History Webcomic / NineteenNinetySomething

* DistractedByTheSexy: Aaron can't even insult Lindsay without lusting after her.

* PrecisionFStrike: The characters know how to swear, and they want you to know that.

* AnnoyingYoungerSibling: Michelle's younger sister, Jenny, is always on the lookout for immediate thrills, forcing big sis to always be ready to reign her back in.

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Miranda, who is Principal Mulroney's assistant, is a kind-hearted soul who still believes in the kids and will stop Mulroney when he goes too far.

* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech:

** Principal Mulroney [[spoiler: realized that Lindsay could get students motivated and test scores up because she could do something he couldn't: she ''cared'' about them and their futures. Trouble is – she's a senior and headed for college. So he altered her grades to flunk her and keep her back a year so she could keep working for him. The student body revolted and protested in response, and he went on an angry tirade about how much he hates the kids and wanted to really spite them all – only for the reveal that his assistant, Miranda, put the superintendent on speaker phone, he promptly fires him and makes him a janitor.]]

* FunWithAcronyms: The "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge" arc, or [[spoiler:FUCK]] for short. Doubles as sort of a MeaningfulName, considering that the arc in question revolved primarily around sexual intercourse.

* SundayStrip: Laid out the same way as early ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' Sunday strips too, complete with throwaway panels, even though a webcomic doesn't really need them. Ironically, they're posted on Tuesdays, not Sundays, thanks to the calendar years of 25 years ago not being synchronized with the present calendar.

* MistakenForGay: Invoked by Steven and Aaron, and Jocelyn and Kendra, who all pretend to be gay just to scare Mrs. Fitzsimmon and her husband after overhearing their displeasure over the recruitment of homosexuals in the military.

* AdultsAreUseless: Downplayed. Most of the parents are loving, especially Tina and William Maxwell.

* AgonyOfTheFeet: Rick had several of the toes on his left foot shot off during the Vietnam War, which he angrily displays to Aaron as a way to demonstrate his efforts in the war.

* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Downplayed with Tina, who is a lovable dork most of the time, but she did once try to speak to Joel’s friends in “grunge slang”, much to his embarrassment (and amusement of Jocelyn)..

** Kendra suffers from large amounts of self-loathing and believes that her artwork, which very little people actually care about, is about as much garbage as she is.
* FanMyopia: An in-universe example: Joel is an avid fan of bands like the Music/{{Pixies}}, Music/SonicYouth, Music/JanesAddiction, and Music/{{Mudhoney}} in 1990, before the success of Nirvana's ''Music/{{Nevermind}}'' album made alternative rock mainstream. Naturally, whenever he sings the praises of these bands, nobody in his school knows or cares what he's talking about.

* HotterAndSexier: Barbosa stated he wanted to include more fanservice (and characters being more open with sexuality) in the rebooted comics. Starting with an earlier comic showing William and Tina dancing in the kitchen, showing Tina's panties as Williams spun her. Nothing too explicit, but it was just as notable for the fanservice (if not more so) that Tina (who would've freaked at the thought of such a display a month earlier) clearly had no problem with it.

* KidsAreCruel: Two of Jenny and Eric's classmates are a pair of bullies named Evan and Ryan, and they're ''far'' from likable.

* MrFanservice: Joel, Aaron, and Steve are all actually pretty good looking guys. Steve, in particular, appears shirtless more often than Joel or Aaron.
* MsFanservice:
** Lindsay usually wears the skimpiest outfits among the recurring cast, most notably her cheerleading uniform.
** Denise, thanks to her large boobs and shirt that shows off her massive cleavage.
** Michelle sometimes, when her outfits show cleavage or a bare midriff.
** Jocelyn, full-stop. Most of the outfits she wears are cleavage and midriff showing, plus her short shorts with fishnet stockings.

* NakedPeopleAreFunny:
** Kendra draws herself nude as life model practice when Joel keeps asking questions about her artwork.
-->'''Kendra''': [[DeadpanSnarker It's not exactly one of those things I can ask my family to help me with, now, is it?]]
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Averted, just like the BlandNameProduct trope mentioned above, with various strips guest starring [[spoiler:Aerosmith]] and even Bugs Bunny.
* NoDressCode: The female characters often wear clothes that show off their bellies in school. Just look at the main image for proof.

* PerverseSexualLust:
** Aaron once drew a picture of himself making out with [[Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit Jessica Rabbit]].
** Joel claims that he thinks Ariel from ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid1989'' is hot.

* RightOnQueue: Seen in the Universal Studios arc, as the Maxwells wait in line for the ''Jaws'' ride.
-->'''Tina''': I've never seen so many people this eager to be eaten by a shark.

* SadistTeacher: Mr Tucker walks the line of this and ApatheticTeacher. Most of the time he’s a jerk, although he will hear the students out when they present a decent enough case, such as when Steve insisted on proving Aaron’s innocence when accused of wrecking Tucker’s yard, or when Jocelyn proved Nathan White was a pervert using his TheFundamentalist shtick to cover his ass.

* {{Vaporwear}}: Denise and Kendra, in true hippie fashion, never wear bras.

* WorldOfBuxom: Downplayed, as most of the female characters that are old enough to have breasts tend to be either a ''C''-cup or larger. Justified, as a majority of the characters are teens who are otherwise still developing.

* SuperNotDrowningSkills: An alternate universe version created by Jesse has this trope in play, even featuring Westworld playing underwater without getting electrocuted.

''Nineteen-Ninety-Something'' is a webcomic by Jesse J. Barboza, first created in 2015 as a snark-filled love letter to the 1990s and serves as a reboot of ''Webcomic/Forever16'', which was also created by Barboza.

The series focuses on Joel Maxwell, a high school student with alt-rock aspirations and a natural compulsion to sarcastically strike back at every dumb thing he sees or hears. Naturally, he's the odd one out in his family, which consists of his moral guardian mother Tina, his disinterested worker drone father William, and his shallow trend-obsessed younger sister Katy.

His friends include Michelle, his girlfriend and fellow gamer; Aaron, a would-be womanizer and the lead singer of his band Westworld; Jocelyn, a bisexual punk-lover who delights in discomforting the uptight MoralGuardians at school and at home; Steve, a laid-back artist and the group's chief DeadpanSnarker; and Kendra, a more introverted artist with dreams of creating the next great cartoon.

In January 2020, a [[https://1990somethingcomic.com/comic/january-1-1990-2/ reboot of the comic]] was released and is currently still ongoing. Barboza himself has [[https://www.deviantart.com/jbwarner86/journal/Learning-From-My-Mistakes-816067363 stated]] that the reboot is his attempt at properly addressing the criticism he faced when writing the original NNS.

!!Tropes exclusive to the previous continuity:
[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:From 2015 to 2019]]
* AdultsAreUseless: The only adult characters that weren't caracatueres or cartoonishly hostile to the main cast were side characters. It's one of the major themes Barbosa wanted to fix in the reboot.
* ArchEnemy: Kevin and (formerly) Lindsay, both to Joel and Aaron. ''Especially'' Joel.
* ArmorPiercingQuestion:
** Katy and Ashleigh's attempt to cheer up Lindsay shortly after he beating at the hands of Jocelyn leads to the latter ranting about how she doesn't want their friendship...
-->'''Lindsay''': I've got plenty of people in my life who worship the fucking ground I walk on! [...] I don't ''need'' you! I've got TONS of friends!
-->'''Katy''': Where are they?
** In the aftermath of a failed date with Kendra, Joel asks Aaron if he really likes ''her'' or if he likes if she's pretty.
* AttemptedRape: Kevin tries to rape Michelle in the "Let's Take This Outshined" arc, and probably would've been successful had Joel not noticed what he was doing to her. He later attempts to rape Lindsay, ''his own sister'', during "The Fall of the House of Duquesne" arc, but was quickly foiled by Lindsay herself when she stabs him in the groin with one of her heels.
* BigSisterMentor: Post-face turn Lindsay became this to Katy and Ashleigh.
* BittersweetEnding: "The Fall of the House of Duquesne" ends with Lindsay having to deal with both her own brother trying to rape her and her mother abandoning her rather than deal with any of the situation. The last panel of the arc has her crying in Brad's arms. But it's the first time we see her call him "Daddy" (or anything other than "Brad").
* BreakTheHaughty: In an example long-overdue for fans, Lindsay was on the verge of winning ''Series/StarSearch'' and earning a recording contract. She smokes in front of the record executive, which he disapproves of. Since she needs to be a positive role model for young girls, smoking is forbidden by her contract [[ReadTheFinePrint (which she hadn't read)]]. When she refuses to quit, the executive tears up her contract, the bad behavior catches the notice of the ''Star Search'' hosts, and Lindsay was disqualified and evicted (along with Patricia) from the premises.
* BrilliantButLazy: Joel was a walking alternative rock encyclopedia and longed for an electric guitar of his own so he could create his own music... but dreaded the idea of having to work a retail job to earn money for it.
* ButtMonkey: Aaron often gothurt or makes an idiot out of himself.
* CassandraTruth: Craig refused to believe Joel and Aaron when they tell him Lindsay was cheating on him, even when they present him with photographic evidence (though granted, the photos were too blurry to make out clearly).
* CrapsackWorld: As the author himself puts it, the setting isn't exactly the type of place anyone would want to spend time in. The reboot eased up on this, so that Eden Prarie isn't any worse than any other animated hometown (like Springfield or Quahog)
* DespairSpeech:
** Joel finally unleashes his frustration with Tina's lack of understanding:
-->'''Joel''': OKAY, MOM, I GET IT! I'm a big fucking disappointment, okay?! You've made your damn point! I mean, Jesus, God forbid I have feelings! God forbid I have interests that aren't the same as yours! God forbid you try to make an effort to ''learn'' about the shit I like! [[MoralGuardian No, you're better off just fuckin' taking everything away from me because you're scared and confused!]] Yeah, Joel doesn't have any ''real'' problems! [[ArmorPiercingQuestion He's just some big fucking crybaby who wants to make you look bad, isn't he?!]]
** Tina, of all people, has one of these after enduring insult after insult from her mother (On live TV, to boot):
-->'''Tina''': GODDAMMIT, MOM! CAN'T YOU ''EVER'' SUPPORT ME?! CAN'T YOU EVER BE ''HAPPY'' FOR ME, JUST ''ONCE?!'' [[WellDoneSonGuy YOU KNOW HOW HARD I'VE TRIED TO MAKE YOU RESPECT ME?!]] I'VE BENT OVER BACKWARDS, MOM!! JUST ONCE--JUST '''''ONCE!!'''''--I WANTED TO PROVE TO YOU THAT I'M NOT A FAILURE! AFTER 42 YEARS, MOM, WHAT THE HELL IS IT GONNA TAKE?!?
* EasyComeEasyGo: See ''Break The Haughty''
* EveryoneHasStandards: Lindsay and her parents were [[ItsAllAboutMe selfish]], [[SmugSnake arrogant]] {{Jerkass}}es, but [[https://jbwarner86.deviantart.com/art/1990S-One-Big-Crappy-Family-664486197 even they balked at Kevin defending Mike Tyson after being convincted of a rape]].
* EveryoneKnewAlready: When Kendra confessed to Michelle and Jocelyn about her crush on Aaron, they already knew who the boy was.
--> '''Jocelyn''': You only talk to our boyfriends and one other guy. Who the fuck else would it be?
--> '''Michelle''': Also, all these drawings of naked guys with long hair.
* ForTheEvulz: Kevin really didn't seem to have any motivation for his horrible deeds other than just for his twisted amusement.
* GenkiGirl: Katy and her friend Ashleigh were very optimistic people most of the time, even when it's painfully obvious people are insulting them or showing them the truth about their less-than-stellar beliefs (such as thinking [[AlphaBitch Lindsay]] wants to be their friend). Yet another one of the things the reboot toned down. They're both still optimistic, but more self-aware.
* GroinAttack: Lindsay escapes from Kevin's attempted rape by driving her stilleto heel into his groin. The following comic is four panels of Kevin howling in pain as a crowd gathers.
* HairTriggerTemper:
** For someone whose New Year's resolution was to "redouble [her] efforts to be a better person, both outwardly and inwardly", Tina loses her patience an awful lot, especially with Joel. This died down completely after her HeelFaceTurn.
** It really doesn't take much to put Mr. Tucker, one of the teachers at Joel's school, into boiling rage.
** Rick has an '''''incredibly''''' short fuse, and has no problem verbally abusing or threatening physical abuse on others when provoked (which is a lot).
* HeManWomanHater:
** Kevin. His misogyny gets more blatant and violent with each appearance.
** Rick shows some signs of this, though it appears to be more of the StayInTheKitchen type of sexism rather than full-blown misogyny.
* HeelRealization:
** Lindsay, while in the hospital recovering from her beating by Jocelyn, hears the doctor describe the injuries suffered by the girl Linday pushed down the stairs in her debut storyline. The look on her face is the first time we've seen anything close to regret on Lindsay's face.
** Jessica's BreakingSpeech in a much later strip does its job, and Lindsay is finally forced to admit the truth to herself:
-->'''Lindsay''': Oh my God...I'm a MONSTER!!
** Tina, after being [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech outed]] by both her son and mother, comes to a rather harsh realization on what a terrible mother she was being.
** Jenny during the "I Am A Fugitive From A Day Camp" arc, where she comes to realize just how much of a pest she can be to Eric.
* HenpeckedHusband:
** William was a stock bullied husband, who constantly got blown off and[=/=]or meekly goes along with everything Tina says or does.
** Brad is later shown to be one too, as he's forced to do just about everything Patricia wants him to do. (a bit of a retcon there, as his first appearances portrayed him as just as much a boorish JerkAss as Patricia.
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: After Lindsay breaks up with Craig (out of atonement for her treatment of him), she steers him towards Amber, who had been crushing on him the whole time.
* JerkassHasAPoint: The "A League Of Katy's Own" arc had Katy and Ashleigh join a baseball team, and Katy harshly gets chewed out by one of the players for catching the ball with her hat in the middle of a game. However, the player had every right to do this since, apart from Katy not following directions, catching the ball with anything other than your glove is a very illegal move for a fielder to do in baseball, as this automatically results in the batter being given three bases.
* KarmaHoudini:
** '''''Kevin'''''. It's heavily implied he raped and killed Lindsay's school rival (at her request, he claims) and we saw him try and murder his court-appointed therapist, both with no punishment. He tries to assault Michelle ''twice'' and only got house arrest (and that was ONLY because the second time was caught on live TV). He finally faces justice, but not until he tries to rape his own sister literally in front of the entire school.
** Lindsay to a lesser degree: She pushes one potential cheer rival down a flight of stairs and ruins another's reputation by spreading false rumors. Though being confronted by the consequences of said acts (the former is in a wheelchair and the latter breaking mentally from the stress) sparks her own HeelFaceTurn.
* KnightOfCerebus: Kevin Duquesne. Whenever he shows up, he's either the (violent) heavy or merely a bullying SpannerInTheWorks.
* LeftHanging: Due to the 2020 reboot, many of the then ongoing plot threads of the 2015 version were left without a conclusion.
* LetsWaitAWhile: During the "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge" storyline, Joel and Michelle's abortive first time ended with them decided they weren't ready to take that step yet. When Tina catches them getting dressed, she refuses to listen when they tell her nothing happened.
* LoserProtagonist: Joel at first. He was constantly bullied, mocked, and discouraged by not just his classmates but even his own family. After meeting Michelle, Steve, Jocelyn, forming a band, and his mother pulling a HeelFaceTurn.
* MarshmallowHell: Lindsay forcibly does this to Joel in one strip when she tries to trick Michelle into thinking he's cheating on her.
* MathematiciansAnswer: Kevin would never confirm or deny whether or not he was responsible for the rape/murder of Lindsay's rival in California. The couple of times Lindsay broached the subject with him, he'd only respond with "I did what you asked me to do."[[note]]While Lindsay did send Kevin after her, it's also pretty clear she only meant for him to scare the rival, not hurt her (let alone commit rape/murder)[[/note]] [[RiddleForTheAges We never got a definitive answer]] and the reboot rendered the question moot.
* MoralGuardian: Tina, to a degree that verged on parody. To the point where she manages to get all the other mothers in the comic to follow her views on what she considers to be "safe" for children. This role was filled by Deb Hargroves in the reboot, though Tina still has traces of this trope (but more in line with a normal conservative 40-someting wife/mother/teacher)
* MustHaveNicotine: The "Smoke Gets In Your Thighs" arc had Lindsay attempting to give up smoking. Having smoked since she was 13-years-old, the effects of cigarettes had finally began to effect Lindsay's health. She immediately decided to quit, but suffered pretty badly from nicotine withdrawal shortly afterwards.
* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: After Katy was publically humiliated by Lindsay, Jocelyn corners Lindsay in the girls' bathroom. Although Lindsay lands the first blow, Jocelyn fights back and leaves her in a bloody heap, follwed by a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech after she's done.
* OnlySaneMan: William was this to the whole Maxwell family, as he wasn't as uptight about anything ([[NotSoAboveItAll except sports]]) and took things far more passively and calmly than Joel, Katy, or Tina.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Rick wasn't so much a "villain" as much as he was just a total {{jerkass}}, but it's clear he's very much HARD right-wing. He refers to African-Americans as "coloreds," thinks that women should StayInTheKitchen, is heavily opposed to the idea of enforcing background checks on gun owners, and doesn't think homosexuals should be allowed in the military (in addition to openly referring to gay people using only homophobic slurs).
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Half of the regular cast has been on the wrong end of one of these.
** Joel delivers an emotion-fueled one to his sister Katy when she accidentally deafens him and pins the blame on him to their mother, leading to the confiscation of his guitar .
--->'''Joel:''' :OH, FUCK YOU KATY! DO YOU EVER STOP TO THINK WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO ME? NO! NOBODY IN THIS HOUSE FUCKING DOES! This may be hard for you to believe, but I didn't take up the guitar just to annoy the shit out of you! I took it up because I wanted to learn a new skill! I wanted to do something meaningful with my life that I enjoyed! And now mom's treating me like some sort of drugged up juvenile delinquent! She's got it in her head that I blew up my own eardrums, even though I told her it was your stupid Mariah Carey tape, but of course she won't listen to me because I like rock music, so obviously I'm just some dumb brainwashed criminal, aren't I?
** After beating Lindsay senseless, Jocelyn gives her one that was a long time coming:
--->'''Jocelyn''': Do you feel that, Lindsay? You feel that horrible stabbing sensation all over your body? That feeling like you just want to be fucking ''dead'' so it'll finally all be over? That's ''pain'', Lindsay. That's what pain is. And that is ''all'' you're good for in this world. That's the only thing you know how to do. You thrive on destroying people, just to make yourself feel better. And ''this'' is what it does. ''This'' is what the great Lindsay Duquesne's legacy will be. ''This'' is what you had to do to everyone you've ever met, to get where you are. You just lie there for a while and fuckin' think about that, 'kay? Awesome. Have a great night.
** This gets followed up later by a TRYSS from Jessica, one that pushed Lindsay into a major HeelRealization.
--->'''Jessica''': You think the world is out to fuck you? It's people like ''you'' who are out to fuck the ''world!'' You're absolute ''scum,'' Lindsay! And you ''know'' it! It's all you've ''ever'' been, and it's ''all you'll ever be!''
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: At the end of the "The Fall of the House of Duquesne", Patricia prepares to skip town in the wake of Kevin's conviction.[[note]]WIth the heavy implication tha this is what the family did to stay ahead of suspicion in the rape/murder of Lindsay's rival in California[[/note]]. When Brad and Lindsay refuse to leave (and berate Patricia for thinking only of hersel), she leaves by herself, leaving Lindsay in tears.
* StageMom: Post heel-turn Lindsay realized that her mom was living vicariously through her in an attempt to relive her GloryDays as a high school cheerleader:
-->'''Lindsay''': ...oh my God. That's it, isn't it? All of this, the cheer squad, the "you gotta be ruthless" shit--you were just trying to turn me into ''you!!'' It's ''true,'' isn't it? Because you never finished high school 'cuz you had ''me!'' So, what, I was just your ''puppet?!'' You wanted to relive the success you had to give up, so you raised ''me'' to do all the same shit! Is that it?! ''IS THAT FUCKING IT, MOM?!''
* TeensAreMonsters: It's telling that RuleAbidingRebel Joel and LovableSexManiac Aaron are some of the more morally ''saner'' characters in the whole comic.
* ThereAreNoTherapists: Averted in the "We Need To Talk About Kevin" arc, where Brad hires a psychologist in hopes that it would help deal with Kevin's sociopathic behavior. It doesn't work. In fact, Kevin straight-up attempts to murder the psychologist.
* VillainousIncest: An ''extremely'' one-sided example: Showing just how depraved he really is, Kevin kicks the crap out of Lindsay and then attempts to rape her. In broad daylight, in the middle of the school parking lot.
* VirtueIsWeakness: [[https://www.deviantart.com/art/1990S-Both-A-Blessing-And-A-Purse-703714537 Lindsay tells]] tells Jessica that she's popular and at the top because she believes that [[SocialDarwinist remorse makes a person weak by letting yourself drop your guard to be eaten alive]].
* WellDoneSonGuy: Tina was revealed to be this in the "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Tina" arc.
--> '''Creator/LarryKing:''' So, you're trying to pass a law that takes away people's right to freedom of expression just so your mom will love you?
--> '''Tina:''' ...Well, it's not like anything else has worked.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Tina just wanted to live in a world that's safe for her kids, but a lot of her actions did more harm than good.
[[/folder]]

** Tina, Joel and Katy's mother, is a downplayed example. She's very controlling and short tempered towards her family, and refuses to see the world as nothing else but a hive of smut and filth. CharacterDevelopment allowed Tina to redeem herself, and be more laid-back towards her children. It's later revealed that Tina is the way she is because of her mother, who doesn't show Tina any sign of respect even as an adult.
** Rick, Aaron's dad, devolved into one in later strips. He [[BerserkButton loses his temper when Aaron declares that he was going to start his own band]], and from that point onwards, he emotionally and verbally abuses Aaron at every given opportunity.
** Patricia is shown to have ''very'' high expectations of both Lindsay and Kevin, the former especially, and is implied to be the reason why they're both horrible people to begin with. Displayed notably well in the "Poor Little Bitch Girl" arc, where Patricia verbally ''and'' physically abuses Lindsay after discovering she quit the cheerleading squad out of remorse. [[spoiler:At the end of "The Fall of the House of Duquesne", she ultimately abandons Lindsay and Brad when they chew her out after Kevin's incarceration]].
*** It should be noted that most of the above applies to the pre-2020 reboot versions of the characters, with the exception of Ronald, who comes off as even more cartoonish as everyone else has been toned down.
* AdaptationalNiceGuy: In the reboot, Kevin while still a Jerkass is not the rapist he is in the 2015 continuity. In fact, most of the characters are nicer in the 2020 reboot than the original continuity.
* AdultsAreUseless: And how. Virtually every non-teenage character is portrayed as either brutishly authoritative, shamelessly selfish, or hopelessly incompetent. It fits well with what the MTV generation of teenagers really thought of adults at the time. After the "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Tina" arc, however, this slowly seems to be subverting, with the adults now becoming more caring and laid-back towards their children.

%% * AlcoholicParent: Patricia is shown to be a pretty heavy drinker.
* AllMenArePerverts: Boys at school follow Lindsay around like sheep, just to get a peek at her good stuff. Even Aaron struggles to resist her, despite knowing what a horrible person she is.
* AlphaBitch: Lindsay Duquesne, prior to her CharacterDevelopment, was the head cheerleader and a horrible person all around.
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: One comic following Tina's HeelFaceTurn has her wishing to be more supportive of her son and get to know his friends better. Her attempt ends up falling flat as she clearly has no idea what they actually do (for starters, she thinks they talk in "grunge slang").
%% Doesnt expalain why she is embarrassing. ** Marion, Aaron's mom, who is perhaps one of the ''only'' adult characters in the comic that isn't a complete {{jerkass}}.
* AmbiguouslyBrown: An accidental example with Michelle. She's supposed to be Asian but in her early appearances, she had dark skin while her eyes were rounded, which made her look more Hispanic instead. It wasn't until much later, when she was given a slight redesign, that it was made clearer that she's actually Asian.
* AnnoyingYoungerSibling: Michelle's younger sister, Jenny, will do just about everything she can to annoy her.
%% ** Joel views Katy as one. On the inverse side, Katy also views Joel as this.

** Mr. Tucker crosses between this and SadistTeacher, as he is generally a ''very'' horrible person who does not give a single fuck about his students and constantly verbally abuses them over the slightest thing.

%% * ArchEnemy: Kevin and (formerly) Lindsay, both to Joel and Aaron. ''Especially'' Joel.
* ArmorPiercingQuestion:
** Katy and Ashleigh's attempt to cheer up Lindsay shortly after a [[spoiler:brutal beatdown she received from Jocelyn]] leads to the latter ranting about how she doesn't want their friendship...
-->'''Lindsay''': I've got plenty of people in my life who worship the fucking ground I walk on! [...] I don't ''need'' you! I've got TONS of friends!
-->'''Katy''': Where are they?
** In the aftermath of a failed date with Kendra, Joel asks Aaron a pretty long overdue question, if you're familiar with someone like [[AllMenArePerverts Aaron]].
-->'''Joel''': Be honest with yourself, do you really ''love'' Kendra, or do you just think she's cute?

* TheAtoner: Lindsay became one in later story arcs, attempting to SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong in regards to what she has done and who she treated in past arcs.
* AttemptedRape: [[spoiler:Kevin tries to rape Michelle in the "Let's Take This Outshined" arc, and probably would've been successful had Joel not noticed what he was doing to her. He later attempts to rape Lindsay, ''his own sister'', during "The Fall of the House of Duquesne" arc, but was quickly foiled by Lindsay herself when she stabs him in the groin with one of her heels]].

* AuthorFilibuster: Barboza has made it no secret that he likes to use the comic as a way to vent his frustrations regarding certain real world issues (such as the Sunday strip that discusses the 1991 Louisiana gubernatorial election, which was posted four days before the 2016 presidential election).
* BehindTheBlack: One comic somehow had William and Tina failing to notice the massive backhoes and bulldozers tearing the trees out of Patricia and Brad's backyard until they're revealed to the reader.

** Tina, being the MoralGuardian that she was, became absolutely ''furious'' whenever she saw or heard something even remotely inappropriate.
** Rick's fuse shortens up immediately whenever he encounters something that doesn't view his [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain definition]] of "patriotism", e.g. enforcing background checks on gun owners, gay people in the military, women becoming anything more than housewives, etc.

* BigBrotherInstinct: Rarely does Joel ever get along with Katy and is perfectly aware of the stupid things she does, but there are a few times where he'll show legitimate concern for her, such as offering her support after getting humiliated by Lindsay.
* TheBigDamnKiss: Happens twice to Aaron during the "Don't Ask Don't Yell" arc: first with Steve in an attempt to piss off the homophobic Mrs. Fitzsimmon, and the second with Kendra to prevent Rick from beating the crap outta Aaron when Fitzsimmon tells him about Aaron and Steve kissing.
%% * BigSisterMentor: Post-face turn Lindsay became this to Katy and Ashleigh.

* BreakTheHaughty: In an example long-overdue for fans, Lindsay is on the verge of winning ''Series/StarSearch'' and earning a recording contract. [[spoiler:She smokes in front of the record executive, which he disapproves of. Since she needs to be a positive role model for young girls, smoking is forbidden by her contract [[ReadTheFinePrint (which she hadn't read)]]. When she refuses to quit, the executive tears up her contract, the bad behavior catches the notice of the ''Star Search'' hosts, and Lindsay is disqualified and evicted from the premises]]. ''Fucking. Sweet.''
* BrilliantButLazy: Joel is a walking alternative rock encyclopedia and longs for an electric guitar of his own so he can create his own music... but dreads the idea of having to work a retail job to earn money for it.
* ButtMonkey: Aaron often gets hurt or makes an idiot out of himself.
%% ** Joel has his fair share of this, though not as much as Aaron.
* CanonDiscontinuity: The 2015 version of the comic is no longer considered canon, with the reboot replacing it completely.
%% Doesn't explain why he would be considered a csanova. * CasanovaWannabe: Aaron, definitely. Kinda gets {{deconstructed}} since Aaron eventually becomes depressed when he struggles to find a girlfriend.
* CassandraTruth: Craig refuses to believe Joel and Aaron when they tell him Lindsay is cheating on him, even when they present him with photographic evidence (though granted, the photos are too blurry to make out clearly).

* CerebusRollercoaster: As of late, the comic has been having a tendency to shift tones every now and then. For example, the sad and serious "Appetite For Self-Destruction" arc was preceded by the more comedic "Hasta La Vista...Maybe" arc, which was then followed by the "Even the 'Loozas Get Lucky Sometimes" arc that was more of a mixture of seriousness and comedy. And the cycle repeats itself.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: In the first week of strips in the initial run, Joel is more of a peppy optimist while Katy is the sarcastic cynic like they were in ''Forever 16''. It didn't take long for them to swap places.
* ChekhovsGun: A few pop up here and there:
** One strip has Katy mentioning her unrequited crush on a boy named Brian Coulson. He eventually turns out to be the prime suspect in a rash of school supply thefts that Katy gets roped into investigating.
** Joel hears the ''Bleach'' album by Music/{{Nirvana}} at the record store two weeks before he actually buys it. Two years later, one of the first strips of the year has kids swarming to the record shop for ''Music/{{Nevermind}}''.

%%** Aaron showed some signs of this in earlier strips.
%% ** Jenny can occasionally fall under this category. Justified as she's a young, hyperactive kid.

* ComicBookTime: The strip has run in earnest for over several years and none of the characters have aged despite the years progressing. Barboza himself has confirmed that the characters will, indeed, not age as he wants the comic to keep the teenage theme.
* CoolShades: Horrible of a person he may be, Kevin sports a nice pair of sunglasses. Up until "The Fall of the House of Duquesne," he was never once seen without his glasses.
* ContinuityReboot: [=NNS=] itself was a reboot of ''Forever 16'', an attempt made by Jesse to reestablish his characters and expand on them. Then in January 2020, Jesse decided to reboot the series again to rectify some of the complaints of the previous continuity, effectively starting the series over from scratch once more.
* CrapsackWorld: As the author himself puts it, the setting isn't exactly the type of place anyone would want to spend time in.

* ADayInTheLimelight: Any strips that don't focus on Joel will typically focus on another character instead, such as Katy, Aaron, Lindsay, Michelle, Tina, etc.

** The 90s are supposed to be one the more progressive decades, but a few of the {{Jerkass}} characters made a few [[https://jbwarner86.deviantart.com/art/1990S-So-Sexy-It-Hurts-668544745 homophobic]] [[https://jbwarner86.deviantart.com/art/1990S-Punched-In-The-Face-670072249 remarks]].
** ValuesDissonance: [[spoiler:Adam tries to use the excuse that it's normal for adults to hit on teens in other countries (like Japan) so Joel wouldn't beat him into a pulp for trying to date his younger sister. Joel doesn't buy it, and neither does Katy when she finds out herself]].
* DespairSpeech:
** Joel finally unleashes his frustration with Tina's lack of understanding:
-->'''Joel''': OKAY, MOM, I GET IT! I'm a big fucking disappointment, okay?! You've made your damn point! I mean, Jesus, God forbid I have feelings! God forbid I have interests that aren't the same as yours! God forbid you try to make an effort to ''learn'' about the shit I like! [[MoralGuardian No, you're better off just fuckin' taking everything away from me because you're scared and confused!]] Yeah, Joel doesn't have any ''real'' problems! [[ArmorPiercingQuestion He's just some big fucking crybaby who wants to make you look bad, isn't he?!]]
** Tina, of all people, has one of these after enduring insult after insult from her mother:
-->'''Tina''': GODDAMMIT, MOM! CAN'T YOU ''EVER'' SUPPORT ME?! CAN'T YOU EVER BE ''HAPPY'' FOR ME, JUST ''ONCE?!'' [[WellDoneSonGuy YOU KNOW HOW HARD I'VE TRIED TO MAKE YOU RESPECT ME?!]] I'VE BENT OVER BACKWARDS, MOM!! JUST ONCE--JUST '''''ONCE!!'''''--I WANTED TO PROVE TO YOU THAT I'M NOT A FAILURE! AFTER 42 YEARS, MOM, WHAT THE HELL IS IT GONNA TAKE?!?
%% * DidNotGetTheGirl: Joel's ill-fated dates with NewAgeRetroHippie girl Denise and obnoxious Music/SineadOConnor fan Selina, as well as Aaron's disastrous attempt to ask out former cheerleading captain Jessica Sullivan.
* DidntThinkThisThrough: The reason why a lot of Joel's plans backfire on him is because he hardly ever thinks them through.

* DownerEnding:
** The ending of the "Gothman Prophecies" arc [[spoiler:Joel finds out Tabithia didn't love him so much as he liked his ''potential'' of being her ideal man. Joel doesn't take the revelation well and breaks up with her]].
** A number of stories don't end well for Joel, particularly early on in the series. Usually he'll come within a hair of victory, only to have it snatched away at the last second. These kinds of endings started happening less frequently once Joel's friends were introduced.
* DrivesLikeCrazy: Katy, every time William tries to give her a driving lesson. She's way too excited to actually pay attention to the rules of the road.
* DysfunctionJunction: A whole lot of the characters in the comic aren't exactly the most stable people or have the most normal lives.
** Joel lives a family that consists of a sister who is selfish and oblivious to the fact that nobody really likes her, an overprotective mother who throws a tantrum whenever things don't go her way, an apathetic father who rarely does anything, and they all constantly berate Joel and the things he genuinely loves.
** Tina was eventually revealed to have suffered from an emotionally abusive childhood, with her mom chastising her at every moment and her father is implied to have died when Tina was around Joel's age.
** Aaron is a complete loser who is unlucky with women, has a very gullible mother who often fails to see any problems in her surroundings, and a very brutish father who constantly berates him for not being manly enough.
** Jocelyn lives with her highly abusive, fundamental parents who are just as uptight as Tina is.
** While Steve may be the second least dysfunctional one of the gang after Michelle, it's implied he lives in a neglectful household, as his parents (his father in particular) don't really seem to care much about what he does in his spare time. This would explain his mellowly apathetic demeanor and love of pranks that, as also implied on a few occasions, has gotten him in trouble with the authorities.

** The entire Duquesne family are all horrible, horrible people who practically rip at each others throats. Lindsay, in particular, started off as an evil alpha bitch but a severe beating from Jocelyn and [[spoiler:Jessica]] led her to see herself as the monster she truly is. Lindsay is currently now a sobbing wreck who is ''trying'' to be a better person, but the anxiety, guilt, and the abuse she receives from Kevin and Patricia make it extremely hard for her. And it's shown Brad is becoming fed up with the nightmare Kevin and Patricia are making him go through.
* EasyComeEasyGo: Lindsay manages to procure a contract with A&M Records via her appearances on ''Series/StarSearch'' (and assorted shenanigans between her and her mother, Patricia). Within seconds, the contract is torn up because she violently refused to even consider quitting smoking. She continues her tantrum, and it ends up costing her the ''Star Search'' championship.
* {{Ephebophile}}: [[spoiler:Adam, an 18-year-old college freshman introduced in the "Bloom Is Off The Melrose" arc, is discovered to be one as he tries to woo Katy, who is about four years younger than him]].
* EroticDream: An example that doesn't ''start out'' erotic, but later sways into it; Aaron [[http://1990somethingcomic.com/comic/august-16-1992/ dreamt]] that he took part in ''Series/AmericanGladiators'', in which the dream ends with Aaron about to have sex with the two female gladiators who practically [[CurbStompBattle handed him his own ass]]. [[spoiler:He even jizzed himself, if the context suggests anything]].
* EveryoneHasStandards: Lindsay and her parents are [[ItsAllAboutMe selfish]], [[SmugSnake arrogant]] {{Jerkass}}es, but [[https://jbwarner86.deviantart.com/art/1990S-One-Big-Crappy-Family-664486197 even they balked at Kevin defending Mike Tyson after being convincted of a rape]].
* EveryoneKnewAlready: When Kendra confessed to Michelle and Jocelyn about her crush on [[spoiler:Aaron]], they already knew who the boy was.
--> '''Jocelyn''': You only talk to our boyfriends and one other guy. Who the fuck else would it be?
--> '''Michelle''': Also, all these drawings of naked guys with long hair.
* FanMyopia: An in-universe example: Joel is an avid fan of bands like the Music/{{Pixies}}, Music/SonicYouth, Music/JanesAddiction, and Music/{{Mudhoney}} in 1990, before the success of Nirvana's ''Music/{{Nevermind}}'' album made alternative rock mainstream. Naturally, whenever he sings the praises of these bands, nobody in his family knows or cares what he's talking about.
* {{Flanderization}}:
** Played straight then later subverted with Joel. His snarky attitude and tendency to never think his plans thoroughly grew and grew until it practically dominated his character. It wasn't until Barboza [[https://jbwarner86.deviantart.com/journal/Fixing-Joel-563129772 received complaints]] about this that he has tried to rework Joel into a more sympathetic character in which his actions are justified.
** Tina started out as a stereotypical MoralGuardian, but this trait of hers, along with Tina's increasingly short temper, ended up turning her into a crazed ControlFreak who tries to ban just about ''everything'' she deems inappropriate. This finally ceased after the "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad Tina" arc.

** Joel and Katy often switch roles; Most of the time, Katy acts a bit more level-headed than the more rebellious Joel, but there have been more than a few times where it's the other way around.
** Played more straight with Jenny and Michelle, with the former being the foolish one while the latter is the responsible one.
* ForegoneConclusion: If you've read the original ''Forever 16'' comic strip from which this originated from, you should know that Joel and Michelle are going to hook up, Steve and Jocelyn are going to hook, and Aaron will start his own band called "[=WestWorld=]".
%% ** "This is going to end with you getting slapped, isn't it?" ([[http://1990somethingcomic.com/comic/march-25-1990 It actually doesn't, but Aaron still manages to make an ass of himself.]])
* ForTheEvulz: Kevin really didn't seem to have any motivation for his horrible deeds other than just for his twisted amusement.

* GenkiGirl: Katy and her friend Ashleigh are very optimistic people most of the time, even when it's painfully obvious people are insulting them or showing them the truth about their less-than-stellar beliefs (such as thinking [[AlphaBitch Lindsay]] wants to be their friend).

* GroinAttack: [[spoiler: Kevin has Lindsay on the ground and is about to rape her, but she grabs one of her stiletto heels that fell off in their fight and '''''STABS HIM IN THE DICK WITH IT.''''' The next strip has him wailing in pain in all four panels while a crowd gathers. He absolutely deserved it, but DAMN.]]
* HairTriggerTemper:
** For someone whose New Year's resolution was to "redouble [her] efforts to be a better person, both outwardly and inwardly", Tina loses her patience an awful lot, especially with Joel. This died down completely after her HeelFaceTurn.
** It really doesn't take much to put Mr. Tucker, one of the teachers at Joel's school, into boiling rage.
** Rick has an '''''incredibly''''' short fuse, and has no problem verbally abusing or threatening physical abuse on others when provoked (which is a lot).
* HeManWomanHater:
** Kevin. His misogyny gets more blatant and violent with each appearance.
** Rick shows some signs of this, though it appears to be more of the StayInTheKitchen type of sexism rather than full-blown misogyny.
* HeelRealization:
** Lindsay, while in the hospital recovering from her beating by [[spoiler:Jocelyn]], hears the doctor describe the injuries suffered by the girl Linday pushed down the stairs in her debut storyline. The look on her face is the first time we've seen anything close to regret on Lindsay's face.
** Jessica's BreakingSpeech in a much later strip does its job, and Lindsay is finally forced to admit the truth to herself:
-->'''Lindsay''': Oh my God...I'm a MONSTER!!
** Selina has one when she [[TheBusCameBack returns for the first time]] since the 1990 strips, when she finally realizes that she's letting Sinéad O'Connor's influence practically take over her life and vows to stop.
** Tina, after being [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech outed]] by both her son and mother, comes to a rather harsh realization on what a terrible mother she truly is.
** Jenny during the "I Am A Fugitive From A Day Camp" arc, where she comes to realize just how much of a pest she can be to Eric.
* HenpeckedHusband:
** William is bit of a pushover, who constantly gets blown off and[=/=]or just submits to everything Tina says or does.
** Brad is later shown to be one too, as he's forced to do just about everything Patricia wants him to do.

* HumbleGoal: Joel just wants to express himself through rock music. Tina misinterprets this as the gateway to her son turning into a sex-crazed heroin addict.
* HumansAreBastards: This appears to be one of the comic's central themes, considering almost ''everybody'' that appears are all deeply flawed at best and downright amoral at worst. Additionally, the comic also tackles social issues that are presented as being the result of humanity lacking any reasoning, compassion, or common sense.
* HumiliationConga: To finally get her out of her hair, Lindsay tells Katy that her crush (whom she previously, accidentally, had expelled) loves her too. When he bluntly dismisses her (with a [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech "Reason You Suck" Speech]], no less), she runs back to Lindsay, gets Lindsay's lunch thrown on her, and leaves the cafeteria crying with the entire school laughing at her.
* IHaveBoobsYouMustObey: Lindsay often attempted to use sex appeal in order to get what she wanted, namely film and music auditions.
* IHaveNoSon: [[spoiler:Patricia disowns Lindsay as she divorces Brad and leaves the house after Kevin's incarceration.]]
* IgnorantOfTheirOwnIgnorance: Aaron is always convinced that his plans, whether they be to succeed in school with minimal effort or to ask a girl on a date, are utterly foolproof, when in fact they're incredibly stupid. He became slightly less oblivious of his own failures, however, as time went on.
%%* IncrediblyLamePun: "I deserve to break you today." (Barboza admits he only wrote the strip where this line came from for the sake of that pun.)
* InternalReveal: In the "Going Into Overtime" arc, Craig finally learns why Lindsay broke up with him, even though the audience already knew a long time beforehand[[note]]For those who don't follow, Lindsay spread a rumor about Jessica, Craig's ex-girlfriend, that caused everybody in the school to turn against her. Lindsay did it so she could have Craig all for herself.[[/note]].
* ItsAllAboutMe: Patricia [[SelectiveObliviousness refuses to see]] Kevin for the monster he is (or even get him help for the issues she ''does'' acknowledge) because that would me ''she'' failed as a parent.
* JerkAss: The Duquesne family. All of them. [[spoiler:Although eventually subverted with Lindsay and Brad thanks to CharacterDevelopment]].
* JerkassHasAPoint: The "A League Of Katy's Own" arc has Katy and Ashleigh join a baseball team, and Katy harshly gets chewed out by one of the players for catching the ball with her hat in the middle of a game. However, the player had every right to do this since, apart from Katy not following directions, catching the ball with anything other than your glove is a very illegal move for a fielder to do in baseball, as this automatically results in the batter being given three bases.

** Joel. Snarky and uncaring as he may be, he's still shown to be far more nicer and having better standards than either his family or classmates.
** Aaron. He's a total perv and somewhat of an idiot, but like Joel, he's still nice and has better morals compared to everybody else in the comic.

* KarmaHoudini:
** Within days of arriving in Eden Prairie, Lindsay [[spoiler:trips a girl down the stairs and shatters her pelvis, possibly crippling her for life, and manages to turn the entire school against Jessica Sullivan by spreading the (false) rumor that she has chlamydia, just to steal her boyfriend and usurp her position as the most popular girl in school. Despite Joel and Aaron's best efforts, she receives no comeuppance for any of this.]]
** Her brother, Kevin, is even worse. Assaulting Michelle twice (one on ''national TV'') resulted in house arrest, both times. [[spoiler: Bashing his court-appointed councilor's head in]] brought even fewer consequence. Not to mention the ongoing implication that he may have raped and murdered one of Lindsay's rivals. [[spoiler:After the "The Fall of the House of Duquesne", this may have finally been subverted]].

%% * KnightOfCerebus: In the 2015 version, Kevin Duquesne. Whenever he shows up, the strip gets '''dark.'''
* LeftHanging: Due to Barboza doing a retool of the comic, many of the then ongoing plot threads of the 2015 version were left without a conclusion.
* LetsWaitAWhile: During the "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge" storyline, Joel and Michelle's abortive first time ended with them decided they weren't ready to take that step yet. [[spoiler:Not that that stopped Tina from assuming the worst when she barged in on them putting their clothes back on]].
* LoserProtagonist: Joel at first. He was constantly bullied, mocked, and discouraged by not just his classmates but even his own family. After meeting Michelle, Steve, Jocelyn, forming a band, and his mother pulling a HeelFaceTurn, [[ThrowTheDogABone he finally seems to be getting his life back on track]].
%% * MarshmallowHell: Lindsay forcibly does this to Joel in one strip when she tries to trick Michelle into thinking he's cheating on her.
* MathematiciansAnswer: Kevin would never confirm or deny whether or not he was responsible for the rape/murder of Lindsay's rival in California. The couple of times Lindsay broached the subject with him, he'd only respond with "I did what you asked me to do."[[note]]While Lindsay did send Kevin after her, it's also pretty clear she only meant for him to scare the rival, not hurt her (let alone commit rape/murder)[[/note]] After the "Fall of the House of Dusquene" storyline, this likely never gets a definitive answer.

* MistakenForGay: Invoked by Aaron, who pretends to be gay just to piss off Mrs. Fitzsimmon and her husband after overhearing their displeasure over the recruitment of homosexuals in the military. Later PlayedForDrama when Fitzsimmon tells Aaron's HeteronormativeCrusader father about him "catching the gay", which almost gets Aaron brutally beaten up for it.
* MoralGuardian: '''Tina Maxwell''', who fits this trope to a freakin' T. To the point where she manages to get all the other mothers in the comic to follow her views on what she considers to be "safe" for children. Subverted after her above mentioned HeelFaceTurn, where Tina finally mellows out and allows Joel to do what he wants with his life.

** Jocelyn, full-stop. Most of the outfits she wears are cleavage and midriff showing, plus her short shorts with fish net stockings.
* MustHaveNicotine: The "Smoke Gets In Your Thighs" arc has Lindsay attempting to give up smoking. Having smoked since she was 13-years-old, the effects of cigarettes has finally began to effect Lindsay's health. She immediately decides to quit, but suffers pretty badly from nicotine withdrawal shortly afterwards.
* NewYearsResolution: The first week of strips touched on this, as the Maxwells sought to make resolutions not just for the new year, but for the new decade. ("I resolved not to be annoyed by you, but I blew it already.")--

** Joel himself briefly appears naked in the beginning of the "[[Film/TheTerminator Hasta La Vista... Maybe]]" arc, in which Joel plays the role of the Terminator himself. [[FemaleGaze Complete with a few shots of his bare butt]]..

* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: After Katy's humiliation, Jocelyn corners Lindsay in the girls' bathroom. Although Lindsay lands the first blow, Jocelyn fights back and beats the absolute ''shit'' out of her, delivering a ''scathing'' TheReasonYouSuckSpeech after she's done.

%%** Joel and Michelle as of the "Misery Loves Company" arc.
%%** Jocelyn and Steve as of the "What About Steve?" arc.
%%** Eric and Jenny as of the "Play Date" arc.
%%** Aaron and Kendra as of the "Don't Ask Don't Yell" arc.
%%** Craig and Amber as of the "Going Into Overtime" arc.
%%* OhCrap: Joel and Aaron's reaction when they learn the full extent of Lindsay's evilness.

* OlderThanTheyLook: [[spoiler:During the "The Bloom Is Off The Melrose" arc, Katy becomes the girlfriend of a boy named Adam who looks about the same age as her. Until it's revealed that he's actually 18-years-old]].
* OnlySaneMan:
** William is this to the whole Maxwell family, as he's not as uptight about everything (except maybe sports) and takes things far less seriously than either Joel, Katy, or Tina.
** Joel is this when it comes to dealing with Aaron, often having to try and talk sense into the poor deluded fool.
** Eric is not nearly as mischievous or annoying as his friend Jenny.
** Marion is this when compared to the other [[AdultsAreUseless adults]] in the comic. She may be a tad oblivious and ditzy, but Marion is still a more significantly nice person who doesn't have a problem with what Aaron and his friends does.

* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Rick isn't so much a "villain" as much as he is just a total {{jerkass}}, but it's clear he's very much right-wing. He refers to African-Americans as "coloreds," thinks that women should StayInTheKitchen, is heavily opposed to the idea of enforcing background checks on gun owners, and doesn't think homosexuals should be allowed in the military (in addition to openly referring to gay people using only homophobic slurs).
* PrecisionFStrike: An odd example. Throughout the first few months of the strip, the dialogue was fairly light on the swearing, aside from the occasional "hell" or "damn". When Lindsay was introduced, one of the first sentences out of her mouth is "Get the fuck off my family's property before I punch you in your tiny little balls," letting the reader know exactly what kind of person she is. Thereafter, the floodgates are wide open for the strip to turn into a ClusterFBomb.
* RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil:
** Kevin is a remorseless rapist who attempted to rape his psychiatrist and has twice tried to rape Michelle.
** In "The Fall of the House of Duquesne", Kevin even goes as far as to [[spoiler: try and rape ''[[BrotherSisterIncest his own sister]]'']]!

** Joel delivers an epic one to [[spoiler:his sister Katy when she accidentally deafens him and pins the blame on him to their mother, leading to the confiscation of his guitar]].
--->'''Joel:''' [[spoiler:OH, FUCK YOU KATY! DO YOU EVER STOP TO THINK WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO ME? NO! NOBODY IN THIS HOUSE FUCKING DOES! This may be hard for you to believe, but I didn't take up the guitar just to annoy the shit out of you! I took it up because I wanted to learn a new skill! I wanted to do something meaningful with my life that I enjoyed! And now mom's treating me like some sort of drugged up juvenile delinquent! She's got it in her head that I blew up my own eardrums, even though I told her it was your stupid Mariah Carey tape, but of course she won't listen to me because I like rock music, so obviously I'm just some dumb brainwashed criminal, aren't I?]]
** After beating Lindsay senseless, Jocelyn gives one that's just as epic, if not more so:
--->'''Jocelyn''': [[spoiler:Do you feel that, Lindsay? You feel that horrible stabbing sensation all over your body? That feeling like you just want to be fucking ''dead'' so it'll finally all be over? That's ''pain'', Lindsay. That's what pain is. And that is ''all'' you're good for in this world. That's the only thing you know how to do. You thrive on destroying people, just to make yourself feel better. And ''this'' is what it does. ''This'' is what the great Lindsay Duquesne's legacy will be. ''This'' is what you had to do to everyone you've ever met, to get where you are. You just lie there for a while and fuckin' think about that, 'kay? Awesome. Have a great night.]]
** Lindsay gets an absolute ''mother'' of a TRYSS from [[spoiler:Jessica]], one that finally induces in Lindsay a major HeelRealization.
--->[[spoiler:'''Jessica''': You think the world is out to fuck you? It's people like ''you'' who are out to fuck the ''world!'' You're absolute ''scum,'' Lindsay! And you ''know'' it! It's all you've ''ever'' been, and it's ''all you'll ever be!'']]

* RejectedApology: Lindsay attempts to make amends with Katy and Ashleigh for all the times she treated them badly. While the two seemed accepting of it, Joel shows up and quickly snatches the both of them away, clearly not believing Lindsay.
-->'''Katy:''' Jeez, she ''said'' she was sorry...
-->'''Joel:''' It's called ''lying'' Katy. It's kind of her M.O.
* {{Retcon}}: Before getting its own website, the strip ran in bits and spurts on Barboza's Website/DeviantArt page (under the name ''Forever 16'', and before that, ''Maxwell Silver Hammer''), jumping around randomly from week to week within the '90s and even into the 2000s and 2010s. WordOfGod says all the pre-2020 comics are no longer canon. Indeed, a good many character introduction stories from Barboza's [=DeviantArt=] gallery have been totally rewritten for the current run of the strip.

* SadistShow: Oh yes. Bad things happen to just about everyone in this comic, regardless over whether or not they deserved it at the time.
* SadistTeacher: The utterly humorless Mr. Tucker. He sticks Michelle with a detention just for knowing more about how to use a computer than he does, then gives the same punishment to Joel when he comes to her defense.
* SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: Eric is much more down to Earth than the mischievous Jenny. Somewhat deconstructed in a later story arc, with Eric breaking down that he acts so careful because he doesn't want to let anyone down, and Jenny realizing that she hasn't been a particularly good friend to him with her hi-jinks getting him in unwanted situations.
* SawStarWarsTwentySevenTimes: Joel isn't too upset when Tina forbids him to watch ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' again until he brings his math grade up, mentioning that he's already got every episode memorized.
%% * ScaryFlashlightFace: Aaron does this in his attempt to put a scary spin on the early '90s AT&T commercials.
* SelectiveObliviousness: Despite the fact that Lindsay has never been anything but malicious and horrible to them, Katy and Ashleigh are too desperate to be seen as "cool" to see her as anything other than someone to befriend and emulate.

%% * ShakingTheRump: Katy does this when she listens to "[[Music/SirMixALot Baby Got Back]]".

** Joel, a snarky rebel who loves rock music, and his younger sister Katy, who is more ditzy, oblivious, and slightly meaner.

** Kendra, who is nice and outgoing, and her older brother Vence, who is cynical and more of a JerkWithAHeartOfGold than a straight-up nice guy. To an extension, the youngest child Eric, as he's a lot more shy and sensitive than either of them.
** Vicky is the ''exact'' opposite of her sister Phyllis, being more out going, laid-back, wild, and generally nicer. In fact, Vicky is where Jocelyn gets her punk-rock persona from.
* TheSociopath: Kevin. Having a complete LackOfEmpathy and being entirely [[TheUnfettered unfettered]] to any threat made towards him doesn't even ''begin'' to describe it.

* StageMom: Lindsay figures out that her mom was living vicariously through her in an attempt to relive her GloryDays as a high school cheerleader:
-->'''Lindsay''': ...oh my God. That's it, isn't it? All of this, the cheer squad, the "you gotta be ruthless" shit--you were just trying to turn me into ''you!!'' It's ''true,'' isn't it? Because you never finished high school 'cuz you had ''me!'' So, what, I was just your ''puppet?!'' You wanted to relive the success you had to give up, so you raised ''me'' to do all the same shit! Is that it?! ''IS THAT FUCKING IT, MOM?!''
* SundayStrip: Laid out the same way as early ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' Sunday strips too, complete with throwaway panels, even though a webcomic doesn't really need them. Ironically, they're posted on Thursdays, not Sundays, thanks to the calendar years of 25 years ago not being synchronized with the present calendar.

** The strip's depiction of adults is a seething TakeThat at the Baby Boomer generation and its clash of attitudes with Generation X'ers (and, by extension, Millennials). From Tina's fervent efforts to censor her children's entertainment intake to Rick's pro-war macho swagger and Michelle's parents' utter bewilderment when it comes to any and all modern technology, nearly every prominent character from the Boomer generation is painted as hopelessly out-of-touch and desperate to resist all the cultural changes of the '90s.
* TeensAreMonsters: It's telling that Joel, an abrasive rebel, and Aaron, a perverted hound dog, are some of the more morally ''saner'' characters in the whole comic.
* ThereAreNoTherapists: Averted in the "We Need To Talk About Kevin" arc, where Brad hires a psychologist in hopes that it would help deal with Kevin's sociopathic behavior. [[spoiler:It doesn't work. In fact, Kevin straight-up attempts to murder the psychologist]].
%% * TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Jocelyn and Michelle, respectively. {{Downplayed}} in Michelle's case, however, as she isn't really much of a girly girl.

* {{Vaporwear}}: Denise and Kendra, in true hippie fashion, never wear bras. Though Kendra might've gone back to wearing a bra as she has since decided to give up her hippie lifestyle.
* VillainousBreakdown: Lindsay has been embarking on one since she lost on ''Star Search'', taking out her anger on the well-meaning Katie and engaging in a catfight with Jocelyn. The latter doesn't work out too hot.
* VillainousIncest: An ''extremely'' one-sided example: [[spoiler:Showing just how depraved he really is, Kevin kicks the crap out of Lindsay and then attempts to rape her]].
* VirtueIsWeakness: [[https://www.deviantart.com/art/1990S-Both-A-Blessing-And-A-Purse-703714537 Lindsay tells]] tells [[spoiler: Jessica]] that she's popular and at the top is because she believes that [[SocialDarwinist remorse makes a person weak by letting yourself drop your guard to be eaten alive]].

* WallsOfText: There is a ''lot'' of text in each panel of almost every strip.
* WellDoneSonGuy: Tina is revealed to be this in the "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Tina" arc.
--> '''Larry King:''' So, you're trying to pass a law that takes away people's right to freedom of expression just so your mom will love you?
--> '''Tina:''' ...Well, it's not like anything else has worked.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Tina just wants to live in a world that's safe for her kids, but a lot of her actions do more harm than good.

* WorldOfJerkass: Much of the cast consist of either short-tempered adults who are willing to go to absurd lengths to achieve their own selfish needs or apathetic teens who screw each other over for their own amusement.

--->'''Wexler''': Y'know, Vic, I always wondered, why '''your''' school? The low test scores, the building held together with toothpicks and Elmer's Glue... Gosh, it's all down to '''you,''' isn't it? You just don't care. you gave up on life, then started kickin' yourself over it 'n now you gotta take it out on your students? Well, y'know, maybe this just isn't the job for you, Vic? [...] And maybe you'd prefer more time to work out your master life plan while you're scrubbin' those pee-pees off the bathroom stalls, Vic. Sound fair.
--->'''Mulroney''' (mortified): No.
--->'''Wexler''': Great, glad we had this talk.