Decade Prompts
Time travel by sound. The best of the 80s, 90s, 2000s and beyond, one era per round.
221 Decade aux battle prompts to pick from. Use them for a song battle with friends, an aux war, or your next round in Aux Battles.
The Roaring 20s
Swing Era 30s
Big Band 40s
Late 50s Rock & Roll
Fab 60s
60s Motown
60s British Invasion
50s Doo-Wop
Disco 70s
Hard Rock 70s
70s Funk
70s Progressive Rock
70s Singer-Songwriter Movement
Electric 80s
Synth Pop 80s
80s Hair Metal
80s New Wave
80s Pop Perfection
80s Freestyle
Grunge 90s
Early 90s Hip-Hop Golden Age
90s R&B
90s Gangsta Rap
Late 90s Pop
90s Alternative Revolution
Early 2000s Pop
2000s Punk Revival
Mid-2000s Crunk Era
Mid-2000s Emo/Pop-Punk
2000s Pop Princess Era
Early Internet Era (2005–2010)
Late 2000s Hip-Hop
Early 2010s Indie Explosion
2010s EDM Festival Era
2010s Festival Anthem Era
Mid-2010s Trap Era
Late 2010s SoundCloud Rap
Pre-Streaming Era (2010–2015)
TikTok Era (2019–2022)
Pandemic Era (2020–2021)
Early 2020s Bedroom Pop
The Future (2020s)
Golden Era Hip-Hop (Late 80s–Late 90s)
Vinyl Era (Pre-1980)
CD Era (1990s)
MP3 Era (Early 2000s)
Streaming Era (2015+)
All-Time Classics (Any Decade)
Pre-1950s Jazz & Blues Roots
Late 2010s Alt-R&B Wave
Ragtime Era (1900s-1910s)
WWII Homefront Music (Early 40s)
Post-War Crooner Era (Late 40s)
Psychedelic 60s
Bubblegum Pop 60s
Yacht Rock Late 70s
New Wave Late 70s/Early 80s
Boy Band Explosion (Late 90s)
Girl Group Era (Late 90s/Early 2000s)
Dance-Pop Revival (Early 2010s)
Blog Era Indie (Late 2000s)
Ringtone Rap Era (Mid-2000s)
Mashup/Bootleg Era (Late 2000s)
Hipster Electro Era (2008-2012)
Vine Era Music (2013-2016)
Y2K Pop (1999-2002)
Post-Pandemic Pop Resurgence (2022-Present)
Bedroom Producer Boom (2020s)
AI-Assisted Music Era (2023-Present)
Timeless Standards (Any Era, No Skips)
One-Hit Wonders of Any Decade
Novelty Song Era (Any Decade)
Radio Hits of the Cassette Tape Era
Soundtrack of a Decade You Weren't Born In
Genre-Blending 2020s
Golden Age of Music Videos (Early MTV Era)
Napster Era Music Discovery (Early 2000s)
Early Spotify Era Discovery (2010-2014)
Pre-Internet Word-of-Mouth Hits (Any Decade)
Radio-Only Discovery Era (Pre-2000s)
Cassette Mixtape Culture Era
Music Blog Buzz Bands Era (2006-2011)
Reality TV Music Boom (2000s)
Early Auto-Tune Era (Mid-2000s)
Post-Genre Streaming Era (Late 2020s)
Pre-Jazz Ragtime Piano Era (1890s)
Tin Pan Alley Era (1900s-1920s)
Vaudeville Circuit Era (1900s-1910s)
Prohibition Speakeasy Jazz (Late 20s)
Harlem Renaissance Jazz Age
Great Depression Radio Era (Early 30s)
Golden Age of Radio (30s-40s)
Wartime Big Band Swing (Early 40s)
V-Disc Era (WWII Military Records)
Post-War Jump Blues (Late 40s)
Birth of Rock and Roll (Mid-50s)
Rockabilly Boom (Mid-50s)
Brill Building Pop (Late 50s-Early 60s)
Girl Group Era (Early 60s)
Surf Rock Summer (Early 60s)
British Beat Boom (Early 60s)
Folk Revival (Early 60s)
Soul Explosion (Mid-60s)
Summer of Love (1967)
Woodstock Era (1969)
Southern Soul (Late 60s)
Glam Rock Explosion (Early 70s)
Arena Rock Boom (Mid-70s)
Reggae Roots Era (70s)
Disco Inferno (Late 70s)
Punk Explosion (1977)
Post-Punk Aftermath (Early 80s)
New Romantic Era (Early 80s)
MTV Launch Era (1981-1983)
Second British Invasion (Mid-80s)
Golden Age of Hip-Hop Birth (Early 80s)
Miami Bass Era (Mid-80s)
Hair Metal Peak (Late 80s)
Acid House Summer (1988-1989)
New Jack Swing Era (Late 80s-Early 90s)
Grunge Breakthrough (1991-1992)
Britpop Wars (Mid-90s)
Jungle & Drum and Bass Boom (Mid-90s)
Boy Band Wars (Late 90s)
Nu-Metal Rise (Late 90s)
Teen Pop Takeover (1998-2000)
Napster Panic Era (1999-2001)
Emo Basement Show Era (Early 2000s)
Snap Music Era (Mid-2000s)
MySpace Music Discovery Era (2005-2008)
Hipster Blog Rock Era (Late 2000s)
Autotune Ubiquity Era (Late 2000s)
Recession Pop Era (2008-2010)
Dubstep Crossover Boom (Early 2010s)
Tumblr Sadcore Era (Early 2010s)
Vine Six-Second Hit Era (2013-2016)
PC Music Era (Mid-2010s)
Mumble Rap Rise (Mid-2010s)
Playlist Pop Era (Late 2010s)
Hyperpop Breakout (2019-2020)
Lockdown Bedroom Pop (2020)
Zoom Concert Era (2020-2021)
TikTok Sped-Up Remix Era (2021-2023)
Y2K Pop Revival (2020s)
Short-Form Video Chart Era (2020s)
AI Voice Clone Music Era (2023-Present)
Post-Genre Bedroom Producer Era (2020s)
Streaming Algorithm Playlist Era (Late 2010s-Now)
Vinyl Revival Era (2010s-Now)
Cassette Nostalgia Revival (2020s)
Direct-to-Fan Bandcamp Era (2010s)
SoundCloud Underground Boom (2015-2018)
Colored Vinyl Collector Era (2020s)
K-Pop Global Breakthrough Era (2012-2018)
Latin Pop Crossover Wave (Late 90s)
Reggaeton Global Boom (2017-2019)
Afrobeats Global Crossover (Late 2010s-Now)
Amapiano Global Rise (2020s)
City Pop Revival (2010s-Now)
Synthwave Nostalgia Boom (2010s)
Post-Rock Slow Burn Era (Early 2000s)
Chillwave Summer (2009-2010)
Witch House Underground Moment (2010-2012)
Trap Radio Takeover (Early 2010s)
Drill Music Rise (Mid-2010s)
UK Drill Global Spread (Late 2010s)
Jersey Club Mainstream Crossover (2020s)
Phonk Global TikTok Wave (2021-2023)
Sad Boy Rap Era (Mid-2010s)
Cloud Rap Underground Moment (Early 2010s)
Indie Sleaze Revival (2020s)
Garage Rock Revival (Early 2000s)
Post-Grunge Radio Rock (Early 2000s)
Screamo Basement Scene (Early 2000s)
Metalcore Warped Tour Era (Mid-2000s)
Christian Rock Radio Era (2000s)
Contemporary Worship Boom (2010s)
Gospel Quartet Era (40s-50s)
Motown Assembly Line Era (Mid-60s)
Stax Records Soul Era (Late 60s)
Philly Soul Sound (Early 70s)
Yacht Rock Radio Staple Era (Late 70s-Early 80s)
Quiet Storm R&B Era (80s)
New Jack City Soundtrack Era (Early 90s)
Neo-Soul Renaissance (Late 90s)
Alternative R&B Wave (2010s)
PBR&B Blog Era (Early 2010s)
Bedroom R&B Boom (Late 2010s)
Contemporary Country Pop Crossover (2010s)
Bro-Country Radio Era (Early 2010s)
Outlaw Country Revival (2020s)
Americana Roots Revival (2010s)
Bluegrass Festival Boom (2010s-Now)
Folk-Pop Revival (Early 2010s)
Coffeehouse Singer-Songwriter Boom (Late 2000s)
Freak Folk Era (Mid-2000s)
Chamber Pop Revival (Early 2000s)
Baroque Pop Underground (Late 60s)
Krautrock Underground Era (Early 70s)
No Wave Scene (Late 70s NYC)
Industrial Music Underground (80s)
EBM Club Era (Late 80s)
Rave Culture Explosion (Early 90s UK)
Big Beat Era (Late 90s)
Trance Anthem Era (Late 90s-Early 2000s)
Progressive House Festival Era (2010s)
Future Bass Underground Wave (Mid-2010s)
Post-Y2K Bubblegum Bass Era (2020s)
Post-Pandemic Drill Boom (2021-2023)
Nu-Disco Revival (2010s)
Chillwave Aftermath (2011-2013)
Emo Rap Peak (2017-2019)
Alt-Pop Bedroom Boom (Late 2010s)
Streaming Singles Era (2016-2019)
Vertical Video Discovery Era (2020s)
Regional Mexican Global Rise (2020s)
Amapiano Crossover Boom (2022-2024)
AI Cover Song Era (2023-Present)
Fan-Cam Discovery Era (2020s)
Post-Genre Playlist Curation Era (2020s)
Digicore Underground Moment (2019-2021)
How do you play a decade round?
One era per round, and every submission has to be from it. The best decade prompts here are narrower than a decade: "60s Motown", "80s Hair Metal" and "70s Funk" are periods with a sound, and a sound is something a room can judge. "The 90s" is a date range and produces scattered submissions nobody can compare.
Which decade makes the best aux battle round?
Whichever one the room half remembers. A decade everybody lived through turns into a nostalgia contest where the most familiar song wins. A decade slightly before the room time, the 70s for a group in their twenties, is better: there is enough shared reference for the picks to land and enough unknown territory for someone to surprise everybody.
Can you play decade rounds with people of different ages?
Yes, and it is the theme that handles a mixed-age room best. Everyone has a decade they know deeply, so a session that moves through several gives every person in the room one round where they have the advantage. That is harder to arrange with genre or lyrics prompts, where the same one or two people tend to win throughout.
Song lists for Decade rounds
Hand-picked answers to decade prompts, with a reason attached to every track. Useful when a prompt lands and nothing comes to mind.
Decade prompts, answered
What are Decade aux battle prompts?
Time travel by sound. The best of the 80s, 90s, 2000s and beyond, one era per round. In an aux battle, Decade prompts are the brief every player answers with a single song, and the room then votes on whose pick fits best.
What are some good Decade prompts for an aux battle?
Three of the 221 on this page: "Yacht Rock Late 70s", "Punk Explosion (1977)" and "UK Drill Global Spread (Late 2010s)". A prompt works when it is broad enough that everyone has a song for it but specific enough that the picks are worth arguing about.
How many Decade aux battle prompts are there?
221 Decade prompts, part of a free library of 3,505 prompts across 16 themes. They are free to read, free to copy into a group chat, and free to play through on Aux Battles with no account and no download.
How do you play an aux battle with Decade prompts?
Pick one Decade prompt, say "Yacht Rock Late 70s", and give every player the same brief. Each person submits one song from Spotify, YouTube or SoundCloud, the room plays the submissions back without revealing who picked what, and everyone rates them. The highest average score wins the round.
More Prompt Themes
Never run one? Try how to play an aux battle for the setup, the aux battle meaning for the background, and the 16 categories a round can use for every theme to draw from. It also goes by the aux wars explainer. After that, try games you can play straight from Spotify.