Inside Gen X humor: The forgotten generation's wry comedy is quietly thriving online, and they don't care if you don't get the joke

• The search term "generation x humor" has 756 million views on TikTok.
• Internet jokes and memes regularly reference their independent upbringings and dated technology.
• Gen X comedian Karen Morgan told Insider their humor "is keenly observational and nostalgic."

The internet has become a generational battleground of late, as varying age ranges have made a point of their distinct differences, from their views on fashion and slang terms, and especially the things that make them laugh.

Millennial humor has been thoroughly dissected and judged by Gen Zers, who have called their predecessors out for their cringe and self-deprecating digs. In turn, some Gen Zers admit they're baffled by the things the younger Gen Alpha finds funny, and have started predicting how they will ridicule their humor in the coming years.

Meanwhile, Gen X, sometimes dubbed "the forgotten generation" as they're wedged between baby boomers and millennials, have largely been left to their own devices. 

Still, many of the early adopters of the internet fell into this generation, and its humor continues to thrive online in often under-discussed corners of the internet like Facebook groups and YouTube shorts, where they revel in jokes inspired by their collective perspective. Here's what Gen X humor looks like, and why younger people may not be in on the joke.

Gen X humor is rooted in their upbringing, which makes it hard for younger generations to relate

The search term "generation x humor" has received 756 million views on TikTok, and features videos from self-described Gen Xers who make light of their independent childhoods where they could roam unsupervised, highlight their resilience and sarcasm, and share memories of firm parenting methods.

Karen Morgan, a touring comedian who was born in 1965, right at the beginning of the Gen X period which extends to 1980, frequently pops up on TikTok as users share clips of her stand-up material which has focused on the generation's worldview, from recollections of the candy they ate growing up to the now outdated technology they used.

"Gen X comedy is keenly observational and nostalgic," Morgan told Insider in an email exchange. "The tone of our comedy can be sarcastic. But it's honest and direct. More importantly, it's self-effacing. Gen Xers suffer no fools, especially when we are talking about ourselves."

Although the subject matter can vary, Morgan said a common theme running throughout Gen X jokes is a "pride in how and when we grew up" as her generation was left to their own accord at early ages, with "very little supervision and coddling" from their parents, which may seem alien and unfunny to younger people.

"I've had comments from millennials and Gen Zers who say our experience was abusive," Morgan said. "I disagree. I wholeheartedly believe we were lucky to grow up when we did. Our feral childhoods made us strong, independent people with a good sense of humor."

Gen Xers look for comedy where it's easy to find and share online

In April 2022, market research and consulting firm Ipsos published their findings after they analyzed what different generations found funny. They reported that Gen X in particular enjoyed non-political and straightforward humor, and tended to use YouTube shorts as their go-to when connecting with humor through social media.

Kelsey Chessey, senior director of Ipsos Online Communities, who co-authored the report, told Insider the study was comprised of almost 1,000 people, around 249 of whom were Gen X. Those Gen Xers who used YouTube did so because of its direct accessibility.

"What we sort of saw from their open-ended responses was that they felt like, on social media, it's a lot of the sameness, or maybe not a lot of things that resonate specifically with them," Chessey told Insider, adding that YouTube shorts allowed them to "go find the things that they knew were going to be super relevant to them."

Gen X tended to like observational comedians like Jerry Seinfeld and Robin Williams, which are easy to find on YouTube, and used Facebook to disperse the things that made them laugh, Chessey said, as it was a convenient place to share jokes with like-minded people. 

The Facebook group Righteous Memes from Generation X currently has over 98,600 members, and features throwback references to the things users got up to in their youth, while the group GenX Only has over 230,000 members who enjoy similar posts.

"We like to share memes and reels with our peers who get why it's funny," Morgan said. "We don't care if anyone else gets it. It's for us to enjoy."