From a primetime cartoon family getting into it with the president to a show about nothing, the 1990s tore the comedy rulebook in half. The decade revitalized old icons and gave rise to bold new voices―from the young Black comedians of Phat Tuesdays to the drag queens of "To Wong Foo." The cultural landscape was shifting, and comedians were leading the charge.

A new generation of teenagers with cash to spend flips the script and molds the decade in its own image as "TRL" rules the airwaves, "Scream" redefines a genre, "House Party" kicks off a dance craze, "Dawson's Creek" gives fans all the feels, and Cher from "Clueless" reigns as queen of the catchphrase. Whatever!

From the death of the Cold War to the birth of a space station, our '90s dreams are coming true. But as Biosphere 2 blurs fact and fiction, and "The X-Files" makes us paranoid, is humanity about to lose control of its own narrative? From Furby spies and human clones to vampire battles and fight clubs, our existential fears build as we speed toward Y2K. Will we survive? Spoiler alert: Yes.