Walking past the frats on a Friday evening—or Super on a Saturday afternoon—would be enough to convince anyone that Gen Z party culture is alive and well. In reality, Gen Z is drinking and partying less, to the point where the nightlife and club scene is on the decline— simply because there isn’t enough interest amongst our generation.

Older generations will bleat about Gen Z’s lack of sociability, blaming every problem from here to Timbuktu on “that damn phone.” And yes, obviously social media and the rise of portable technology have vastly reduced the need for in-person gatherings to interact with others. Why would the same volume of men and women frequent nightclubs to meet romantic partners if we now have a dozen apps for that very purpose, even with filters to streamline the whole process? Now, if nightlife exists, it’s primarily—though not exclusively—meant to have a good time with friends, to get dressed up and dance without the intention of finding a significant other.  

Moreover, because of phones, each experience is more easily documented, for better or worse. Walking into a club and finding more people recording than dancing is definitely a deterrent, especially when there’s the risk of being caught having what you thought was a great time, only to wake up to your face plastered on some random’s social media as the face of a new meme. Many clubs, particularly in Europe, have taken to enforcing a no-phones rule to enhance the immersion. Clearly, in the ‘90s, this wasn’t an issue. 

But the bigger, more likely reason is the cost. In a time of drinks for less than $5, going out was a given. Having a good time used to be affordable enough to be worth it. Now, not only will you come back from a night out drunk, you’ll come back significantly more in debt. Having house parties and intimate gatherings are cheaper and more desirable for a multitude of reasons, but this leads to the perception that we’re simply far less “fun” than previous generations. 

The rising costs can explain most, if not all, of Gen Z’s behavior. Most of the older generation moved out at eighteen and to apply that same expectation to even twenty-two-year-olds now is certainly a big ask. You might drink to forget your problems, but it’s quite difficult when your problem is money and drinking would only make that problem worse. 

But ultimately, I don’t think Gen Z is partying less, or having less fun, or whatever the perception is. We just find ways to do it differently, in ways that suit the circumstances we never asked to face, in ways that don’t exacerbate the problems we never asked to have. Crib all you want about Gen Z being the “lame” generation, but I would be interested to see how the ‘90s and ‘00s culture would survive right now, even without Gen Z. 

And honestly, our actual party culture is in pretty good shape, too. Just venture down to Miami, or NYC, or hell, even S 7th Street, Lewisburg, Pa. and you’ll probably change your mind.