Watch Teens Review '90s Boy Bands

If you lived through the ‘90s, you already know the majesty of Boyz II Men and the Backstreet Boys, but today’s teens may not have been exposed to the bands that paved the way for their beloved One Direction. In a new video from BuzzFeed, teens review ‘90s boy bands. Honestly, I thought they might have a hard time seeing the obvious superiority of ‘90s guy groups, but I should have had more faith in today’s youth. They actually come around pretty quickly to the indisputable truth: Boy bands in the ‘90s were legit awesome.

BuzzFeed’s ‘90s boy band retrospective starts with New Kids on the Block (of course). The teens seem to like “Step By Step,” but then one of them says, “My mom was all over this,” and now I feel like an ancient husk, drying out in the desert. (True story: Back in the day, there was actually a New Kids On The Block store in my local mall. Yes, a whole store dedicated solely to NKOTB merchandise, from NKOTB buttons and t-shirts to sleeping bags and sheet sets. Just let that sink in.)

The teens watch videos from *NSYNC, the Backstreet Boys, and Hanson. When they get to 98 Degrees, one of the girls asks a key question: “Why is everybody’s pants so baggy?” Sweet honey child, it was the ‘90s.

One thing about this video that really surprised me is the song that seems to be everyone’s favorite: “I Swear” by All-4-One. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good song — but these teenagers L. O. V. E. it. “This would never be on the radio today because it’s, like, so good,” one of the guys says. One girl points out that “I Swear” has a nicer message than a lot of contemporary music. “Nowadays, they talk about ass and tits,” she says. “This song, they’re actually talking about loving a girl.” Sadly, the BuzzFeed video doesn’t include the actual songs being reviewed, so here is “I Swear,” for your listening pleasure:

The teens are also big fans of Boyz II Men (but then, who isn’t?). “We need more of this,” they say as the band croons “End of the Road.”

On the whole, the teens really like the ‘90s boy bands. One girl says she appreciates the sound and tone of the ‘90s songs, remarking, “Everything is so smooth sounding and chill, and not so much of the derogatory lyrics [of today].”

“They definitely catered and dedicated their songs to girls, to making girls feel good about themselves,” another teen explains. “They’ll definitely be remembered forever.” PREACH.

Images: YouTube; Giphy