The 2000s produced few distinct styles and no canonical name

Evidence

Since the turn of the century, this rapid progression has slowed. Box office hits are almost exclusively reboots or sequels, from endless Star Wars retreads to countless incarnations of Spider-Man and Batman. The most notable music acts of 2006—and 2024—included Taylor Swift and Beyoncé. Unlike previous decades, the 2000s produced few distinct styles. The decade even failed to take on a canonical name: It’s sometimes called the “aughts,” sometimes the “noughties.” The 2010s fared no better. In the words of philosopher Franco Berardi, there has been a “slow cancellation of the future.” — W. David Marx, Blank Space, 17

Categorization

• DEEPTHINKING: The observation that a decade produced no canonical name is a subtle, sustained example — not just an artistic claim but a claim about how eras get periodized retroactively, feeding the reader’s question of whether blankness is real or an artifact of historical distance.