U.S. history has witnessed some iconic eras — the roaring ’20s, the ’50s, the ’70s! But no decade has had quite the impact on modern day life as the nineties have. When it comes to our fashion trends, our TV show binges and our music choices — I think we can agree there was no better time than the ’90s. So with all the other influences, it makes sense that we’d want our Halloween costumes to be ’90s-inspired, as well!
Whether we’re dressing like the Spice Girls with our squad or paying tribute to our favorite Nickelodeon shows, these are the best ’90s inspired costumes, like, ever.
1. Clueless
We can sit and argue for hours (or days) about whether or not Clueless is the best teen movie from the ’90s or we can just agree that it is and move on because hello, you’re totally buggin’ if you don’t agree. It not only introduced a generation to the classic “whatever,” but it also gave us amazing fashion to rock in our everyday life, and of course on Halloween. This one shouldn’t be too tough to put together after a day of thrifting. So get to it!
2. Beavis and Butthead
What Clueless was to girls of the ’90s, Beavis and Butthead was to the teenage boys who wanted nothing more in life than to get laid, listen to heavy metal, and basically be a slacker for the rest of their lives. No really, what do you think those two buds would be up to today? Thankfully Beavis and Butthead are forever teenagers with classic and easy looks to recreate. The masks are purely optional — you can definitely make this costume without splurging on some really doofy-looking masks that you’ll only wear once.
3. Space Jam
Sports are cool, we guess… but what made them a hell of a lot more interesting was when Michael Jordan got Bugs Bunny and Co. into the action. This ’90s film is iconic, but it’s not one that has been completely overdone when it comes to Halloween. You’ll probably see a couple Clueless outfits on the street, but I’d be shocked if you saw another Space Jam-inspired ensemble on Halloween night.
4. Britney Spears
Britney Spears may have come out at the end part of the ’90s but she made such an impact that we still revere her as an icon of that decade. Plus, with all she’s done, you can literally have an outfit for every hour of the day come Halloween. You and your squad could all dress as a different Britney if you’re looking for a group idea! But if you’re going solo, you can’t go wrong with this classic Brit from the “Hit Me Baby” years.
5. Power Rangers
Go! Go! Get a Power Rangers costume (or make your own) because really, no other superhero could really compare during that time. Coming in a rainbow of colors, you can either rock this costume solo or in a group. There is no way to you can go wrong. Pink Ranger for life!
6. Dumb and Dumber
They weren’t the brightest. They weren’t necessarily going to sit at the cool kid’s table. What they were thought was funny as hell with amazing (and tacky but wonderful) fashion sense. Who can pass up wearing either of those memorable suits that Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels made look so good? If you want to give it a more ~cute flair~ then you can do a blue skater skirt with a fitted blue jacket and white crop top and your BFF can do the same in orange. Voila!
7. Daria
One of the greatest gifts the ‘90s ever gave us was how well-loved the outcasts were. And everyone knows that one of the best outcasts ever came from Daria.
Sarcastic and cynical with just one friend by her side, Daria embodied something that many growing up at that point had yet to see on TV. We’re not only grateful for the show, we’re also grateful that Daria and her friends had outfits that are SO easy to recreate.
8. Selena
Many knew who Selena was way before she was tragically taken from this world, and the rest of us caught wind of her after Jennifer Lopez slayed the hell out of her biopic. Either way, the whole world eventually fell in love with Selena’s image and damn — can you blame us? Her looks were ON POINT. Bedazzled tops? YAS!
9. Rugrats
Some may say it’s weird to be a baby for Halloween, and we kind of agree. But when it comes to the Rugrats, we’ve gotta give the weirdness a pass. Grab a friend to be Tommy Pickles, your frick-and-frack pals to play Phil and Lil, and of course your sassiest BFF has gotta play Angelica. You guys will be the hit of the party — but if you’re on your own then this Chuckie costume will be obvious enough, but not too obvious.
10. Saved by the Bell
SBTB was the pinnacle of the early ‘90s. While this is obvi a great group costume, you can still rock out dressed like Kelly Kapowski — and let’s face it — if you went with a squad you’d all be fighting over who got to be Kelly, anyways. Seriously, I’d rock these looks on non-Halloween (AKA the other 364 days of the year) so this is just a good excuse to buy a new outfit.
11. Ms. Frizzle
We are not talking about the Netflix version of The Magic Schoolbus that’s about to come back because… the new Ms. Frizzle’s costume design leaves a lot to be desired… or more accurately, remembered. So ultimately, you’ve gotta be dressed as the OG Ms. Frizzle. The one with an outfit that somehow matched every lesson she was about to teach.
How she managed to have that lavish of a closet on a teacher’s budget is beyond us, but you don’t have to break the bank to have this look. A blue dress with some stars, moons and the sun and you are ready to go.
12. Powerpuff Girls
We’re just going, to be honest, you can’t do this alone. You need two of your BFFs to come along with you, and no fighting over who gets to be Bubbles. Blossom goes to whoever looks the best in pink. The same goes for blue and green. Oh, and if you can score a Professor X or a Him, even better.
13. A Goofy Movie
Let’s all agree that this is low-key one of the most underrated Disney movies OF. ALL. TIME. because it is. How much love (and merchandise) did Aladdin and The Lion King get back then? Well deserved, sure, but come on! A Goofy Movie was just as great and the soundtrack was a gem. Amazing characters like Max and Roxanne have iconic looks that screamed, “Copy this look right now!” So that’s what we’ll do. On Halloween, of course.
14. Spice Girls
There were a lot of bomb women back in the ‘90s but for some reason it took a group of five British women in very caricature personas to teach us the importance of girl power. I bet you can’t even say “girl power” today without wanting to toss up that infamous peace sign. Am I right?
What’s so fun about this as a group costume is that you get to really do it up. Leopard for Scary, a baby doll dress for duh… Baby, something black and tight for Posh, sexy for Ginger (bonus points if you actually score the U.K. shimmery dress), and if you’re lucky you can rock your workout gear for Sporty.
No fighting over who gets to be Baby, alright guys? Just pick out of a hat or something.
15. Tamagotchi
For those of us ‘90s kids whose parents were 100% against getting us a pet we could love and cuddle, we had Tamagotchi. Coming out right around the time Giga Pets were all the rage, Tamagotchis were a lot weirder but honestly… better.
They weren’t exactly the most sophisticated toys around but they sparked a commotion on every playground out there because they were pets you could let die without any real consequences. Bizarre. As easy as it was to let them die, it is even easier to dress like one. All you really need is some cardboard and 3rd-grade art skills. Hallelujah.
16. Ace Ventura
The ‘90s were Jim Carrey’s decade. Sure, he had The Grinch in 2000 and The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind in 2004, but classics like The Mask or our fave, Ace Ventura were ’90s films in every way. Ace Ventura is such a fun costume where you get to have wacky hair and a tutu all night if you choose OR a bold Hawaiian shirt and stuffed animals. Either way, you’ll have people giving you classic A.V. quotes all day on Halloween… and that’s pretty awesome.
17. Madonna
Every decade from the 80’s on will have a Madonna to dress like. She’s an immortal icon of music, fashion, and Halloween inspiration. ‘90s Madonna was all about those cone bras and we’re not going to be giving you any pushback if you want to overdo it with some lace for your costume, either.
While we’re all loving the very ‘90s bra-free look, we’d also be fine with the cone-bra aesthetic coming back — it’s kinda amazing.
18. Wayne’s World
Okay, you can adult-up these costumes for sure — but we couldn’t pass on sharing this adorable photo of baby Wayne and Garth.
If you don’t want to go the animated route with your besties for the Beavis and Butthead costume, then it’s not too far a stretch to opt for the real-life versions with smaller heads and arguably cooler hair. A flannel, a baseball hat, and a pair of glasses and you and your friend are ready to go with this one. You’re welcome.
19. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
If you wanna rock some leather, a cross necklace and a wooden stake then look no further. It’s the perfect solo costume and you get bonus points if you can name which season of Buffy you’re dressed up as. Got a bae? Get them to dress up as Spike or Angel. Obviously the Spike costume is just a little bit cooler but whatever floats your boat.
20. Salt n’ Pepa
THOSE OUTFITS THOUGHHHHHHHH. Not going to lie, there’s a good chance that you’ll wear this ‘fit on Halloween before realizing you look damn fine and decide to make that look your new aesthetic. We won’t judge. ‘90s trends are back in and if your friends can rock the choker, mom jeans and belly shirts, then you can most certainly start dressing like a ‘90s hip hop star. Don’t worry about it.