re: Were the 90's the worst years for pop culture?

"I think much of what you assign to the 1990s happened in the 2000s"

THIS. The 90s weren't great but they were infinitely better than the 2000s. Most of what the OP describes only describes the very end of the 90s. The 2000s were an awful awful decade in both pop culture and life in general. The only really bad thing I can say about the 90s is that it was when the political culture of the country moved WAY to the left which has led to the liberal hell the mainstream media gas turned into. Political correctness just started to take off in the 90s and got much worse since 2000.

Sadly, we'l likely never again experience the great pop culture and sense of fun and possibility of the 80s.