Gen Z vs Millennials vs Thanos: Who’s the bigger killer?

We got content creator Srishti Garg, 24, a Gen Z rep; and comedian Aditi Mittal, 37, a Millennial baby, for a face-off. And dragged Thanos along for the ride. May the worst generation win!

Alcohol

Millennials ditched beer for non-alcoholic drinks. Gen Z loves mocktails. Who became sober-curious first?

Aditi Mittal: Gen Z killed booze. Millennials were murdering themselves with drinking games until Gen Z came around and said, “What are you doing?”.

Srishti Garg: Gen Z, for sure. The Millennials around me are still heavy drinkers and they love partying. We don’t want the extra calories from drinking. For us, the new bars are cafes, pickleball courts. We want hobbies that nourish us but also give us a dopamine hit.

Killer: Gen Z

Clubbing

No one’s partying like it’s 1999. Who gave up first?

Aditi Mittal: Drinking and clubbing was peak Millennial culture. We were the first to grow up in a globalised world; 2000–2010 was all hooking-up, and that one guy with a guitar at every party, ruining it with, “Today is gonna be the day that he’s gonna give it back to you”. I stopped clubbing the moment they started playing House music.

Srishti Garg: I’ve never been a fan of clubs. They give off a negative aura. Clubbing culture was at its peak in 2012. After the pandemic, we prefer intimate spaces. We party, but we curate it – at homes or private venues.

Killer: Gen Z

Small Talk

Millennials hate phone calls. Gen Z lost their social skills in the lockdown. Who shot the breeze dead?

Aditi Mittal: Remember when texts had to be under 160 characters? It shrank communication skills. Now, when someone sends me a long WhatsApp message, I’m like, “Back off!” We were also the first to feel the effects of hyper-availability. At this point, getting a call without a heads-up text feels aggressive. It’s terrifying.

Srishti Garg: This is entirely on the Millennials. They were the first to go to therapy, break through generational trauma, and rebel against family expectations. That includes intrusive questions and personal remarks. It was a Millennial friend who taught me about boundaries, how you don’t need to talk to someone if you’re not up to it.

Killer: Millennials

Side Parts

Even the way we wear our hair is under threat. So, whose comb is the murder weapon?

Aditi Mittal: I blame age. As you grow older, your jawline and chin get heavier, and the side part is much more flattering than the middle part. Millennials still love it.

Srishti Garg: Gen Z definitely killed the side-part... for a bit. We love our sleek middle-partings. But the side part is making a comeback this year. I’ve been wearing it too!

Killer: Gen Z

Romance

One-night stands, casual dating, situationships, soft launches, swipe rights. Who killed commitment?

Aditi Mittal: Gen Z has exposed the deep cracks in how genders relate to each other, while Millennials have glossed over it with clubbing and alcohol. But Millennials were the ones that ditched arranged marriage. They killed romance for practical partnerships.

Srishti Garg: Many Millennials are happy being single and adopting dogs and cats, while Gen Zs are eagerly tying the knot. My school group chat is pinging with invites to weddings. People are getting engaged at 22 and 23 and talking about having kids before 30. The prefrontal cortex in our brain doesn’t develop until 25!

Killer: Millennials

Formal dress codes

Millennials copied Steve Jobs’s uniform. Gen Z are accused of dressing like “office sirens”. Who retired the suit?

Aditi Mittal: I’ve lived through a time when hip bones had to show through low-waist skinny jeans. So, I’ll never stop being grateful to Gen Z. Their fashion is everything: High-waisted jeans, baggy pants, sneakers. Their aversion to formal wear feels like a response to the over-curated, money-driven culture they grew up in.

Srishti Garg: Millennials wore T-shirts and jeans to the office. But Gen Zs are entering like baddies every single day, in tight-fitted shirts, funky earrings and cool glasses. It’s like Pinterest, but corporate.

Killer: Both. Millennials handed the knife to Gen Z

Oversharing

Facebook was the OG TMI hub. Now, we’re all about disappearing messages, #IYKYK hastags, Private modes and muting accounts. Who killed oversharing?

Aditi Mittal: Millennials suffered the consequences of oversharing. Back then, it was exciting to find a connection and show them off on Facebook. But then their ex would stalk your profile, contact your friends, say dumb stuff. Gen Z’s soft-launch trend is a direct response to this. I stopped making my life public after 2015. I don’t want someone I just started dating saying, “Aditi, thanks for the fourth date, but why are 40 trolls yelling in my DMs?”

Srishti Garg: Everyone still overshares! I know I do. You absolutely have to spill what happened with you, now it’s just with people you know. I hope we never kill TMI.

Killer: None. Victim is alive and well.

Diamonds

Millennials learnt about blood diamonds. Gen Z learnt about lab-grown gems. Who dropped the bling?

Aditi Mittal: Definitely us, because there’s no freaking money. I’m paying 45% of my salary in rent. What am I supposed to save? How the hell am I buying a diamond?

Srishti Garg: I love wearing real diamonds, but they’re family heirlooms.

Killer: Millennials

Brand Loyalty

Both generations are sceptical and broke. But who makes brands sweat more?

Aditi Mittal: Brand loyalty is why we’re in corporate hell. Millennials grew up shouting, “I’m a Complan boy!”. Gen Z knows that a brand doesn’t care about you. Why bother?

Srishti Garg: Millennials started earning when the market was just opening up. They didn’t have brand loyalty because so much of it was new. Gen Z is more conscious about who they’re buying from and how their clothes are being made. We’re environmentally conscious like that.

Killer: Both

Malls

Did Millennials swap malls for Amazon? Or did Gen Z trade them in for boujee boutiques?

Aditi Mittal: Malls had their moment. Movie promos, comedy shows, everything happened there. But malls became so commercialised, they lost their appeal. Amazon just made it worse.

Srishti Garg: Gen Z prefers flea markets, pop-ups, collabs. Millennials used to do a whole day at the mall – chilling, window-shopping, eating. I kind of want malls to make a comeback. They’ve got AC, food, and shops in one place.

Killer: Gen Z

Doorbells

Both generations fear small talk. Who ghosted the doorbell?

Aditi Mittal: I have no idea who killed it. I don’t use mine because I have dogs.

Srishti Garg: Most of my friends just text when they’ve reached. We even dislike knocking. But my agent, a Millennial, rings the doorbell over and over, just to annoy me.

Killer: Gen Z

Napkins

Millennials switched to tissue. Gen Z is carrying embroidered hankies. What’s going on?

Aditi Mittal: Gen Z bringing back handkerchiefs is hilarious. It fits their apocalyptic thinking. This is their emotional-support gamcha.

Srishti Garg: Napkins are still part of the fancy-restaurant vibe. All we’ve killed are plastic straws.

Killer: None. Victim is alive and well.

Ironing

Most young people skip this part. Who wrinkled fashion standards first?

Aditi Mittal: We Millennials were terrible about this. Our ironing was done by dhobi bhaiyya.

Srishti Garg: Most fast-fashion brands make clothes from polyester and polyester blends, which don’t wrinkle as easily. Millennials demanded these fabrics. Gen Z lives in an era when even a 30-second video feels so wrong. We don’t want to spare five minutes to fold our clothes, forget ironing!

Killer: Both

Test Cricket

Who can’t handle five-day matches?

Aditi Mittal: Is this that cricket which goes on forever? I don’t even know who killed it. But if it’s not dead yet, put the boots on its dying body.

Srishti Garg: I have to hand this one to our generation! Millennials are still cricket-mad compared to us.

Killer: Gen Z

9–5 Jobs

Millennials advocated for flexible work hours. Gen Z demanded hybrid jobs and mental health leaves. So, who broke the workday?

Aditi Mittal: I think Gen Z. Smartphones freed us from desks. The pandemic made WFH a thing.

Srishti Garg: In Vicky Donor (2012), Ayushmann Khurrana is this young man who really wants a 9-5 job and that stability. Those were the aspirations Millennials were taught to have. But Gen Z wants to have their own business or make money off trading or have a side-hustle.

Killer: Gen Z

Bar Soap

Liquid soap became trendy in the ’90s. Bar soap got a bad rep after the pandemic. Who’s not lathering up?

Aditi Mittal: Millennials killed soap once the industry started churning out bodywash. Soap felt unhygienic because the whole family was touching it.

Srishti Garg: Millennials created this whole narrative that liquid soap is cleaner and more hygienic because no one’s touching it.

Killer: Millennials

Who’s the biggest killer of all?

Millennial kill count: 6

Gen Z kill count: 10

Thanos kill count: Over 5 trillion

From HT Brunch, May 10, 2025

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