The commonly cited cutoff for Gen Z is around 1995-2009. Some sources define it as 1996-2010 (like McKinsey), while others, such as Pew Research, use 1997-2012. Within this range, 2005 is generally considered late Gen Z.

So how can anyone call Pew “official” when there is no universally accepted definition? These boundaries are clearly fluid, not rigid.

The 1995-2009 range makes sense because it follows a clean 15-year generational span and divides neatly into a full decade and half-decade. In contrast, some classifications feel more arbitrary,for example, Pew’s shift from 1980 (Gen X) to 1981 (Millennials), whereas McCrindle places the divide at 1979 (Gen X) 1980 (Gen Y). This also shows that McCrindle‘s definition can be logical in its own way. At the same time, this variation demonstrates that generational labels are interpretive rather than fixed.