I stepped foot in Hot Topic for the first time in over a decade. Here's what it's like inside the famed punk chain in 2023.

• I haven't set foot in Hot Topic — a mall mainstay — in at least a decade.
• Back then, I was a little intimidated by Hot Topic's loud music and goth aesthetic.
• In 2023, the chain has stayed afloat by selling licensed merchandise of more mainstream interests.

I was born smack in the middle of the '90s, which means I experienced the tail end of mall culture — when I was in middle school, hanging out at the mall was still one of the best ways to spend an afternoon with your friends.

We used to giggle at the more mature offerings at a place like Spencer's Gifts, but there was one store that 12-year-old me and my friends used to avoid with wide eyes: Hot Topic.

Hot Topic, which was founded in a garage in the late '80s before becoming a chain with over 600 stores, used to be known for its loud punk music and an overwhelming amount of band T-shirts, studded belts, platform boots, and face jewelry — all things that freaked me out as a pre-teen.

Now 28, I decided to check out what's going on in Hot Topic in 2023. I was surprised to find T-shirts, sweatshirts, stuffed animals, and more from some of my favorite franchises that are decidedly not punk, like "Twilight."

Here's what it was like to pay a visit to Hot Topic in 2023.