Summary

• Y2K, a disaster comedy, takes us back to the millennial chaos and satirizes the Y2K computer bug hysteria of 1999.
• The film, set for release in 2024, features a star-studded cast including Jaeden Martell, Rachel Zegler, and Alicia Silverstone.
• Expect nostalgic music from 1999 like “Genie in a Bottle” and “Smooth” to accompany this alternate-history horror comedy.

The new trailer for A24’s upcoming disaster comedy Y2K takes viewers back to the turn of the millennium. As one of A24’s most anticipated upcoming movies, Y2K appears to take on a similar premise to 2013’s This Is The End, which portrayed a fictional depiction of the apocalypse. Y2K marks the feature film directorial debut of former Saturday Night Live cast member Kyle Mooney, whose previous writing credits include Nathan for You and Brigsby Bear.

Y2K is written by Mooney and Evan Winter and is set to be released in theaters on December 6, 2024. The film stars Jaeden Martell of IT and Knives Out acclaim, Rachel Zegler of West Side Story and Snow White fame, and 1990s superstar Alicia Silverstone (Clueless, Batman & Robin, Blast from the Past). Y2K also features several celebrity cameos, such as The Kid Laroi and Fred Durst, the lead singer of the popular 1990s rock band Limp Bizkit. Y2K opened to mixed reviews after its March 2024 premiere at SXSW.

Back in 1999, the term “Y2K” referred to a computer bug that was sensationalized and created a widespread myth that would inspire apocalyptic-like events at the turn of the millennium. Similar to the film’s premise, which takes place on the last night of 1999, many people, particularly teens and young adults, anticipated that the “Y2K” computer bug would trigger a series of disastrous events once the clock struck midnight in the year 2000. This mythic rumor was created because early computer programmers often used a two-digit code to represent years, meaning that older systems wouldn’t have any way to recognize or compute data after the year 1999.

Y2K
had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 9, 2024.

15 “My Own Worst Enemy” by Lit (1999)

It’s hard to imagine that this 1999 rock classic won’t be featured in Y2K. “My Own Worst Enemy” is easily one of the biggest hits to come out of the year 1999 and was a massive success among young audiences. This song would surely be playing at high school/college parties and would be all over the radio that year, even though the band Lit turned out to be a one-hit wonder. It was the band’s lead single from their second album titled A Place in the Sun. The song went 2x Platinum and was the #1 track of the year on Billboard’s US Modern Rock Tracks chart.

14 “Take A Picture” by Filter (1999)

Another more-or-less one-hit wonder, Filter made the classic late 90s track “Take a Picture” which became their all-time most popular song. Filter is more atmospheric and vibey than the in-your-face party sound of Lit’s bestselling track but the song also represents another side of the year 1999 that leaned more into the alternative space than punk rock. “Take a Picture” peaked at number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and went as high as number three in Canada. While it’s not the first song you think of when thinking of the late 90s, it certainly is a timepiece of the era.

13 “Blue (Da Be Dee)” by Eiffel 65 (1998)

There may not be a more idiosyncratic pop song to come out of the late 90s than Eiffel 65’s “Blue (Da Be Dee).” If there’s one song that could only belong to the early Y2K era, it just may be this. Seemingly everyone has heard this song at one point or another, especially due to the recent popular remix titled “I’m Good (Blue)” by Bebe Rexha and David Guetta. Love it or hate it, “Blue (Da Be Dee)” topped many European charts and was the number one song of 1999 on the Eurochart Hot 100, going 3x Platinum in Australia and the UK.

12 “Fly Away” by Lenny Kravitz (1999)

Another iconic song and arguably the best by its artist, Lenny Kravitz’ “Fly Away” was a mega-hit in 1999 that should absolutely be in the film Y2K. Kravitz is known for his effortlessly cool style, which is enhanced greatly by this effortlessly cool pop-rock track. “Fly Away” peaked at number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and topped the charts in Iceland and the United Kingdom. It also won a Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Performance in 1999. It would be shocking if Y2K didn’t give a nod to one of the most iconic songs to come out that year.

11 “Larger Than Life” by Backstreet Boys (1999)

While Backstreet Boys also released their unforgettable hit “I Want It That Way” in 1999, their other big single off their third studio album titled “Millennium” was “Larger Than Life.” Although the song may not be as instantly recognizable as “I Want It That Way” nowadays, the song was still a massive hit and one of the more dance/party songs on the album compared to the slowed-down vibe of their other songs. “Larger Than Life” was a top-10 hit in several countries and went as high as number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100. One way or another, Backstreet Boys has to be included in Y2K.

10 “What’s My Age Again?” by blink-182 (1999)

Blink-182 is one of the most successful pop-punk bands to come out of the late 1990s, especially considering that they’re still touring today. Their biggest hit in 1999 was the song “All the Small Things”, which is arguably one of their most overplayed yet recognized songs off their album Enema of the State. It can be said that “What’s My Age Again?” appeals more to the rebellious youth energy of its listeners at the time, which is why it could be the better choice to have featured in Y2K than “All the Small Things”. “Going Away to College”, “Aliens Exist”, “The Party Song”, and “Anthem” would also work perfectly fine, although the heavier “Adam’s Song” may not be the best fit even though it’s one of the band’s best.

9 “Jumpin’, Jumpin’” by Destiny’s Child (1999)

Most people think of “Say My Name” when they think of Beyoncé’s first music group, Destiny’s Child, but their other popular 1999 track “Jumpin’, Jumpin'” is just as iconic and arguably better suited for a party scene. “Jumpin’, Jumpin'” was released on Destiny Child’s second studio album titled The Writing’s on the Wall released in 1999 but didn’t gain popularity until the summer of 2000 as the album’s fourth single. Still, the song existed at the time that the movie takes place and Y2K would be remiss not to include Destiny Child’s best party song.

8 “Every Morning” by Sugar Ray (1999)

Another band that could only exist in the late 1990s and early 2000s is Sugar Ray, known for their highly popular and singable pop rock songs with west coast vibes. Sugar Ray is more laid back than the punk-pop bands of the era but would still likely show up on a mixtape or a popular radio station, which it still does to this day. “Every Morning” was Sugar Ray’s biggest hit, although their other popular song “Someday” from their 1999 album titled 14:59 would also make sense to appear in Y2K. Sugar Ray’s music has also been featured in Wild Things (1998) and Van Wilder (2002).

7 “Tearin’ Up My Heart” by *NSYNC (1997)

What’s a Y2K movie with Backstreet Boys if there’s no *NSYNC? The other popular boy band was just getting their start in the late 1990s after the breakout success of their 1997 self-titled debut album. Before releasing 2000’s No Strings attached with their most popular tracks such as “Bye Bye Bye” and “It’s Gonna Be Me”, they also released a Christmas album in 1998 with a brand new holiday hit “Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays.” Because their biggest hits weren’t released until January 2000, an older *NSYNC hit like “Tearin’ Up My Heart” should still show up somehow in Y2K.

6 “No Scrubs” by TLC (1999)

1999 was an incredible year for pop and rock music but it was also an iconic year for hip-hop and R&B. “No Scrubs” by TLC remains a legendary song and truly must wind up in the Y2K movie in some capacity. TLC were massive during the 1990s, as “No Scrubs” became the group’s third number-one single and eighth top 10 single on the US Billboard Hot 100. It also won Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal and Best R&B Song at the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards. The song has been covered by the rock band Weezer and the singer Bastille but nothing tops the original.

5 “Genie in a Bottle” by Christina Aguilera (1999)

Christina Aguilera’s “Genie in a Bottle” was one of the biggest hits of 1999 and should be featured in Y2K. Aguilera released her self-titled debut album that same year and quickly ascended up the ranks of the pop star elite. Aguilera first gained notoriety from her song “Reflection” which was featured in the Disney film Mulan in 1998. “Genie in a Bottle” peaked at number 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and hit number 1 in several other countries, going 3x Platinum in the United States. This song was basically playing on a radio station at all times in the summer of 1999.

4 “Smooth” by Santana feat. Rob Thomas (1999)

It wouldn’t be 1999 if “Smooth” by Santana featuring Rob Thomas wasn’t playing on the radio or at the local shopping mall. “Smooth” was the lead single from Santana’s 1999 studio album titled Supernatural. It was the number one song on the US Billboard Hot 100 for 12 consecutive weeks and was ranked the second-most successful song ever on Billboard’s Hot 100 60th Anniversary list. It won Grammys for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals, cementing its status as one of the biggest hits of all time. “Smooth” may be a hard song to integrate into Y2K but its presence should still be felt.

3 “Graduation (Friends Forever) by Vitamin C (1999)

This iconic graduation song was first released in 1999 and has been making high school seniors cry ever since. There’s a time when this song feels like the most important song in the world in many high school graduates’ lives and it certainly hits home. While Y2K is more of a disaster horror comedy than a realistic coming-of-age story set in 1999, it would make perfect sense if this song was featured in the film given that it takes place on the last night of 1999 and is about a group of high schoolers. “Graduation (Friends Forever)” wasn’t a big hit in 1999 but it has stood the test of time and was sampled by Juice WRLD in 2019.

2 “The Next Episode” by Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Dogg (1999)

One of the best hip-hop songs to come out of 1999 was “The Next Episode” by Dr. Dre featuring Snoop Dogg on his album titled 2001. Two other massive singles “Still D.R.E.” and “Forgot About Dre”, came off Dr. Dre’s second solo studio album, his first since 1992’s The Chronic. Any of these three songs would make sense to appear in Y2K although “The Next Episode” arguably has the most party vibes and may be the most popular of the three. The song peaked at number 23 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and is one of Dr. Dre’s most legendary tracks.

1 “…Baby One More Time” by Britney Spears (1998)

If there had to be only one song to represent the meaning of Y2K, it would have to be Britney Spears’ mega-hit “…Baby One More Time”. Even as Spears’ debut single, it was an international success, topping the charts in more than 20 different countries including the US Billboard Hot 100. It’s one of the best-selling singles of all time with more than 10 million copies sold. Its music video played a major part in making the song and Britney Spears a massive success and can literally not be separated from the cultural notion of Y2K, which makes it nearly essential in the upcoming movie.