF/E's "2" year saw Wrestling/BrockLesnar making his presence felt during the ''[[Wrestling/WWERaw Raw]]'' after ''Wrestling/WrestleMania'', along with the debut of several wrestlers [[Wrestling/JohnCena who]] [[Wrestling/{{Batista}} will]] [[Wrestling/RandyOrton dominate]] [[Wrestling/ReyMysterioJr the]] [[Wrestling/SethRollins company's]] [[Wrestling/RomanReigns main]] [[Wrestling/DeanAmbrose event]] scene for much of the decade starting the middle part, many of whom would [[Wrestling/{{Evolution}} first get noticed together]] [[Wrestling/TheShield in a stable]]; [[Wrestling/SheltonBenjamin a midcard staple]] [[Wrestling/ClaudioCastagnoli and tag team star]] would also be called up that year. [[Wrestling/KurtAngle A]] [[Wrestling/MarkHenry wrestler]] with an Olympic background ascended to the WWF/E main event scene earlier in the decade by winning the World Title from a decorated [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson third]] [[Wrestling/RandyOrton generation]] member of a WrestlingFamily. A veteran [[Wrestling/ChrisBenoit Canadian]] [[Wrestling/{{Christian}} wrestler]] finally wins the WWE's Wrestling/BigGoldBelt but eventually loses it to Wrestling/RandyOrton. Two World Titles within the WWF/E is unified at the end of the year during the first half of the decade, with the Wrestling/BigGoldBelt along with its lineage being the one ultimately dropped. A [[Wrestling/ShawnMichaels beloved]] [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson small-built]] wrestler came out of retirement from a seemingly CareerEndingInjury. [[Wrestling/EdgeWrestler A former member]] [[Wrestling/TheMiz of a popular heel tag team]] wins the [[Wrestling/MoneyInTheBank Money in the Bank ladder match]] and the WWE title and sees his reign ended by Wrestling/JohnCena, but remains a fixture of WWE programming afterwards and revitalizes himself after a slump. Meanwhile, [[Wrestling/{{Christian}} his former]] [[Wrestling/JohnMorrison tag team partner]], despite a strong start, struggles to make it in WWE and leaves for [[Wrestling/ImpactWrestling TNA/Impact]], where he wins the world title, and returns to WWE at the end of the decade. [[Wrestling/{{Christian}} A former]] [[Wrestling/MattHardy WWE midcarer]], after spending many years in the shadow of his more-popular tag team partner, enjoys a CareerResurrection in Wrestling/{{TNA}}. A LongHairedPrettyBoy {{Heel}} [[Wrestling/EdgeWrestler wins]] [[Wrestling/SethRollins a]] Money in the Bank ladder match to win the WWE title during the middle of the decade, while [[Wrestling/{{Christian}} a former]] [[Wrestrling/DeanAmbrose tag-team partner]] jumps ship to the [[Wrestling/ImpactWrestling top]] [[Wrestling/AllEliteWresting rival]] promotion where he is once again known by his pre-WWE ring name. A celebrated TallDarkAndHandsome [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson non]]-[[Wrestling/{{Batista}} Caucasian]] wrestler with mixed ancestry strives in Hollywood. A [[Wrestling/{{Evolution}} four]]-[[Wrestling/TheUndisputedEra man]] PowerStable [[Wrestling/TripleH led]] [[Wrestling/AdamCole by]] a Top {{Heel}} LongHairedPrettyBoy wins all the male championships [[Wrestling/WWERaw in a]] [[Wrestling/{{WWE NXT}} WWE brand]]. WWE's [[CreatorsPet chosen]] [[Wrestling/JohnCena top]] [[Wrestling/RomanReigns guy]] wins his first World Title in the middle of the decade, only for him to [[Wrestling/EdgeWrestler lose it to]] [[Wrestling/{{Sheamus}} a non-U.S born]] Wrestling/MoneyInTheBank winner. [[Wrestling/JohnCena A]] [[Wrestling/AlexaBliss newcomer]] unexpectedly becomes a BreakoutCharacter on ''[[Wrestling/WWESmackDown SmackDown]]'', only to see their popularity take a massive dent once they transfer to ''[[Wrestling/WWERaw Raw]]'' due to HypeBacklash, their unique gimmick being stripped from them, a widely panned feud that derailed the career of the [[Wrestling/ChrisJericho other]] [[Wrestling/{{Bayley}} wrestler]], and putting a stranglehold on the top title. [[Wrestling/RandyOrton The]] [[Wrestling/RomanReigns child]] [[Wrestling/CharlotteFlair of a]] Wrestling/{{WWE Hall of Fame}}r breaks out of a [[Wrestling/{{Evolution}} popular]] [[Wrestling/TheShield stable]] only to see their popularity plummet as their exposure grows. A [[Wrestling/EddieGuerrero second]] [[Wrestling/BrayWyatt generation]] member of a WrestlingFamily who freshly lost his TagTeam Championship wins the WWE Championship in a ''[[Wrestling/WWESmackDown SmackDown]]''-exclusive [[Wrestling/NoWayOutWWE February]] [[Wrestling/EliminationChamber PPV]], while [[Wrestling/ChavoGuerreroJr a]] [[Wrestling/BoDallas relative]] of them who is younger by three years struggles to become relevant. [[Wrestling/ChrisBenoit A smaller,]] [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson technical wrestler]] with a facelock finisher defeated two [[Wrestling/DGenerationX former]] [[Wrestling/{{Evolution}} allies]] in the main event of ''Wrestling/WrestleMania'' and would face off against Wrestling/TripleH during the "4" year. A [[Wrestling/ReyMysterioJr beloved]] [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson underdog]] wrestler wins WWE's Wrestling/BigGoldBelt at ''[=WrestleMania=]'' in a triple-threat match involving Wrestling/RandyOrton. [[Wrestling/ChrisBenoit A plucky underdog]] [[Wrestling/SamiZayn wrestler from Quebec]] who made his name outside WWE the previous decade would later become a star there. [[Wrestling/WilliamRegal A world-renowned]] [[Wrestling/ClaudioCastagnoli European technician]] flounders in the midcard of WWE despite fan demand for him to be at the top of the company. An [[Wrestling/VladimirKozlov Eastern European]] [[Wrestling/RusevAndLana Slavic wrestler]] becomes a FakeRussian [[WrestlingMonster monster]] [[ForeignWrestlingHeel heel]]. A [[Wrestling/HulkHogan big]] [[Wrestling/{{Goldberg}} name]] wrestler wins the WWF/E World Title after only a few months despite being away for several years, only to lose it a month later. [[Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin A]] [[Wrestling/CMPunk beloved]] AntiHero controversially walks out of the WWF/E due to backstage issues. In the WWE's women's division, a [[Wrestling/LisaMarieVaron dark-haired]] [[Wrestling/AJLee female wrestler]] with a spider AnimalMotif and a crazy gimmick dominated it during the earlier parts of the decade, a [[Wrestling/{{Layla}} former]] UsefulNotes/{{N|ationalBasketballAssociation}}BA cheerleader with OnlyOneName becomes a [[Wrestling/NaomiWrestler major]] [[Wrestling/{{Carmella}} player]] towards the end, but the division will [[Wrestling/TrishStratus ultimately]] [[Wrestling/{{Lita}} be defined]] by the rivalry of [[Wrestling/CharlotteFlair a blonde]] and [[Wrestling/BeckyLynch a redhead]]. A popular WWE [[Wrestling/{{Lita}} female]] [[Wrestling/{{Paige}} wrestler]] with OnlyOneName and an edgy rocker gimmick becomes controversial after [[Wrestling/MattHardy issues]] [[Wrestling/EdgeWrestler surrounding]] [[Wrestling/BradMaddox her]] [[Wrestling/AlbertoDelRio love]][=/=][[Wrestling/XavierWoods sex]] life is made public. An [[Wrestling/TheGreatKhali Indian]] [[Wrestling/JinderMahal wrestler]] wins the top World Title of ''[[Wrestling/WWESmackDown SmackDown]]'' during the "7" year but his reign, mostly spent feuding with an [[Wrestling/{{Batista}} ex]]-[[Wrestling/RandyOrton member]] of Wrestling/{{Evolution}}, is widely panned. Someone [[Wrestling/AshleyMassaro who]] [[Wrestling/JohnMorrison won]] a WWE [[Wrestling/WWEDivaSearch reality]] [[Wrestling/WWEToughEnough show]] competed in ''Series/{{Survivor}}'' towards the end of the decade. [[Wrestling/BrockLesnar A]] [[Creator/RondaRousey newcomer]] with a legitimate combat sport background, who at some point in the career were in UsefulNotes/{{U|ltimateFightingChampionship}}FC, had an impressive rookie year in the WWF/E. [[Wrestling/EddieGuerrero A beloved]] [[Wrestling/KofiKingston 38-year old veteran]] [[EarnYourHappyEnding finally]] wins the WWE Championship and becomes a Wrestling/GrandSlamChampion. [[Wrestling/{{Sheamus}} An Irish]] [[Wrestling/BeckyLynch redhead]] becomes a megastar at the end of the decade. Wrestling/CMPunk [[Wrestling/JeffHardy make]] [[TheBusCameBack headlines]] at the final year of the decade.
** There are similarities between the beginning of Barack Obama's and Donald Trump's presidencies:
** The president's party [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_United_States_Senate_special_election_in_Massachusetts unexpectedly]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_United_States_Senate_special_election_in_Alabama loses]] a U.S. Senate seat in a state the president won by over 20 points, but wins it back during the president's re-election campaign.
*** 2010 vs.2018 midterms: The president's party loses control of the U.S. House of Representatives but holds onto of the Senate. Republicans win Democratic-held Senate seats in Indiana and North Dakota. Andrew Cuomo wins the New York gubernatorial election. A very close race in Florida ends in Rick Scott narrowly winning. [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Quinn An incumbent]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Reynolds midwestern governor]] of the president's party in a state that favors said party, having ascended to office from the lieutenant governorship two years as an indirect result of the president's election, narrowly wins a full term despite polls generally predicting their loss. [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blanche_Lincoln A moderate]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_United_States_Senate_special_election_in_Heidi_Heitkamp Democratic female senator]] in a deep red state loses by a landslide margin to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Boozman a bespectacled]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Cramer Republican congressman]]. [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Crist The incumbent]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Scott governor of Florida]] runs for U.S. Senate seat. The new Congress's breakout star for the party that gained is [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trey_Gowdy someone who beat an]] [[UsefulNotes/AlexandriaOcasioCortez incumbent congressman in a safe district]], while a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marco_Rubio newly elected]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_Hawley and very young]] Republican senator would also go on to becomes a national star.
** Some historians argue that the world is returning to the ''status quo'' before the rise of the [=USSR=] after UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, they note that many of the tensions in the Middle East, especially in Syria stem from the Sykes-Picot agreement, the dividing up of the Middle East after the downfall of the Ottoman Empire, with a "Belle Epoque" of America as the world's dominant superpower giving way to the emergence of a multi-polar world of various entities (America, EU, China, Russia, [[MyFriendsAndZoidberg and potentially India]]). An early advocate of this view was historian Eric Hobsbawm who argued that the "Short Twentieth Century" of 70 years comprising the rise and fall of the USSR was an "Age of Extremes" and rapid change, but there has been growing agreement that the period of vertiginous change that marked the 19th and 20th centuries was unusual and would be followed by an era of more static development.
** Many also consider that the fact the U.S. and U.K. are turning inwards is a signal that the English-speaking dominance of world politics that emerged after the Napoleonic Wars is withering, curiously replaced by the previously dominant Franco-German order that has revived as a revamped European Union regained traction after Brexit.
** The Democratic Presidential Primary of 2016 turned out to have many rather striking parallels with the Presidential Election of 1824. One candidate was a former Secretary of State and an immediate relative of a former President, and was known for having an intimate knowledge of statecraft but also criticized for a perceived lack of popular appeal; the other was a fiery populist organizer known for his distrust of banks, his warnings about America's financial institutions growing too powerful, and his avid support for grassroots popular democracy over caucuses dominated by party insiders; the primary also became a source of controversy after the former Secretary of State won the nomination from the fiery populist, leading to a few allegations that the nomination was "stolen". By this point, the populist's supporters were less concerned about the Secretary of State winning than the fact that it could lead to someone they were far more afraid of taking power. Decide for yourself: are we talking about UsefulNotes/JohnQuincyAdams and UsefulNotes/AndrewJackson (featuring UsefulNotes/HenryClay), or about UsefulNotes/HillaryClinton and Bernie Sanders (featuring UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump)?
** President's Barack Obama's warming of U.S.-Cuban diplomatic relations with the "Cuban Thaw" is comparable to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1972_Nixon_visit_to_China the warming to diplomatic relations between United States and China with Richard Nixon]] where the U.S. tries to normalize diplomatic relations with a communist country that was historically hostile to the U.S. Ironically, Donald Trump not only has been less keen on it (eventually holding back on further policies), but his phone call to the Taiwanese president [[note]]The U.S. official stance in the China-Taiwan issue is very ambiguous. The U.S. government recognizes the Chinese government over the Taiwanese government. At the same time, the U.S. does not recognize the former's sovereignty over the latter, and is willing to militarily back Taiwan should China attempt an invasion to claim sovereignty over the island, thus potentially starting WorldWarIII.[[/note]] (in addition to his tweets blasting the Chinese government) is seen as an attempt to reverse Nixon's legacy on China, while the love-hate relationship with North Korea during his administration only have added to the confusion.
** The souring of U.S.-Russian diplomatic relations under President Obama[[note]]The U.S. and Russia supporting opposing sides on the Syrian Civil War, and the massively-decried Russian invasion of Crimea.[[/note]] was seen by many critics as the potential start of a 2nd UsefulNotes/ColdWar. During Trump's campaign and early on in his presidency, this possibility now seemed highly unlikely, as Trump and Putin praised each other. Inversely, many were worried about the U.S. entering a Cold War-style conflict with China, a country Trump labeled as a "currency manipulator". In the end, worries were reversed. Trump reversed his outlook on China, which eventually shut down fears of conflict. On Russia was confirmed to have influenced the 2016 election cycle, and also hacked the DNC and RNC, leaking emails of the former to the public. This caused the American public to grow more suspicious of Putin. However, it was double subverted, with the trade war between United States and China after President Trump imposed tariffs on Chinese goods; combined with the North Korean nuclear missile crisis in 2017 and the South China Sea territorial disputes this led to souring of diplomatic relations between United States and China. Conversely, the Trump administration established warmer relations with Russia while souring diplomatic relations with key U.S. allies with imposition of tariffs.
* HotterAndSexier: While this decade's pop culture and fashion could be considered to be far TamerAndChaster than in the previous two decades, as the "SexSells" philosophy became {{discredited|trope}} as blatant sexism, under other lens sex became more present than ever, although with a female POV, focusing on titillation (with S&M and kink culture reaching the mainstream with works such as ''Literature/FiftyShadesOfGrey'') and consent (leading to higher public condemnation of rape and sexual abuse, culminating with the #[=MeToo=] movement in 2017-18) with the argument that sex in media was vulgarized mainly as the result of the increased objectification of women during the latter half of the 20th century. On the other hand, pop culture takes on sex began shifting back to the coarser mood of the late 90s and 2000s during 2019.
** Pop music became more open about sexuality with the rise of EDM, while the second half of the decade saw the rise of trap music, with explicit descriptions of sex being a common theme. Female pop musicians being promoted through sexually-charged imagery was hardly a new phenomenon, but after Miley Cyrus "reimagined" herself (in a particularly raunchy example, although she would radically change her image ''again'' later in the decade) it became common for pop divas "outshock" themselves.
* HoverBike: This decade saw the construction of the first working prototypes of "flying cars".
* HummerDinger: [=SUVs=] returned to popularity after the high fuel prices and the financial crisis of the late 2000s. The better gas mileage, low fuel costs, and the fallout from the Toyota hybrid accelerator problems were possible factors.
* IdolGenre: During the late 2000s and the early 2010s, the number of {{Idol Singer}}s debuting in East Asian countries like Japan and South Korea began increasing exponentially. Media even called the phenomenon the "Warring Period of Idols" (Aidoru Sengoku-jidai). Anime industries began cashing in on this, creating {{Cash Cow Franchise}}s based on fictional idols.
* TheIlluminati: Although the status of this organization remained elusive, the early years of the decade saw almost every single public figure and piece of pop culture being accused of being associated with them (often overlapping with ReptilianConspiracy) on the 'net, eventually leading to a resurgence of conspiracy theories in general among the wider public. And somehow, the "Illuminati symbol" gained [[MemeticMutation meme status]] among the MLG[[note]]Major League Gaming[[/note]] community by the middle of the decade (often paired with Doritos and Mountain Dew).
* TheInternetIsForPorn: While this trope is as old as the Internet itself, the rise of free porn sites in the previous decade, coupled with the advent of the smart phone, effectively killed off the "lads mag" market by the middle of the decade.
* TheInternetIsSeriousBusiness: Social media was scrutinized for causing the deep political divisions seen in the later part of the decade. How bad could it be? In 2016, a bot was designed to depict views on Twitter. Almost immediately, the bot began to "tweet" misogynistic and white supremacist thoughts and was put down after a few hours. Moreover, the allegations of Russian hackers meddling in elections in America and elsewhere made cybersecurity a growing concern with both politicians and the public.
* {{Iyashikei}}: This genre became incredibly popular in many {{seinen}} magazines, with ''Magazine/MangaTimeKirara'' being a popular manga magazine for this genre.
* JobStealingRobot: Automation was a major cause for concern. It was the key reason for [[https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/manufacturing-jobs-are-never-coming-back/ the disappearance of manufacturing jobs]] and it was a major cause for concern among politicians and economists, because it would not only lead to lower growth (as a service-based economy is far less productive than an industrial economy) and large-scale unemployment, but make [[https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/mar/02/robot-tax-job-elimination-livable-wage the rich even more richer]] and the shrinking job market even more scarce, leading to calls for permanent universal income and other forms of social democracy to correct this situation.
* KidCom: Creator/{{Nickelodeon}} and Creator/DisneyChannel started to air more kid comedies [[NetworkDecay at the expense of animated shows]]. Creator/CartoonNetwork attempted to follow suit numerous times, but all efforts for the most part failed.
* LensFlare: Started somewhere in the late 2000s, early 2010s visual media couldn't seem to go without a horizontal lens flare, probably popularized by the film, ''Film/StarTrek2009''.
* LighterAndSofter: Aesthetically and culturally, the 2010s took this route compared to previous decades. Grunge-inspired music genres like NuMetal faded from relevance and made way for ElectronicDanceMusic. The often ultra-violent sci-fi action flicks of the 90s and 2000s, complete with a NinetiesAntiHero, took a backseat to more lighthearted PostCyberpunk and superhero movies. Aesthetically, the sleek, clean 'EverythingIsAnIPodInTheFuture' look replaced the gritty cyberpunk-inspired or hip-hop inspired looks of the 2000s. Politically, the 2010s were far less contentious than they were during the early years of UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror.
* LittleSisterHeroine: This trope got ''a lot'' of backlash among western anime fans thanks to [[BrotherSisterIncest the controversial ending]] of ''Literature/{{Oreimo}}'' (the said little sister also happened to be a {{Tsundere}}, a character archetype that was incredibly loathed by the western anime fanbase). Several anime works tried to remedy this featuring characters of this trope with a NiceGirl personality with a much younger age, but many works such as ''Literature/BlackBullet'', ''Ro-Kyu-Bu'', ''Literature/HereComesTheThreeAngels'', and ''Literature/EromangaSensei'' got fierce criticism for various UnfortunateImplications involving underaged girls and many see them as a {{Lolicon|AndShotacon}} fetish.
* LiveActionAdaptation: Comic-book film adaptations became immensely popular during this decade: Marvel solidified its position with the continuing ''Film/XMenFilmSeries'' along with the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse, which became fully established by ''Film/{{TheAvengers|2012}}'' in 2012, while lesser-known properties such as ''Film/{{Guardians of the Galaxy|2014}}'', ''Film/AntMan1'' and ''Film/{{Deadpool|2016}}'' became successful. DC Comics followed suit with ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'' and ''Film/{{Wonder Woman|2017}}'' leading to a future saga of ''Justice League'' films. Even Disney joined the bandwagon with their take on revamping [[Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon its animated classics]] such as ''Film/{{Maleficent}}'', ''Film/{{Cinderella|2015}}'', ''Film/{{The Jungle Book|2016}}'' and ''Film/{{Beauty and the Beast|2017}}''.
* LongRunner: Most popular TV shows from the first half of the decade actually began during the 2000s. It got to the point in which a show could be seen as pretty short-lived if it didn't last five seasons[[note]]The average run of most primetime shows until the early 90s[[/note]]. The "long miniseries" format that became popular in cable and streaming could be seen as a reaction against the trope.
* LootBoxes: After mostly being the domain of [[MobilePhoneGame mobile]] or {{Allegedly Free Game}}s in the 2000s, this form of microtransaction proliferated into the gaming mainstream during this decade and became a hotly criticized practice in the latter half. Publishers began implementing increasingly predatory and [[BribingYourWayToVictory game-affecting]] lootbox systems into full-priced AAA-industry games, until the bubble burst dramatically with the release of ''VideoGame/StarWarsBattlefrontII2017''; the backlash against which was so loud[[note]](Among other things, a Website/{{Reddit}} [[https://www.reddit.com/r/StarWarsBattlefront/comments/7cff0b/seriously_i_paid_80_to_have_vader_locked/dppum98/?context=3 comment]] made by Creator/ElectronicArts to defend the game's use of lootboxes [[EpicFail became the most downvoted comment in Reddit's history)]][[/note]] that mainstream media and government officials took notice. The Belgium Gambling Commission [[https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-43906306 officially ruled in April 2018]] that loot boxes were a form of [[GamblingTropes gambling]] prohibited under Belgian law, prompting numerous other countries to perform similar investigations.
* MaliciousMisnaming: "Deadnaming" was an increasingly big issue among transgender individuals, especially when done intentionally by conservatives and far-right individuals to discredit their gender identity. Some states even do this in ''legal documents'' on transgender individuals.
* {{Manchild}}: Immature protagonists struggling to grow up were frequent comedy protagonists, particularly in works associated with Creator/JuddApatow. Creator/LenaDunham’s ''Series/{{Girls}}'' proved that this wasn’t restricted to men. These uses of this trope fed media controversy, as newswriters writing about TheGenerationGap tended to stereotype the Millennial generation as immature narcissists and Millennials in turn stereotyped Baby Boomers as immature narcissists.
* MedievalEuropeanFantasy: The success of ''Series/GameOfThrones'' showed that this setting was still ''very'' popular. Games such as ''VideoGame/TheWitcher3'' and ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'' were some of the most acclaimed of the decade with the latter being [[PortOverdosed ported to a wide variety of systems]].
* MerchandiseDriven: This was still fairly common, particularly with the [[Film/{{Transformers}} "Bayformers" trilogy]] and shows on Creator/TheHub.
* MiniSeries: Returned as a credible genre after two decades. This revival also sparked a trend for longer miniseries, some of them lasting an entire season (often dubbed as "limited series"). This in turn created a slew of anthology series such as ''Series/TrueCrime'', ''Series/AmericanHorrorStory'' and ''Series/{{Fargo}}''.
* {{Moe}}: While it was all the rage in the East and became a more popular concept in the West, reception of newer anime series that feature this (most notably in the West) tended to be treated with either indifference or outright disgust due to either being generic adaptations of Harem or Romantic Comedy, or put in an inappropriate setting. It also didn't help to note that this trope was constantly being applied to females and was sometimes seen as sexist among the Western fanbase. ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' was extremely popular not only with its intended audience, but also with a large periphery demographic of older males and its Moe appeal was commented on; the show was popular enough to have been exported back to Japan, and it was cited as an example of rising interest in Moe in the West, albeit in its own style.
* MoeAnthropomorphism: An increasingly common gimmick in {{seinen}} anime was shows featuring {{moe}} girls that are actually something like horses (''Anime/UmaMusume'') or battleships (''Anime/KanColle''), allowing the BishoujoSeries to cross over with different genres.
* MonsterClown: Fall 2016 was marked by a number of so-called "clown sightings" in Europe and the U.S., where people would take to wandering the streets at night dressed as clowns. On the innocent end, most were just pranksters. On the sinister end, this led to several reported attacks, as well as reported "clown-hunting" vigilantism. Movies featuring clowns with themes that covered topics such as paranoia, mental health, and the ills of society were also hits later in the decade such as [[Film/It2017 the 2017 remake]] of ''Literature/{{It}}'' and ''Film/{{Joker|2019}}'' in 2019.
* MoralGuardians: Resurfaced early in the decade from both the left and the right in response to the perceived debauchery present in contemporary times, with "Blurred Lines" and double-standards becoming the most controversial cases. This increased lobbying power in part contributed to the increased popularity and expansion of web-originated contents.
* MovieSuperheroesWearBlack: Defied and discredited in this decade, thanks to the ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'' bringing back color (albeit in muted tones) to costumes.
* TheMultiverse: Became popular thanks to works like ''Series/{{Fringe}}'', ''VideoGame/SpiderManShatteredDimensions'', the ''Series/{{Arrowverse}}'', (particularly ''Series/{{The Flash|2014}}''), ''VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'', ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'', ''Series/TheManInTheHighCastle'', ''Series/{{Counterpart 2018}}'', and ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManIntoTheSpiderVerse''.
* MustHaveCaffeine: The 1990s/2000s-era fascination for coffee continued with the "third wave" coffeehouse movement popularizing cold brew and reviving the manual drip pour-over and the French press methods popular during the 90s. During the decade, consumption patterns shifted, as energy drinks (the non-athletic kinds hitherto stigmatized as drug-level deleterious) and some varieties of tea replaced "good ol' java" as the quintessential pick-me-up, spelling severe trouble for traditional brands such as Nescafe, Folgers and Maxwell House, while more gourmet-driven brands such as Starbucks and Nespresso have thrived.
* MusicOfThe2010s: If the music trends of the 2000s catered to practically every kind of taste, this decade was marked by the near-monolithic dominance of ElectronicMusic, which exploded in popularity in early 2012. Urban music, its only credible contender (having surpassed rock as America's most popular music genre in the mid-2010s) incorporated electronic aspects to catch up, often crossing over as "[[JustHereForGodzilla featured]] [[WolverinePublicity artists]]" on pop songs. By the final years of the decade, hip-hop eclipsed EDM's cultural presence as most "pop divas" faced professional and personal travails.
** AutoTune: Began in The TurnOfTheMillennium, but hit its stride in 2010 with the "Bed Intruder" song, and made into an art form--seriously--by the likes of Music/BonIver and Music/KanyeWest. Unfortunately for the music industry, such devices caused many musicians to lose interest in the mainstream... for the most part, with British Indie Rock being the main exception. Its excessive use actually caused a bit of a backlash, with further usage being more for enhancement (and making fun of it in the web) rather for effects ''per se'', although it would return to prominence later in the decade by its frequent use by trap artists.
** CountryMusic: The "country-pop" scene of the late 2000s remained popular in the mainstream, although it was briefly eclipsed by the rap-infused "bro-country" movement. However, bro-country fell as quickly as it rose, and the genre was soon considered CondemnedByHistory among most country fans.[[invoked]]
** {{Dubstep}}: The focus of a pop music craze following 2011's "Party Rock Anthem". [=DJs=] such as Music/{{Skrillex}} and hits like "I Can't Stop" and "I Knew You Were Trouble" increased its staying power throughout the middle of the decade.
** HouseMusic: Various styles of it took turns at the forefront of EDM's mainstream boom. ElectroHouse and progressive house were there at the start, then big room house showed up for 2013, and in 2014, the commercial success of Disclosure brought deep house into the mix.
** KPop: Went global this decade, beginning with Music/{{PSY}}'s "Gangnam Style" becoming a hit worldwide. The second half of the 2010s saw the genre lead a wave of interest over Korean culture in a number of countries.
** NewSoundAlbum: Many artists switched to electronic music beginning in 2013-14, some of them being known for having starkly different styles.
** RockMusic: Except for a few alternative songs, rock struggled to cross over into the mainstream. Alternative radio began to play more IndiePop and folk, whereas mainstream rock became focused on classic rock hits and some newer songs. Namely, lo-fi rock, hard rock, and heavy metal.
** {{Synthpop}}: Returned to the mainstream with a minimalist {{New Wave|Music}}-esque style taking over.
** {{Trance}}: While not quite as commercially big as dubstep, house, or trap, trance nevertheless experienced a massive NewbieBoom in the States and by the end of the decade continued to maintain a very dedicated fandom all over the globe.
** TrapMusic: After being written off in TheNineties as a hardcore variation of HipHop, it saw a ''massive'' boom in popularity this decade when artists like Diplo, DJ Snake, Yellow Claw, Flosstradamus, Baauer, and Keys n Krates combined it with EDM. Despite having [[ArtifactTitle little in common]] with the original style of trap by borrowing from Latin genres, it was completely transformed into a form of mainstream music.
* MyCountryTisOfTheeThatISting: Criticism of one's country became more prevalent in media during this decade, most notably in the USA, where this had previously been almost totally restricted to satirical and/or politically-charged works. This became especially prevalent in works made during the second half of the decade, as [[PatrioticFervor its opposite]] arose in the real world.
* NerdGlasses: No longer [[UnwantedGlassesPlot associated with social-awkwardness and/or ugliness]], specs were actually considered ''sexy'' in this decade.
* NerdsAreSexy: As intellectualism rose in popularity, good-looking characters with good knowledge became more common in media for most of the decade, while the [[DumbIsGood ditzy types]] popular during the 2000s were likely to be frowned upon.
* NetworkDecay: Persisted during this era, although some networks started to return to their roots. Other networks either shut down or re-branded entirely so at least their new themes fit.
* NewAgeRetroHippie: The final years of the decade saw a transition between the retro fashions of hipsters to more bohemian styles, particularly regarding female fashion, as the elegant outfits associated with "girl bosses" became supplanted by the hippie-inspired aesthetic of VSCO girls.
* NewMediaAreEvil: Whereas in the 2000s, films, rock music, glam rap, video games and Messenger/chatrooms were the main targets of [[MoralGuardians moral outrage]], this decade saw them turning their outrage on cable TV/streaming series and social media, although movies returned to the fold later in the decade for many of them.
* NewTechnologyIsEvil: During the second half of the decade, [[MegaCorp the humongous tech corporations]] drew fire from many fields because of their direct role on the plight of whole industries (Amazon over retail, Facebook over journalism, Netflix over television, Google over everything else, etc.). While they had been attacked by conservatives for years over the progressive politics of their leading figures and their heavy crackdowns on and deplatforming of right-wing content, it would be a series of scandals (Facebook personal data was allegedly used by an analysis firm to influence elections in the UK and the US; Amazon's hunt for new headquarters became universally reviled; Google attempted to play into the Chinese government's hands in order to gain permission to operate in the country; Elon Musk's erratic behavior on social media; [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Netflix dropping movies and TV shows just to keep]] ''Series/{{Friends}} in their catalog'') that would ultimately harm the left’s public perception of the men that were seen as "the heroes of the digital age" at the beginning of the decade, being now seen as the modern equivalent to the "trusts" of the late 19th century.
* NiceGuy: After being portrayed as "[[SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids wide-eyed fools]]" for most of the 90s and 2000s, many works began to see this kind of character in a more sympathetic light, especially in works made during the first half of the decade. The DoggedNiceGuy, meanwhile, got quite a bit of deconstruction and subversion.
* NintendoHard: After the difficulty drop in video games over the previous two decades, games with more of a challenge, such as ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'', gained a following.
* NoDubForYou: Became more prevalent as fewer English dubs were produced for anime (though Creator/FUNimation still produced English dubs for almost all of their licensed shows).
** However this trope seemed to be getting less prevalent with Creator/SentaiFilmworks producing even more dubs than Creator/FUNimation annually, Creator/VizMedia licensing and dubbing a larger variety of shows, Saban being back in the game, Creator/AniplexUSA dubbing a healthy portion of their shows, and the Japanese companies producing a few dubs themselves. Heck, even Creator/MediaBlasters still dubbed, despite being in financial ruin, and [[Creator/NipponIchi NIS America]] entered the game as well in 2014 with their English dub of Literature/{{Toradora}}. 2009-2011 were somewhat dark years for the medium. The revival of Creator/{{Toonami}} and the introduction of the Creator/NeonAlley streaming service indicated there was some demand for English dubbed anime for a few select titles and this trope was often applied to more niche titles (i.e. SliceOfLife SchoolgirlSeries or Otaku-pandering anime).
* NostalgiaFilter:
** Nostalgia for the 1980s not only led to a slew of reboots from successful icons and period pieces set in the era, but it also brought a return of more conservative yet colorful fashions, as well as a renewed interest for punk-inspired outfits.
** There was also a wave of Victorian/Edwardian revivalism that ''no one'' expected, primarily for its aesthetic values and societal attitudes, becoming romanticized as an era devoid of the ills of modernity that came upon the Great War[[note]]not taking into account that most people did ''not'' live pastoral and pleasant lives as often thought, but more like in a tale of Dickens[[/note]]. But its most notorious manifestation waas the hipster-led revival of trades that had been eccentric pursuits for almost a century like butchers, barbers and brewers.
* NothingIsScarier: After the critically-derided era of "[[{{Gorn}} torture porn]]" that dominated Hollywood horror movies in the 2000s, the pendulum now largely swung back in the other direction. The 2010s saw a major resurgence in somber, minimalistic, slow-burn horror, kicked off by ''Film/{{Insidious}}'' and ''Film/TheConjuring'', with glacial nerve-shredders like ''Film/TheWitch'', ''Film/ItFollows'', ''Film/AQuietPlace'', and ''Film/{{Hereditary}}'' achieving success with critics and audiences alike. The strategy of "Don't show the monster" in the grand tradition of ''Film/{{Jaws}}'' and ''Film/{{Alien}}'' made a major comeback in style, with even the [[Film/Godzilla2014 2014 Godzilla reboot]] holding back on its titular beast to build suspense[[note]]although in that case, it was primarily [[RevisitingTheRoots following in the footsteps of the original]], which was a [[UnbuiltTrope slow-moving, ominous, and haunting horror/drama film]][[/note]] and reached into multiple different genres, in video games like ''VideoGame/AmnesiaTheDarkDescent'', ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys'', ''VideoGame/{{Slender}}'' and others, and even occasionally on television, with the massive popularity of ''Series/StrangerThings'' and ''Series/TheHauntingOfHillHouse2018''.
* NouveauRiche:
** An aspiration that was thoroughly expressed by Music/TravieMcCoy and Music/BrunoMars' "Billionaire". Through tech startups, through social media, and/or through mining cryptocurrency, anyone would have dreamed to strike it rich and famous through unconventional and unorthodox means in the likes of Trump, Zuckerberg, Bezos, Musk, and the Kardashian-Jenner clan, who started to become the most influential billionaires in this decade. [[https://www.forbes.com/decade-of-billionaires/ According to Forbes]], there were 1,001 billionaires in 2010, and had more than doubled by 2019.
** Unlike Western Millennials whose aim was to be as frugal as possible, Chinese Millennials, born under the country's transition towards a capitalist market and born under the One Child Policy, were entrepreneurial and tech-savvy at the positive side, and were conspicuous consumers and obnoxious tourists at the negative side. The ''Literature/CrazyRichAsians'' series and its [[Film/CrazyRichAsians 2018 film adaptation]] was a commentary of the lifestyles of the newly rich Mainlanders clashing with the OldMoney Overseas Chinese.
[[/folder]]

* The events of ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' takes place in the year 201X. [[spoiler:Though this ends up being an aversion, as it's ''the backstory'' of the game that takes place in 201X. The game itself an unspecified amount of time after 201X, which is implied to be decades or ''even centuries'' in the future.]]

* The events of ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' takes place in the year 201X. >!Though this ends up being an aversion, as it's the backstory of the game that takes place in 201X. The game itself takes place many years later, which could be anywhere between decades to centuries from 201X.!<

* The events of ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' takes place in the year 201X.

The Twenty-Tens or Two Thousand (and) Tens. Or "the Teens". The Tense 2010s. [[WebVideo/ChrisRayGun That decade where all the jokes became real]].

The gaming space saw an immense amount of growth this decade compared to prior ones; the first half of the decade saw the MobilePhoneGame genre absolutely explode into popularity, with ''VideoGame/AngryBirds'' , ''VideoGame/CandyCrushSaga'', and ''VideoGame/PuzzleAndDragons'' not only bursting into the mainstream, but also introducing the {{Freemium}} business model into gaming, leading to the rise of {{Microtransactions}} that would controversially make its way into PC and console gaming, namely with ''VideoGame/StarWarsBattlefrontII'' and ''VideoGame/MiddleEarthShadowOfWar''. On the flip side, narrative-driven games became an even bigger commodity than they were in previous decade, namely with ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUs'' and ''VideoGame/TheWitcher3WildHunt'', being standout examples of narrative-driven games receiving mainstream attention throughout the decade. The SoulslikeRPG genre also boomed in popularity thanks to the monumental release of ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsI'', as did the WideOpenSandbox genre thanks to ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'' and ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity''. ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Fortnite}}'' both became ''bona fide'' cultural phenomenons in the first and second halves of the decade respectively, leading to the boom of the SurvivalSandbox and BattleRoyaleGame genres. In the console space, Sony managed to retake the lead from Microsoft with the Platform/PlayStation4 as a result of Microsoft fumbling the Platform/XboxOne and Sony's own growing lineup of first-party exclusives such as ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'', ''VideoGame/Uncharted4AThiefsEnd'', and ''[[VideoGame/GodOfWarPS4 God of War]]'', which has extended well beyond into TheNewTwenties. Meanwhile, Creator/{{Nintendo}} saw sales of the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} plateau ''hard'' at the beginning of the decade, leading to the rushed launches of the Platform/Nintendo3DS and Platform/WiiU. While the 3DS ended up gaining a large amount of momentum overall, the Wii U never did and so Nintendo were saddled with their biggest commercial failure until they discontinued it in 2017...upon which they released the Platform/NintendoSwitch and did a complete 180º, with the Switch quickly becoming their biggest console since the Platform/NintendoDS, and quickly amassing a library of desirable exclusives like ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'', ''VideoGame/SuperMarioOdyssey'', and ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'', as well as being the first Nintendo console in a while to receive actual third-party support, with popular titles like ''[[VideoGame/Doom2016 Doom]]'' and ''VideoGame/DragonBallFighterZ'' making their way into the console early on. The Nintendo Switch's release and games also coincided with a general comeback of Japanese-developed games in the industry as a whole, with titles like ''VideoGame/Persona5'', 'VideoGame/MonsterHunterWorld'', and ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvil22019 Resident Evil 2]]'' all being critical and commercial hits and marking a general re-acceptance of Japanese-developed games. And last but certainly not least, the IndieGame market grew exponentially during this decade, which titles such as (but not limited to) ''VideoGame/ShovelKnight'', ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys'', ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'', and ''VideoGame/StardewValley'' all making independent game development a much more viable market than it was before.

*** Culture: An [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hampster_Dance#The_Hampsterdance_Song obnoxiously]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyan_Cat catchy]] tune starring a cute animal becomes an internet sensation at the beginning of the decade. [[Music/{{Nickelback}} A very popular]] [[Music/JustinBieber Canadian musical act]] is the butt of pop culture jokes. A [[Music/BritneySpears Disney-bred]] [[Music/MileyCyrus starlet]] hailing from TheDeepSouth becomes an international pop sensation starting at the end of the previous decade only to be mired in numerous scandals at the middle of the decade before undergoing a CareerResurrection by the end of the decade. [[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings A relatively obscure]] [[Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire high-fantasy novel series]] by a [[Creator/JRRTolkien man]] [[Creator/GeorgeRRMartin with]] "R.R." in his name blasts into the mainstream in the second year of the decade with a [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings massively popular]] [[Series/GameOfThrones screen adaptation]] starring Creator/SeanBean. The [[Film/SpiderMan1 inaugural]] [[Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan film]] of a ''Franchise/SpiderMan'' [[Film/SpiderManTrilogy movie]] [[Film/TheAmazingSpiderManSeries series]] is released in the "2" year. Two years after the final entry of their film series, the [[Creator/TobeyMaguire Spider]][[Creator/AndrewGarfield -Man]] actor gets universal acclaim for starring in a [[Film/Brothers2009 military]] [[Film/HacksawRidge drama]] film in which his character's closest male relative is played by [[Creator/JakeGyllenhaal an]] [[Creator/HugoWeaving actor]] who at one point played a [[Film/SpiderManFarFromHome Marvel]] [[Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger supervillain]]. [[Music/{{Eminem}} A white]] [[Music/PostMalone rapper]] known for his witty humor becomes a phenomenon, and has a [[Film/EightMile huge end-of-year]] BreakawayPopHit [[WesternAnimation/SpiderManIntoTheSpiderVerse from a movie]]. The Franchise/{{Batman}} [[Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy film]] [[Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse series]] gets a ContinuityReboot in the middle of the decade. A [[Creator/HeathLedger young blond actor]] [[Creator/PaulWalker who first became famous]] in a [[Film/TenThingsIHateAboutYou 1999 teen]] [[Film/ShesAllThat comedy adaptation]] of a [[Theatre/TheTamingOfTheShrew classic]] [[Theatre/{{Pygmalion}} play]] alongside Gabrielle Union dies at a shockingly young age and posthumously stars in [[Film/TheDarkKnight the most successful movie]] [[Film/FuriousSeven of his career]]. Quite similarly to the former case, [[Creator/BrittanyMurphy a rising young]] [[Music/JuiceWRLD famous celebrity]] [[Film/EightMile with direct]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_to_Be_Murdered_By ties to]] {{Music/Eminem}} dies also at such a shockingly young age just as the decade is coming to a close in the December of the "9" year, only shortly after their respective birthday ([[Creator/BrittanyMurphy the former]] having died one month and ten days after her 32nd birthday, and [[Music/JuiceWRLD the latter]] just only six days after his ''21st''), and whilst said celebrity's death was never officially ruled as such, an overdose of drugs was at ''least'' a contributing factor in their unexpected passing at such a tragically young age. A [[Series/{{Friends}} very]] [[Series/HowIMetYourMother popular]] sitcom about TrueCompanions that started during the middle of the previous decade concluded its run on the middle of the "4" year. A [[Series/EverybodyHatesChris biopic]] [[Series/FreshOffTheBoat sitcom]] about the childhood of a [[Creator/ChrisRock non-Caucasian]] celebrity becomes a hit during the middle of the decade, which also served as a StarMakingRole for the [[Creator/TerryCrews actor(s)]] [[Creator/RandallPark playing]] [[Creator/ConstanceWu the parent(s)]]. A groundbreaking [[Film/SpiderMan1 Marvel]] [[Film/TheAvengers2012 film]] is released in the "2" year. A [[Film/FantasticFour2005 movie]] [[Film/FantasticFour2015 adaptation]] of the ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'' is released in the "5" year. Creator/DisneyChannel has a [[WesternAnimation/KimPossible huge]] [[WesternAnimation/GravityFalls cartoon hit]] that launches in June of the "2" year. A [[Creator/JoeQuesada comic]] [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_Guggenheim writer]] gets infamy and scorn for [[Franchise/SpiderMan separating]] a [[ComicBook/MaryJaneWatson popular]] [[ComicBook/GreenArrow couple]] [[ComicBook/BlackCanary from]] the comics in a [[ComicBook/OneMoreDay comic]]-[[Series/{{Arrow}} based]] adaptation. [[Series/{{Smallville}} A]] [[Series/{{Arrow}} show]] based on Creator/DCComics that began earlier in the decade gradually becomes mocked as the decade goes on due to a SpotlightStealingSquad female character who is [[CreatorsPet blatantly loved]] by the show's creators. [[Film/TheDarkKnight A highly-acclaimed]] [[Film/BlackPanther2018 movie about]] a [[ComicBook/{{Batman}} black-clad]] [[ComicBook/BlackPanther superhero]] [[Creator/HeathLedger headlined by]] [[Creator/ChadwickBoseman an actor]] who died tragically young is released in the second to last year of the decade. [[ComicBook/TheJoker A purple-themed]] [[ComicBook/{{Thanos}} supervillain]] from a [[Film/TheDarkKnight high-grossing]] [[Film/AvengersInfinityWar movie]] in the "8" year becomes a cultural phenomenon. [[Film/TheDarkKnight A]] [[Film/Joker2019 film]] featuring ComicBook/TheJoker takes the world by storm towards the end of the decade. The Oscars face criticism for awarding "Best Picture" to a controversial [[Film/{{Crash}} film]] about [[Film/GreenBook race relations]] that's widely derided for being preachy and simplistic, snubbing multiple [[Film/BrokebackMountain other]] [[Film/{{Munich}} films]] that are widely seen as [[Film/BlackPanther2018 much]] [[Film/{{Roma}} more]] [[Film/BlacKkKlansman daring]] and relevant. Professional baseball becomes mired in a cheating scandal toward the end of the decade. The death of [[Music/MichaelJackson a prominent]] [[Music/{{Prince}} African-American singer]] most successful in the 1980s from a prescription drug overdose prompts worldwide mourning.

* ObviousBeta: Due to games consoles now having online capability as standard, many video games from the decade (such as the notorious initial release of ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedUnity'') were released with {{Game Breaking Bug}}s in them with companies opting to fix them later.

* ''Animation/RobocarPoli''

** FanficsOf20102013
** FanficsOf20142016
** FanficsOf20172019

* ''Anime/DigimonAdventureLastEvolutionKizuna'': Made in 2020, set in 2010.

* NothingIsScarier: After the critically-derided era of "[[{{Gorn}} torture porn]]" that dominated Hollywood horror movies in the 2000s, the pendulum now largely swung back in the other direction. The 2010s saw a major resurgence in somber, minimalistic, slow-burn horror, kicked off by ''Film/{{Insidious}}'' and ''Film/TheConjuring'', with glacial nerve-shredders like ''Film/TheWitch'', ''Film/ItFollows'', ''Film/AQuietPlace'', and ''Film/{{Hereditary}}'' achieving success with critics and audiences alike. The strategy of "Don't show the monster" in the grand tradition of ''Film/{{Jaws}}'' and ''Film/{{Alien}}'' made a major comeback in style, with even the [[Film/Godzilla2014 2014 Godzilla reboot]] holding back on its titular beast to build suspense[[note]]although in that case, it was primarily [[RevisitingTheRoots following in the footsteps of the original]], which was a [[UnbuiltTrope slow-moving, ominous, and haunting horror/drama film]][[/note]] and reached into multiple different genres, in video games like ''VideoGame/AmnesiaTheDarkDescent'', ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys'', ''VideoGame/{{Slender}}'' and others, and even occasionally on television, with the massive popularity of ''Series/StrangerThings'' and ''Series/TheHauntingOfHillHouse''.

* FirstInstallmentWins: The first half of the decade, particularly the first four years (2010-2013), are widely considered to be its best due to being benevolent in comparison to the turbulent second half.

* LighterAndSofter: Aesthetically and culturally, the 2010s took this route compared to previous decades. Grunge-inspired music genres like NuMetal faded from relevance and made way for ElectronicDanceMusic. The often ultra-violent sci-fi action flicks of the 90s and 2000s, complete with a NinetiesAntiHero, took a backseat to more lighthearted PostCyberpunk and superhero movies. Aesthetically, the sleek, clean 'EverythingIsAnIPodInTheFuture' look replaced the gritty cyberpunk-inspired or hip-hop inspired looks of the 2000s. Politically, the 2010s were far less contentious than they were during the early years of the UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror.

*** ProfessionalWrestling: A highly regarded former WWF/E midcarder and ex-Intercontinental Champion [[Wrestling/JeffJarrett coming]] [[Wrestling/CodyRhodes from]] a WrestlingFamily builds his [[Wrestling/ImpactWrestling own]] [[Wrestling/AllEliteWrestling promotion]] and [[Wrestling/KurtAngle gains their biggest acquisition in an ex-WWE star]] [[Wrestling/ChrisJericho nobody could ever envision working in another major promotion]]. The "1" and "2" years featured [[Wrestling/RicFlair several]] [[Wrestling/HulkHogan big]] [[Wrestling/KevinNash name]] [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson wrestlers]] [[Wrestling/BrockLesnar and]] [[Wrestling/PaulHeyman personalities]] return to the WWF/E after nearly a decade of absence. WWF/E's "2" year saw Wrestling/BrockLesnar making his presence felt during the ''[[Wrestling/WWERaw Raw]]'' after ''Wrestling/WrestleMania'', along with the debut of several wrestlers [[Wrestling/JohnCena who]] [[Wrestling/{{Batista}} will]] [[Wrestling/RandyOrton dominate]] [[Wrestling/ReyMysterioJr the]] [[Wrestling/SethRollins company's]] [[Wrestling/RomanReigns main]] [[Wrestling/DeanAmbrose event]] scene for much of the decade starting the middle part, many of whom would [[Wrestling/{{Evolution}} first get noticed together]] [[Wrestling/TheShield in a stable]]; [[Wrestling/SheltonBenjamin a midcard staple]] [[Wrestling/ClaudioCastagnoli and tag team star]] would also be called up that year. [[Wrestling/KurtAngle A]] [[Wrestling/MarkHenry wrestler]] with an Olympic background ascended to the WWF/E main event scene earlier in the decade by winning the World Title from a decorated [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson third]] [[Wrestling/RandyOrton generation]] member of a WrestlingFamily. A veteran [[Wrestling/ChrisBenoit Canadian]] [[Wrestling/{{Christian}} wrestler]] finally wins the WWE's Wrestling/BigGoldBelt but eventually loses it to Wrestling/RandyOrton. Two World Titles within the WWF/E is unified at the end of the year during the first half of the decade, with the Wrestling/BigGoldBelt along with its lineage being the one ultimately dropped. A [[Wrestling/ShawnMichaels beloved]] [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson small-built]] wrestler came out of retirement from a seemingly CareerEndingInjury. [[Wrestling/EdgeWrestler A former member]] [[Wrestling/TheMiz of a popular heel tag team]] wins the [[Wrestling/MoneyInTheBank Money in the Bank ladder match]] and the WWE title and sees his reign ended by Wrestling/JohnCena, but remains a fixture of WWE programming afterwards and revitalizes himself after a slump. Meanwhile, [[Wrestling/{{Christian}} his former]] [[Wrestling/JohnMorrison tag team partner]], despite a strong start, struggles to make it in WWE and leaves for [[Wrestling/ImpactWrestling TNA/Impact]], where he wins the world title, and returns to WWE at the end of the decade. [[Wrestling/{{Christian}} A former]] [[Wrestling/MattHardy WWE midcarer]], after spending many years in the shadow of his more-popular tag team partner, enjoys a CareerResurrection in Wrestling/{{TNA}}. A LongHairedPrettyBoy {{Heel}} [[Wrestling/EdgeWrestler wins]] [[Wrestling/SethRollins a]] Money in the Bank ladder match to win the WWE title during the middle of the decade, while [[Wrestling/{{Christian}} a former]] [[Wrestrling/DeanAmbrose tag-team partner]] jumps ship to the [[Wrestling/ImpactWrestling top]] [[Wrestling/AllEliteWresting rival]] promotion where he is once again known by his pre-WWE ring name. A celebrated TallDarkAndHandsome [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson non]]-[[Wrestling/{{Batista}} Caucasian]] wrestler with mixed ancestry strives in Hollywood. A [[Wrestling/{{Evolution}} four]]-[[Wrestling/TheUndisputedEra man]] PowerStable [[Wrestling/TripleH led]] [[Wrestling/AdamCole by]] a Top {{Heel}} LongHairedPrettyBoy wins all the male championships [[Wrestling/WWERaw in a]] [[Wrestling/{{WWE NXT}} WWE brand]]. WWE's [[CreatorsPet chosen]] [[Wrestling/JohnCena top]] [[Wrestling/RomanReigns guy]] wins his first World Title in the middle of the decade, only for him to [[Wrestling/EdgeWrestler lose it to]] [[Wrestling/{{Sheamus}} a non-U.S born]] Wrestling/MoneyInTheBank winner. [[Wrestling/JohnCena A]] [[Wrestling/AlexaBliss newcomer]] unexpectedly becomes a BreakoutCharacter on ''[[Wrestling/WWESmackDown SmackDown]]'', only to see their popularity take a massive dent once they transfer to ''[[Wrestling/WWERaw Raw]]'' due to HypeBacklash, their unique gimmick being stripped from them, a widely panned feud that derailed the career of the [[Wrestling/ChrisJericho other]] [[Wrestling/{{Bayley}} wrestler]], and putting a stranglehold on the top title. [[Wrestling/RandyOrton The]] [[Wrestling/RomanReigns child]] [[Wrestling/CharlotteFlair of a]] Wrestling/{{WWE Hall of Fame}}r breaks out of a [[Wrestling/{{Evolution}} popular]] [[Wrestling/TheShield stable]] only to see their popularity plummet as their exposure grows. A [[Wrestling/EddieGuerrero second]] [[Wrestling/BrayWyatt generation]] member of a WrestlingFamily who freshly lost his TagTeam Championship wins the WWE Championship in a ''[[Wrestling/WWESmackDown SmackDown]]''-exclusive [[Wrestling/NoWayOutWWE February]] [[Wrestling/EliminationChamber PPV]], while [[Wrestling/ChavoGuerreroJr a]] [[Wrestling/BoDallas relative]] of them who is younger by three years struggles to become relevant. [[Wrestling/ChrisBenoit A smaller,]] [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson technical wrestler]] with a facelock finisher defeated two [[Wrestling/DGenerationX former]] [[Wrestling/{{Evolution}} allies]] in the main event of ''Wrestling/WrestleMania'' and would face off against Wrestling/TripleH during the "4" year. A [[Wrestling/ReyMysterioJr beloved]] [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson underdog]] wrestler wins WWE's Wrestling/BigGoldBelt at ''[=WrestleMania=]'' in a triple-threat match involving Wrestling/RandyOrton. [[Wrestling/ChrisBenoit A plucky underdog]] [[Wrestling/SamiZayn wrestler from Quebec]] who made his name outside WWE the previous decade would later become a star there. [[Wrestling/WilliamRegal A world-renowned]] [[Wrestling/ClaudioCastagnoli European technician]] flounders in the midcard of WWE despite fan demand for him to be at the top of the company. An [[Wrestling/VladimirKozlov Eastern European]] [[Wrestling/RusevAndLana Slavic wrestler]] becomes a FakeRussian [[WrestlingMonster monster]] [[ForeignWrestlingHeel heel]]. A [[Wrestling/HulkHogan big]] [[Wrestling/{{Goldberg}} name]] wrestler wins the WWF/E World Title after only a few months despite being away for several years, only to lose it a month later. [[Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin A]] [[Wrestling/CMPunk beloved]] AntiHero controversially walks out of the WWF/E due to backstage issues. In the WWE's women's division, a [[Wrestling/LisaMarieVaron dark-haired]] [[Wrestling/AJLee female wrestler]] with a spider AnimalMotif and a crazy gimmick dominated it during the earlier parts of the decade, a [[Wrestling/{{Layla}} former]] UsefulNotes/{{N|ationalBasketballAssociation}}BA cheerleader with OnlyOneName becomes a [[Wrestling/{{Naomi}} major]] [[Wrestling/{{Carmella}} player]] towards the end, but the division will [[Wrestling/TrishStratus ultimately]] [[Wrestling/{{Lita}} be defined]] by the rivalry of [[Wrestling/CharlotteFlair a blonde]] and [[Wrestling/BeckyLynch a redhead]]. A popular WWE [[Wrestling/{{Lita}} female]] [[Wrestling/{{Paige}} wrestler]] with OnlyOneName and an edgy rocker gimmick becomes controversial after [[Wrestling/MattHardy issues]] [[Wrestling/EdgeWrestler surrounding]] [[Wrestling/BradMaddox her]] [[Wrestling/AlbertoDelRio love]][=/=][[Wrestling/XavierWoods sex]] life is made public. An [[Wrestling/TheGreatKhali Indian]] [[Wrestling/JinderMahal wrestler]] wins the top World Title of ''[[Wrestling/WWESmackDown SmackDown]]'' during the "7" year but his reign, mostly spent feuding with an [[Wrestling/{{Batista}} ex]]-[[Wrestling/RandyOrton member]] of Wrestling/{{Evolution}}, is widely panned. Someone [[Wrestling/AshleyMassaro who]] [[Wrestling/JohnMorrison won]] a WWE [[Wrestling/WWEDivaSearch reality]] [[Wrestling/WWEToughEnough show]] competed in ''Series/{{Survivor}}'' towards the end of the decade. [[Wrestling/BrockLesnar A]] [[Creator/RondaRousey newcomer]] with a legitimate combat sport background, who at some point in the career were in UsefulNotes/{{U|ltimateFightingChampionship}}FC, had an impressive rookie year in the WWF/E. [[Wrestling/EddieGuerrero A beloved]] [[Wrestling/KofiKingston 38-year old veteran]] [[EarnYourHappyEnding finally]] wins the WWE Championship and becomes a Wrestling/GrandSlamChampion. [[Wrestling/{{Sheamus}} An Irish]] [[Wrestling/BeckyLynch redhead]] becomes a megastar at the end of the decade. Wrestling/CMPunk [[Wrestling/JeffHardy make]] [[TheBusCameBack headlines]] at the final year of the decade.

* {{Creepypasta}}: While the origins of the genre itself are nebulous and difficult to pin down, with disputing sources putting the title of "first creepypasta" anywhere from the chain emails of the early 90s to [[Literature/TedsCavingPage Ted the Caver]] in 2001, the art form saw its greatest point of saturation and widespread public knowledge in the early years of this decade, with Franchise/TheSlenderManMythos, inarguably the [[TropeCodifier most influential example]] kicking off a massive wave of "fake urban legends" that eventually became more-or-less part of the actual cultural canon. Subsequent years would see occasional spikes in popularity as particularly well-received or infamous pastas floated to the top of the pile (''Literature/NineteenNinetyNine'', ''Literature/CandleCove'', ''Literature/NESGodzillaCreepypasta'', and so on), while later years would see the growth of the Website/SCPFoundation, which started out as this but later evolved into something more [[GenreBusting multifaceted and hard to nail down.]] This decade would also see the first examples of creepypastas adapted into the mainstream media, with the results ranging from mediocre (''Film/SlenderMan'') to well-recieved (''Series/ChannelZero'').

The Twenty-Tens or Two Thousand (and) Tens. The Tense 2010s. [[WebVideo/ChrisRayGun That decade where all the jokes became real]].