This past September marks our official transition into the late 2020s, and with it, the majority of Generation Z has officially entered adulthood. For many, that transition has come with foreign challenges that have forced young adults to adapt and “make the best of it.” This attitude has surpassed our everyday lives and made its way into the media we consume.
As a member of Gen Z myself, I find it refreshing to see the media embrace the messy, candid, and imperfect parts of everyday life, so I’ve created a list of my favorite relatable pieces of media that will likely shape the late 2020s.
1. Adults
Adults is a sitcom that follows a diverse group of twenty-year-olds as they navigate their transition into adulthood in New York City. While this premise might feel familiar, the unfiltered “Gen Z humor” pushes the boundaries of typical sitcoms but ultimately captures our attitudes towards the “real world.” Its characters reflect a wide range of people in today’s society, and so Adults tackles real issues that their audience faces. One example of this appears in season one, episode two, when Samir is put in charge of fixing the hot water in their house. However, he quickly realizes he doesn’t know how to access his parents’ bank account, even stating “I always thought the world was gonna be waiting for me and instead everyone is annoyed that I’m here.” This seemingly insignificant detail illustrates the thesis for the rest of the show. As a whole, Adults embraces the idea that “adulting” doesn’t come naturally. It’s almost comforting to see other people who don’t have it all figured out, even if they are fictional. Adults has only grown since the release of their second season in August and will likely become a staple in Gen Z culture.
2. Audrey Hobert
In 2025, Audrey Hobert released her debut album, Who’s the Clown?, which has accumulated over 300 million streams since its release. In just a year, her album has become the anthem for “awkward girls” around the globe and has turned Hobert into a rising star. Rather than hiding behind a polished image, Hobert embraces the embarrassing and deeply relatable moments of putting yourself out there, without the promise of receiving anything in return. Her confessional style of writing makes feeling foolish and vulnerable seem cool. Her refreshingly authentic songwriting could make Audrey Hobert one of the defining “pop girls” of the late 2020s.Â
3. Overcompensating
Overcompensating is a show that follows Benny, a closeted college freshman, who is determined to reinvent himself as he searches for a new identity. For college students, figuring out who we are is almost a rite of passage, and it rarely comes naturally. The show captures the hardships that come with entering young adulthood. As someone navigating college myself, I found the character’s efforts to find a sense of belonging especially relatable. And I’m not the only one: by the end of 2025, Overcompensating had been renewed for a second season, proving that its messy take resonated with audiences.Â
4. Olivia Rodrigo
Olivia Rodrigo is one of the biggest artists to emerge from the 2020s, and her stardom shows no signs of slowing down. This past summer, Rodrigo released her third album, you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love, which explores the highs and lows of a relationship from beginning to end. The album challenges the idea that romantic love equates to fulfillment. Her song “the cure” serves as the thesis for the album, confronting the uncomfortable truth that love from someone else can’t replace love from within. In a society that often portrays relationships as the universal solution, I find her distinct perspective refreshing. Throughout the album, Rodrigo exposes the difficult truths about relationships. Although she wrote it with romantic love in mind, her writing applies to all forms of love. I think this perspective is especially valuable for young people because it encourages us to let go of unrealistic expectations about what relationships should look like, and to accept them as imperfect, complicated, and deeply human.
As we move into this new era, I believe that embracing and sharing our imperfections can allow us to grow, not only as individuals, but as a generation. “Finding yourself” takes time, and there is no right way to do it. The more honest we are about the uncertainty, mistakes, and imperfections that come with growing up, the more connected we become. The rest of the 2020s should be about embracing authenticity and recognizing that we don’t have to have everything figured out to move forward. I hope we end this decade on a positive note: one that encourages us to keep progressing.Â