Gen Z's Most Popular Tattoo Style Has Gen X Scratching Their Heads

Time is a flat circle, and everything that was once in style will eventually come back in fashion again. Chalk it up to why walking through an apparel section at Target is like stepping back in time a couple of decades. And it's also why Gen Zers are suddenly getting tattoos that look suspiciously like the ones their parents got in the '90s.

And suffice to say, those Gen X who lived through it the first time around can't help but laugh.

The style of tattoo is called cybersigilism, which features abstract designs or symbols made with thin, typically black lines with sharp edges. In other words, it's very similar to tribal tattoos that were ubiquitous about 25 years ago, but with a sleeker, futuristic or cyberpunk feel. As such, some refer to the style as "tribal on keto."

Perhaps the trend can be rationalized as an overcorrection to the vivid, detailed colorful tattoos and sleeves that have reigned in popularity over the past decade or so.

And not surprisingly, cybersigilism tattoos are currently all the rage on TikTok . Markd Tattoo, a shop in Sydney, Australia posted a video last month asking what a typical Gen Z tattoo was, that has since gone viral with over 20 million views. And without fail, each artist asked named cybersigilism, with one noting that cybersigilism "tramp stamps" are also quite popular, referring to tattoo placement on the lower back. (Coincidentally, that was also a popular part of the body for tribal tattoos.)

However, commenters were divided. While some Gen Zers chimed in to say they were a fan of the style, many millennials and Gen X admitted to having to Google the term.

"So Gen Z is getting the same tattoos as their Gen X parents?" quipped one user, while another added: "My [Gen X husband] has a tribal guess I should tell him it’s cybersigilism now." Others compared the look to the Monster energy logo or what kids used to draw on their book covers or binders so they didn't fall asleep in class.

On the plus side, while cybersigilism tattoos may generally not go on to age any better than tribal tattoos have; perhaps in 20 or 30 years from now, Generation Alpha or Generation Beta will pick up on the trend with a wholly new version and make it their own. By that point, anyone with an original tribal tramp stamp will be shaking their heads from a nursing home.