Here’s to the Cuspers: Born Between Generations
5 Signs You Might Be a Cusper:
- You've been told "you don't act like a typical [Boomer/Gen X/Millennial/Gen Z]"
- You find yourself translating between generations in meetings without being asked
- Neither generation's nostalgia references quite land for you
- You've had to explain your own age bracket to a survey or marketing team
- You relate to the generation before/after yours just as well (or sometimes even better) than your "own" generation
What Is a Microgeneration? (And Are You a Cusper?)
To be born where we have decided one generation ends and another begins is to be part of what we call a "microgeneration." The concept has been around for a long time, but it has never reached the popularity of our major generations. Many people have attempted to popularize different microgeneration labels, but very few actually stick.
Those with a foot in two generations tend to feel a bit separate, not fully part of either. They can also understand the experiences and perspectives of both. From this comes a need to draw their own circle around themselves, to signal that while they might technically be part of a particular generation, they also see themselves as distinct.
How many generations do we need?
Where does it end? I love generations, but even I have limits on how micro it makes sense to get. I prefer to talk about the importance of considering age and generation as valuable layers of identity. This allows everyone to consider how their age may create a different experience within their generation.
Cuspers often feel disconnected from their generation because generations are too often thought of as boxes of stereotypes. Most of us don't agree with all of the labels placed upon our generation. We disconnect from the assumptions made about us based solely on the year we were born.
That's why every so often there are calls to "put an end to generations," when what people really want is an end to generational stereotyping. For those born on the tails of generations, the tired tropes can feel even less accurate.
Layers, Not Boxes: How Gentelligence Reframes Generational Identity
But what if I told you that generational identity isn't meant to be a box: it's simply a layer? Identity is made up of many layers: age, life stage, gender identity, culture, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status... the list goes on. If we make room for the layers of age and life stage in our discussion of generational dynamics, the conversation becomes richer and more interesting.
This is Gentelligence: understanding generations as a complex, multi-faceted layer of who we are, and recognizing that it intersects with so many other layers of our identity. In this case, it's age. And if you're born in between, that's another layer of your unique lived experience.
We mention cuspers only briefly in our Gentelligence® book:
Gentelligence® tells us the real purpose and value of generational identity is to help us understand how the time in which we grew up has shaped our unique view of the world and out place in it; how the events and happenings of our formative years contributed to our norms and beliefs, and the kinds of tools and expertise we gained as a function of growing up when we did.
To recognize how our generational identity contributes to our perspective can help us appreciate why others older and younger might view the world in somewhat different ways than we do. Above all, Gentelligence® is about appreciating how those complex differences can be a fascinating source of learning and opportunity.
A Gentelligent mindset suggests that generational identity be used as a valu-able lens of understanding: it can help provide important context for different behaviors or higher frequencies of particular attitudes when we compare one age cohort to another. However, Gentelligence® pushes back against universal labels and assumptions that all members of a generation are always a specific way
So, what is the difference between a generational stereotype and a generationally intelligent perspective? Stereotyping an individual based solely on one’s generational identity is lazy and fails to consider other elements that impact an individual’s identity and point of view.
Within any generation, there are myriad individual differences that influence one’s experiences, opportunities, and perspectives. Such elements include nationality, socioeconomic status, race, gender, and even age (being born at the beginning versus the end of a particular generation).
While a deep exploration into the impact of all of these differences is beyond the scope of this book, we do feel they are vital to mention. As such, when individuals do not feel the narrative of their generation particularly applies to them, this disconnect is often rooted in other aspects of their identities.
For example, while Millennials are often described as being entitled due to the attention and resources they received as children, this is much more true for those who grew up in higher socio-economic classes than those with fewer resources to spare, who would not have had the luxury of such additional opportunities.
Consequently, individuals born on the cusp of a generation may not see themselves in the typical narrative for their generation, perhaps finding more connection with the neighboring cohort.
Generations and microgenerations defined
In the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia, these are the most common generational categories in the current population:
Silent Generation (1928-1945)
Baby Boomers (1946-1964)
Gen X (1965-1980)
Millennials (1981-1996)
Gen Z (1997-2012)
Gen Alpha (2013-2025)* (note: this is a fairly short generation span, and we will likely see some movement in these years as this generation grows up).
Here's my Gentelligence quick "cusper cheat sheet" for those yearning to differentiate themselves from the majority of their generation.
The Gentelligence Cusper Cheat Sheet:
Generation Jones (roughly 1961-1967)
Xennials (1977-1983)
Zillennials (1993-1999)
Zalphas (roughly 2009-2015)
Generation Jones: The Boomer/Gen X Cuspers (1961-1967)
Those born at the end of the Baby Boomer generation or the beginning of Gen X are sometimes called "Generation Jones." Barack Obama, Michael Jordan, and Jeff Bezos are just a few of our most famous from Generation Jones. Former Vice President Kamala Harris is also part of this microgeneration. Once she took office, both the Boomers and Gen X wanted to stake a claim to her being "one of them."
As I wrote in a piece for NBC News at the time:
Harris (like others who are born on the cusp of two generations) is a product of both the progressive spirit of the boomers and the cultural zeitgeist of the earliest wave of Generation X. Harris grew up with her parents taking her to protests strapped into a stroller, most certainly a foundational experience worthy of Baby Boomer status, as are the stories of the protests she organized against a neighbor who refused to let kids play on his lawn. In a recent article, the San Francisco Chronicle found: "Much of who Kamala Harris is today travels back to her childhood in Berkeley in the 1960s and early 1970s."
On the other hand, many of her formative experiences overlap with Gen Xers, too: Harris was the child of divorce at age 7, a decidedly Gen X coming-of-age trend. According to The Post, "As a latchkey child of non-European immigrants who has Salt-N-Pepa, Prince and Phil Collins on her summer playlist, Harris — a Doritos-loving, Converse- and pearls-wearing collaborative leader who doesn't always seek the spotlight — is ours. Pure Gen X."
Xennials Explained (I Just Realized I Am One) (1977-1983)
Those born at the end of Gen X and the beginning of the Millennials are sometimes called Xennials. The oldest Millennials were recently saddled with the rather unfortunate "geriatric millennial" moniker (which I will continue to steadfastly argue was nothing but clickbait).
Fun fact: I do this for a living, and it was only when I googled to find the exact years of a Xennial that I discovered, apparently I am one (Xennials are born between 1977 and 1983. I was born in 1977. If we want to get really micro, that makes me a "geriatric Xennial." I'll be sure to add that to my LinkedIn profile). It turns out Beyoncé, Kim Kardashian, and Serena Williams are fellow Xennials.
Merriam-Webster jumped in: "Are you a bit too young to remember Voltron, but a bit too old for Power Rangers? You might be a Xennial!" Sarah Stankorb of GOOD magazine explains, "Those of us born in the fuzzy borderland between Gen X and Millennial are old enough to have logged in to our first email addresses in college. We use social media but can remember living life without it. The internet was not a part of our childhoods, but computers existed and there was something special about the opportunity to use one."
Zillennials: Those straddling the Millennial/Gen Z Divide (1993-1999)
I know quite a few Zillennials, and most identify this way for an interesting reason. Millennials were given such a hard time in the media (as witnessed by Gen Z), which motivated many to differentiate themselves from the (false) labels and criticism that often accompanied that generation, especially when they first entered the workplace. Famous Zillenials include Zendaya, Simone Biles, and Malala. Unique formative experiences of Zillennials include an analog/digital mix: smartphones were likely prevalent among their friends as teenagers, but not as children. Many joined Facebook as their first taste of social media and were among the earliest Instagram adopters.
Seriously. Let's take a moment: Xennials and Zillennials?
I need to talk with The People Who Name Such Things. What will we call the Gen Z/Gen Alpha cuspers (don't get me started on the name Gen Alpha, blog on that to come later)? Zalphas? (Edited to add: In 2023, I suggested Zalphas. Now in 2026, I'm locking it down). Should I lock down the next one? Balphas? Type AB? Maybe it's too soon.
Zalpha: My Name for the Gen Z/Gen Alpha Cusp (You Heard It Here First, roughly 2009-2015)
I am officially calling those born on the Gen Z Alpha cusp "Zalphas. Make a note. You heard it here first! Do I have this kind of power? I guess we will see. Share widely; be sure to give me credit. Our Zalphas occupy a unique footprint in time, as they are the youngest members of society that will have a memory of the COVID pandemic (ranging from 5-11 when lockdown occurred). Zalphas experienced at least some part of elementary school via Zoom. I suppose I could name some famous Zalphas, but let's give them a little longer to develop and check back later.
Cuspers play an important role. They create those bridges we need between generations. With one foot in each generation we border, we can translate and mediate between the two. We can see where things were and where things are going, and often stand in the generation gaps, helping others see where we have common ground and where we can learn from each other.
FAQs:
What is a "cusper" or microgeneration?
A cusper is someone born near the boundary between two named generations, close enough to identify with either one. Microgenerations (Generation Jones, Xennials, Zillennials, and now...Zalphas) are informal labels for these overlap zones.
How are generations determined?
Generational cutoffs are social and cultural judgment calls, not scientific measurements. Pew Research Center has said outright that its own cutoff points "aren't an exact science," which is why you'll see slightly different year ranges for the same generation depending on the source. What a generation is ultimately called has almost always been due to trial and error: a researcher or journalist coins a term, and popular culture decides it fits. The term becomes "sticky" and enters the mainstream. That's how we ended up with Baby Boomers, Gen X (once called the 13th generation?!), and Millennials (called Gen Y for a bit).
